Goodhue County began offering contract law enforcement services in the 1980's to City of Pine Island. Presently the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office provides contract law enforcement services to 5 of the 10 cities in Goodhue County.
Goodhue County cities that contract law enforcement coverage through the Sheriff's Office pay an hourly fee ($87.70 for 2025) as set by the County Board. The hourly rate includes the salary and benefits for the assigned deputy, the fully equipped squad car and all related law enforcement equipment and supplies, prosecution costs, investigative services, and secretarial services.
When making decisions on the level of policing needed, the city leaders consider both Community and Policing factors. Community factors include the population, growth rate, geographic size of city, housing types, numbers of highways and roadways, relationship to major cities, commercial property, parks, trails, size of school, the local demand for service by citizens and the cost of providing the services. Policing factors include the desired response times to calls for service, police visibility in the community, traffic enforcement, local ordinance enforcement, size of the city’s patrol area and familiarity with local issues.
| City | Contract Hours (2023) | Population (2023 Estimated) |
| Bellechester | 175 | 198 |
| Dennison | 217 | 260 |
| Goodhue | 1250 | 2190 |
| Pine Island | 3769 | 6570 |
| Wanamingo | 1112 | 2190 |
