Cass County Sheriff and West Fargo Police Chief Raise Concerns Over Fargo Police Press Conference

Nielsen and Jahner say they should have been included in the Angela Lipps case announcement.

Mar. 26, 2026 at 1:20am

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West Fargo Police Chief Pete Nielsen and Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner expressed concerns that they were not included in a Fargo Police press conference about the Angela Lipps case. Nielsen said his department provided facial recognition information to Fargo Police through the ND State and Local Intelligence Center, but Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski claimed they did not receive that information. Jahner and Nielsen said Zibolski should take responsibility and work to improve coordination between the departments.

Why it matters

The disagreement between the law enforcement agencies highlights potential communication and coordination issues that could impact public safety and the handling of criminal investigations in the Fargo-West Fargo metropolitan area.

The details

Nielsen said he was notified of the Fargo Police press conference just 45 minutes before it began. Zibolski claimed he was unaware that West Fargo had any facial recognition capabilities, but Nielsen pointed out they use the same Clear View AI software as the ND State and Local Intelligence Center, which provided the information to Fargo Police. Jahner and Nielsen said Zibolski should take responsibility for the miscommunication and work with their departments to improve coordination going forward.

  • The Fargo Police press conference took place on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

The players

Pete Nielsen

West Fargo Police Chief.

Jesse Jahner

Cass County Sheriff.

David Zibolski

Fargo Police Chief.

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What they’re saying

“Fargo Police Department requested this information from us and we sent them the information on Angela Lipps through AI. They requested it. For [Chief David Zibolski] to say that we did not send this information in North Dakota State and Local Intelligence Center. It's incorrect as well.”

— Pete Nielsen, West Fargo Police Chief

“What everyone's probably looking for is for [Chief Zibolski] and Fargo to take responsibility for it and let's just move on. Let's figure out if there's anything we can do to get better, but it doesn't do any good to throw or place blame on any other agencies.”

— Jesse Jahner, Cass County Sheriff

What’s next

The Fargo Police Department has not responded to requests for comment on why Jahner and Nielsen were not included in the press conference.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the need for improved communication and coordination between law enforcement agencies in the Fargo-West Fargo metro area to ensure efficient and effective handling of criminal investigations that may cross jurisdictional boundaries.