February 8, 2010 – 2:01 pm
The 2009 EPPD team gets ready to jump
Because we had so much fun and raised so much money in 2009, the Eden Prairie Police Department is once again hosting a Polar Bear Plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, March 13 at noon at Round Lake here in Eden Prairie. The Polar Bear Plunge involves raising a minimum of $75 in pledges and jumping into a hole cut in the ice. Last year the plungers at Round Lake raised over $36,000 which goes to help Special Olympics athletes throughout the state.
Law enforcement agencies have a close relationship with the Special Olympics. We help out with a number of annual Special Olympics fund raising events, including the Polar Plunge, under the umbrella of the Special Olympics Torch Run. Law enforcement officers are considered to be the “Guardians” of the “Flame of Hope” which is lit during the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics games each summer.
Plungers can jump as an individual or on a team. Thirteen Polar Plunges will take place throughout the state from January through March of this year. If you would like to be a part of this unique opportunity to support thousands of Special Olympics athletes in Minnesota, you can sign up to be a plunger or donate money in support of a plunger by logging on to www.specialolympicsminnesota.org. You are also welcome to come out and cheer on these brave jumpers.
There they go!
The Plunge starts at noon with registration running from 9:00 to noon at the American Legion in Chanhassen. There will be buses available from the Legion to Round Lake for participants and observers. Pre-registration will be held the night before the Polar Plunge (March 12) from 5-8 p.m. at the American Legion.
We hope to see you there!
February 2, 2010 – 1:44 pm
On Monday, EPPD officers had the opportunity to take advantage of Wills for Heroes, a unique program designed to assist emergency personnel in preparing wills for themselves and their families at no cost. The program was initially started in South Carolina after 9/11 and Minnesota’s version is now one of 15 programs nationwide. Minnesota’s program was started in 2007 by the Minnesota State Bar Association Probate and Trust Section and is currently part of the Minnesota Volunteer Attorney Program, Inc.
| Volunteer attorneys and data entry staff travel throughout the state on designated days and set-up clinics where the attorneys draft basic Wills, Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives for eligible first responders and their spouses (or domestic partners). In order to complete the entire process in one hour, officers are asked to complete pre-work prior to their appointed time. Attorneys bring laptops and portable printers with them so the documents can be executed and notarized at the appointment.
The Wills for Heroes program is extremely popular. Since the program’s inception, 2,774 police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and corrections officers have been served in Minnesota alone. Thanks to this program, 24 Eden Prairie officers can now join that number in resting a bit easier knowing that their affairs are in order in the event of a tragedy. |
January 28, 2010 – 1:29 pm
When officers are on patrol and dispatchers and office staff members take phone calls, they are often subject to verbal abuse from suspects or callers. People who come in contact with the EPPD may be upset about a ticket, stressed about a car accident or feel violated by a burglary, causing them to have a strong emotional reaction. The first contact they have after an incident is often with one of our staff and as a result, we equip our department members to handle these responses in a way that de-escalates the situation and keeps both officers and citizens safe.
To that end, last week EPPD officers, dispatchers and office staff attended a training called “Verbal Judo,” a course put on by The Verbal Judo Institute which is based in New York. The course was held locally at the Southwest Metro Training Facility and was taught by a former NYPD officer. The class focused on using verbal tactics, rather than force, to gain compliance. The lessons in this training enhanced the department’s current method of managing non-compliant suspects through spoken commands before resorting to physical force.
The training provided officers with tips on how to listen effectively, read non-verbal clues and use language that will enhance compliance from suspects. For example, if an officer pulls over a car for suspected drunk driving and finds a non-compliant driver, the officer can listen to the driver and then lay out the driver’s options. Oftentimes, this approach allows the driver to calm down, consider the options presented and make the decision to comply with the officer’s request. This reduces the need for force in arrest situations which in turn reduces the risk of injury to officers and suspects.
January 26, 2010 – 11:32 am
Last week the EPPD posted its 100th blog and we thought we would check in with Google Analytics to see how we’ve done in the 12 months since we made our first post. Since the blog debuted on February 2, 2009, it has received 15,116 visits from 10,348 unique visitors. The average time a viewer spent on the blog is 9 minutes, 50 seconds.
Google Analytics also tells us where our readers are located. We have had readers in 83 countries and territories so far. The greatest number of visitors is from the U.S., followed by Canada and the U.K. but we’ve also had readers from as far away as Australia, India, the Philippines, Russia, Indonesia and Ghana. Here in the U.S., our blog has been viewed by people in every state except Wyoming. After Minnesota, our greatest number of readers comes from New York and California.
We are looking forward to our next 100 blogs and are open to suggestions for blogging topics. Just click on “Contact the Eden Prairie Police Bloggers” on the left and let us know what you think. Thanks for reading!
January 22, 2010 – 2:11 pm
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Joint Analysis Center are warning citizens to exercise caution when responding to solicitations for contributions in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. Here are a few tips to help make sure your dollars go to a legitimate charity and not into the hands of con artists.
Do not respond to any unsolicited (SPAM) incoming emails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.
Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.
Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
January 20, 2010 – 10:26 am
William Halpin, Jacob Appel, Shelly DeBerg (accepting on behalf of her husband Kelly), Chris Cooper
At last night’s City Council meeting, nine citizens were recognized for their efforts in aftermaths of two plane crashes that occurred in Eden Prairie last year. Jacob Appel, Christophe Cooper, William Halpin and Kelly DeBerg each received an Award of Valor from Mayor Phil Young for rendering aid at an August 12, 2009 plane crash on the property of the Cummins Grill House. The four employees of Hummingbird Aviation witnessed the crash from their offices at Flying Cloud Airport and raced to the scene of the burning airplane. They pulled the pilot out of the plane, used a garden hose to protect the historic Cummins Grill house from the encroaching flames and took photos of the crash site which aided in the subsequent investigation of the crash. Two people died in the crash.
Pilot Robert Fiske thanks rescuers Paul Ansolabehere, Christina Siefferman, Allen O'Day and Robert Schmidt. Not pictured: Robert Meyers
Two months later on October 5, Eden Prairie experienced a second plane crash, this time in the Cardinal Creek area. Five neighbors and passers-by responded to the crash and were able to pull the pilot from the burning plane to safety. For their roles in saving the pilot’s life, Robert Schmidt, Paul Ansolabehere and Christina Siefferman received the Police Department’s Award of Valor and Robert Meyers and Allen O’Day received a Letter of Recognition. The pilot, Robert Fiske, attended last night’s meeting and met with his rescuers for the first time since the crash.
To watch a recorded version of the awards presentation, click here. To see the story that aired on WCCO, click here.
January 14, 2010 – 2:15 pm
If you’re leaving town for vacation or an extended stay, the City of Eden Prairie has a few tips for you to follow in order to keep your house safe:
- Sign up for Code RED, the City’s emergency notification system. If you have questions about Code Red or how to how to enter your information, contact Steve Koering at the Fire Department at 952-949-8361.
- You do not need to register or notify the Police Department of your vacation. Instead, tell your neighbors that you will be out of town and how to reach you. Ask them to call 9-1-1 if they notice anything out of the ordinary.
- Set timers on both inside and outside lights.
- Stop mail and newspapers.
- Line up someone to shovel your driveway or sidewalk to make your home appear lived-in.
- Leave the thermostat set at 50 degrees.
- Turn the water off if you’re leaving your residence for more than three weeks. Call the City’s Utility Division at 952-949-8530 if you have questions about turning off your water.
January 13, 2010 – 9:10 am
At the January 5, 2010 Eden Prairie Police Reserve Officer meeting, two new Reserve members were welcomed to the ranks. Phillip Gjervold and Ashley Oberg joined the other 21 volunteer members of the Eden Prairie Police Reserves. They were selected after a recruitment process to fill two vacant spots created as a result of retirements.
The Eden Prairie Police Reserves is an auxiliary unit of the Police Department. Police Reserve Officers assist licensed, sworn officers by performing community service tasks and non-criminal police functions. Reserves also assist in natural disasters and other emergencies that require additional personnel. Eden Prairie Police Reservists are volunteers and do not carry firearms.
Reserve officers are required to attend specialized training and become CPR/First Aid certified. Officers also must work at least one weekend evening per month, attend monthly training meetings, carry a pager and respond when available to emergency calls.
January 8, 2010 – 11:54 am
Have you heard of CSI:EP? Unlike the popular TV crime series, Eden Prairie’s Crime Scene Unit (CSU) is real and deals with crimes that occur right here in Eden Prairie. Since its inception in 2005, the CSU has processed evidence in over 500 cases.
Prior to the establishment of the CSU, the EPPD relied upon the Hennepin County Crime Lab to collect evidence from crime scenes in Eden Prairie. Because Hennepin County was often busy processing evidence from other law enforcement agencies, we would typically have to wait for a long period of time until the Crime Lab could arrive on the scene. While waiting, our officers need to guard the scene, preventing them from answering other calls for service. Starting our own CSU using existing officers and detectives has allowed evidence to get collected more quickly and officers to get back on the street faster.
The CSU consists of 11 officers and investigators and two supervisors who have been specially trained to detect and collect forensic evidence including fingerprints, footprints, blood and DNA. In one recent case, a vehicle was recovered that was suspected in a burglary from an Eden Prairie business. The CSU used a special black powder to dust for fingerprints, found some full and partial prints, lifted the prints off of the vehicle with tape and then transferred them to a slide that was sent to the Hennepin County Crime Lab.
The Lab then uses a microscope to examine the prints and searches for matches in its database. There are currently several pending cases where evidence collected by the CSU will be presented in court in an effort to gain a conviction.
January 5, 2010 – 11:45 am
As of 9:00 a.m. on January 4, 2010, it’s a new world in the EPPD! That is, we have gone live with the biggest software upgrade the Police Department has experienced in its 37-year history. New World is the name of the new software which is often referred to as “all-in-one” or “integrated” to describe its ability to pull together a number of different communications systems.
In the past, the Police Department has had three different systems: a Record Management System (RMS), which is 23 years old; CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch); and Mobile, which is 9 years old. These systems are no longer able to keep up with the service needs of the Police Department. The Fire Department uses a system called Fire House which cannot share information with the Police systems. In 2007 city staff began looking for one overall system that could serve the needs of the Police and Fire Departments and allow them to share information.
After developing a needs assessment, sending out Requests For Proposals, receiving five bids from vendors and conducting site visits, New World Systems was selected to be the vendor in November 2008. Since that time, staff from the Police Department, Fire Department and Information Technology Division has been working closely with New World trainers and technicians to create a system that meets the unique needs of Eden Prairie.
This new system will allow for easy information sharing between the Police and Fire Departments, increase overall efficiency by reducing data entry redundancy, reduce response time to calls for service and provide officers the ability to complete reports while on the street.
The process to date has required a great deal of patience, cooperation and flexibility on the part of many city staff members. When the transition is completed in early 2011, Eden Prairie will have a system that continues to enhance the exceptional public service residents have come to expect from their city.
December 28, 2009 – 2:08 pm
Like many organizations at this time of year, we want to take a moment to look back and reflect upon the past 12 months. 2009 was a busy year for the EPPD. While the most visible part of our work is fighting crime, handling traffic violations, going on medical calls and responding to other emergencies, we have also been busy doing things that the public doesn’t often see.
The biggest behind-the-scenes project has been the implementation of New World, an integrated Police and Fire Management System, which will help make information sharing between the Police and Fire Departments more efficient, eliminate redundant data entry and aid faster response times.
Sgt. Matt Sackett demonstrates a SAFER tool
We initiated several new programs in the Police Department including SAFER, which helps kids and adults who are prone to wandering stay safe. We conducted a Citizen’s Academy, joined Crime Stoppers and became a member of the REACH program which provides books for children who are involved in police response calls.
EPPD Officers at the Peace Officers Memorial
Our staff managed the scenes of two plane crashes, closed a massage business that was engaged in criminal activity, caught suspects in several robberies and made over 22,000 traffic stops. We also participated in many of our annual activities including Safety Camp, the Polar Plunge, Night to Unite, My Book Day, the Special Olympics Torch Run and the Peace Officers Memorial Honor Guard.
We are proud of the work we have done in 2009 and look forward to continuing to serve Eden Prairie in the coming year.
December 24, 2009 – 8:25 am
For the last 15 years, employees of law enforcement agencies, including the EPPD, have donated toys for the annual Toys for Tots campaign. This year the department partnered with Bake Mark, an Eden Prairie company, to combine their donations.
On Monday, December 21, three Eden Prairie squad cars full of unwrapped gifts made their way to the Golden Valley Police Department where squad cars from 25-30 Twin Cities law enforcement agencies gathered before proceeding to the KARE-11 TV parking lot in Golden Valley. This year the agencies collected over 2,000 toys.
The EPPD appreciates the opportunity to give back to the community in such a meaningful way.
December 18, 2009 – 2:36 pm
Does the City use citations as a way to make money? No. The City receives a portion of the money collected when someone pays a citation. Eden Prairie’s portion goes into the City’s general fund which is used to pay for general city operations. For example, a basic speeding ticket in Hennepin County will cost a driver $145. The breakdown of the money is as follows:
- $75 surcharge. The surcharge is set by the Minnesota Legislature and goes directly to the state.
- $67 fine. The fine is set by state statute. Eighty percent ($53.60) of the fine is returned to the jurisdiction where the ticket was issued. The remaining 20% goes to the state court system. In 2008, the City of Eden Prairie received $383,759 in fine money for citations issued in Eden Prairie.
- $3 Law Library fee. This fee goes to support the state Law Library in St. Paul which is open to the public.
December 15, 2009 – 2:38 pm
At 3 a.m. on December 1, EPPD Officer Dan Peterson was assisting Officer John Wilson on a traffic stop when they noticed a passing car with expired license plate tabs. Officer Peterson pulled the vehicle over and noticed several tires and rims inside the vehicle. Officer Wilson was called to assist Officer Peterson and together they noted that the driver of the car was acting in a suspicious manner. They then requested other officers to search the lots of two nearby car dealerships for missing tires and rims.
The officers and K9 Brix began searching the lots and found several cars with their tires and rims missing. They also located a carjack and other evidence linked to the theft. Upon questioning, the driver of the car admitted that he had stolen the tires and rims from a local car dealer. Ultimately over $8,200 worth of tires and rims were recovered.
We are often asked why Eden Prairie officers spend a great amount of time enforcing traffic laws. One of the reasons is that many seemingly routine traffic stops, expired tabs for example, can lead to the discovery of criminal activity. The case cited above is a perfect example of that and as a result, Eden Prairie is a safer community.
December 10, 2009 – 10:38 am
Every year the EPPD invites former members of the Police Department to return for a lunch and annual meeting. Fifteen alumni attended this year’s event which was held on December 8. The meeting gave Chief Rob Reynolds the opportunity to provide a review of department activities from 2009 and a look ahead to 2010.
Those alumni who were sworn officers were also invited to attend a qualification shoot at the South Metro Training Facility in Edina. Once a retired officer passes the qualification shoot, they are licensed to carry a firearm in Minnesota.
The meeting is a great opportunity for alumni to reconnect with old colleagues and find out what’s new in the department. It’s also a chance for the newer officers to learn more about the origins of the department and maybe hear a few stories about the early days in Eden Prairie. The photo at left is from this year’s meeting and includes five of the six officers who founded the EPPD in 1973: (L to R ) Curt Oberlander, Bruce Wojack, Bill Blake, Les Bridger and Jack Hacking.
This year’s annual meeting also included a special presentation for the City’s long-time prosecutor, Jennifer Inz. Jennifer was awarded the Department’s Commendation Award for her 17 years of commitment to keeping Eden Prairie safe.
