September 28, 2016 – 1:39 pm
Chief Jim DeMann with Officers Matthew Rosati, Mason Heine and Evan Hynek
Today the EPPD welcomed our three newest officers. Officers Matthew Rosati, Mason Heine and Evan Hynek took the oath of office from Chief Jim DeMann this afternoon.
Officer Rosati is from Chanhassen, attended Normandale Community College and worked as a police officer with the West Hennepin Public Safety Department for two and a half years before coming to Eden Prairie.
Officer Matthew Rosati, Officer Mason Heine, Officer Evan Hynek, Chief Jim DeMann
Officer Heine has worked as a Community Service Officer for the EPPD for the past eight months and as an Eden Prairie Reserve Officer for the past year and a half. He attended St. Cloud State University and serves as a sergeant in the Army National Guard Military Police Unit.
Officer Hynek has been a Community Service Officer for Eden Prairie since June 2014. He grew up in Eden Prairie, graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology of Law, Criminology and Deviance and recently became commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army.
Congratulations and welcome!
September 27, 2016 – 1:00 pm
Last week Eden Prairie’s SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) tactical team participated in the Minnesota Tactical Officers Association’s annual conference at Camp Ripley. Part of the conference is dedicated to hands-on training exercises, including firearms and scenarios, which are evaluated by host team SWAT members.
This year, the EPPD SWAT team took home several honors including Top Iron Man team, second place in the sniper team competition for Officers Ron Henke and Brandon Carlston and second place for Officer Travis Brown in the handgun competition. Sgt. Chris Wood was also recognized for his 15 years of service to the SWAT team. He is stepping down from the team next month.
Congrats on a job well done!
September 22, 2016 – 8:11 am
Yesterday the EPPD lost a cherished member of our family with the passing of Father Tim Power. Father Tim was a faithful servant to the residents of Eden Prairie in many ways, including serving as a chaplain for the Eden Prairie Police and Fire Departments.
Father Tim was one of the original chaplains when the program started in 1992. In his role as a volunteer chaplain he served on-call, responding to people in crisis in the community. He would arrive on the scene of an accident, fire, death or crime, and in his insightful and patient manner, he would console anguished people, providing them with spiritual care. Oftentimes he would show up at a scene before the call had gone out requesting a chaplain. It was like he just knew when and where he was needed.
As first responders we often need spiritual care as well and Father Tim was there to provide it. He would show up at the department during or after a major event and provide comfort to those who had witnessed tragedies – police officers, investigators, dispatchers and anyone else impacted by an incident. His calming presence, compassion and discretion made him an invaluable member of our team. We considered him one of us.
In addition to his ministry of presence, Father Tim served on the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund board for more than a decade, retiring in January 2016. While serving on the board Father Tim consistently displayed thoughtful wisdom and guidance by example. He focused his board work on promoting safety and trust, building relationships with the community and police officers, and increasing crime prevention awareness.
During his recent illness Father Tim was no longer able to visit us at the police department but we felt his presence in our daily work. We remembered the compassionate way he treated others, his selflessness and his generosity. While Father Tim will no longer grace the doorway of our department, his legacy will live on in the life lessons he taught us. Rest in peace, Father Tim.
September 20, 2016 – 11:41 am
Last Saturday Officer Jess Irmiter became Sgt. Jess Irmiter and the EPPD’s newest sergeant. Sgt. Irmiter has worked for the EPPD since August 2001. During his tenure in Eden Prairie Sgt. Irmiter has served as a patrol officer, investigator, K-9 officer, instructor, SWAT team member, Reserve Unit coordinator and Airport Unit liaison. Sgt. Irmiter also spent 10 years as an Eden Prairie firefighter before retiring in 2012.
Sgt. Irmiter will spend the next four weeks in field training with other sergeants before working on his own.
September 14, 2016 – 9:00 am
From August 19 – September 5, EPPD officers took part in a statewide DWI enforcement campaign organized by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. During that time Eden Prairie officers arrested 21 people for DWI.
Of the 327 law enforcement agencies that participated, Eden Prairie tied for the sixth highest number of DWI arrests. The top three spots went to various state patrol districts; the fourth and fifth spots went to Minneapolis and St. Paul. Eden Prairie tied with Rochester.
We are proud of our officers and their dedication to keeping drunk drivers off the roads. Arresting and charging motorists with DWI can be a time-consuming, tedious and sometimes dangerous process for law enforcement officers. We believe that getting drunk drivers off the roads is the single most effective way to decrease the number of traffic deaths. In 2015 drunk driving contributed to 95 deaths in Minnesota.
Help keep our roads safe by following these easy steps:
- Have a plan for a sober ride before you drink.
- Use safe alternatives — designate a sober driver; take a cab or public transportation; or crash on a friend’s couch, so you don’t crash on the road.
- Speak Up — if you see erratic driving (swerving, driving too slow, etc.); find a safe place to call 911. Be prepared to provide location, driver behavior, and most importantly, a license plate.
