The EPPD would like to thank the plungers, volunteers and supporters to helped make this event a big success.

FOX9 Meteorologist Ian Leonard gets ready to plunge with some Special Olympics athletes

The EPPD team

Plungers in their formal wear

One of the methods officers may use is called Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) which is a trained control technique where a police car contacts a fleeing vehicle in a controlled manner that causes the car to stop abruptly.  Officers receive hands-on PIT training every three years at the Minnesota Highway Safety Research Center in St. Cloud where they drive cars on a closed course and practice the techniques they have learned.

Officers are encouraged to use PIT to stop a chase before it begins and before it poses any threat to the public’s safety.  The goal is to have any incident of fleeing contained to the suspect and the officer. PIT is one more tool Eden Prairie officers have to ensure the safety of our community.

 Age                              Weekdays                    Friday & Saturday

Under 12                    Home by 9:00 pm             Home by 10:00 pm

12-14                           Home by 10:00 pm          Home by 11:00 pm

15-17                           Home by 11:00 pm           Home by midnight

There are exceptions, including being accompanied by a parent, traveling to and from work, attending an official school, religious or recreational activity and interstate travel. The penalty for being out after curfew is $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second offense and $75 or two days of sentence to serve community service for the third offense. If the child or teen has a prior juvenile record, a court date will be set for the first offense.

In 2009, fifteen juveniles were cited for curfew violations.

The following evening an Eden Prairie officer was on patrol when he observed the suspicious behavior of two men using a pay phone at a gas station. After the two men left the gas station the officer pulled them over for not having license plates on their vehicle. Once stopped, the passenger in the vehicle fled on foot and was chased by several officers. When one of the officers returned to the vehicle, the driver was attempting to stuff several documents, including passports, under the front seat of the car. The officers then realized the probability that these men were involved in the earlier extortion plot. Both men were arrested.

The officers on the scene, the detective who worked with the victim and the dispatcher who advised the officers that evening all worked together in a professional manner. They followed their instincts, communicated with each other and acted quickly. As a result, the stolen property was returned to its rightful owner.

• No more than four garage sales may occur at a dwelling in a twelve month period. This provision is intended to distinguish between regular garage sales and home-based businesses.
• No garage sale may exceed four consecutive days. This is to minimize the potential disruption of a neighborhood due to traffic, noise, etc.
• Only two off-site directional garage sale signs and one on-site sign (none larger than six square feet) are allowed in a residential area, one day prior to the sale. The signs must be removed one day after the sale.
• If you choose to use off-site directional signs, be sure to get permission from the property owner before placing your garage sale sign in their yard.

If you have questions about the rules that apply to garage sales contact the Police Department’s Zoning Administrator at 952-949-6222.

Instructor Chris Millard watches as Detective Dean Corder shoots

Every officer is required by state law to “qualify” with their handgun and the rifle used by the Department. An officer qualifies on a particular weapon by passing a test designed to assess the officer’s accuracy using that weapon. Under state law officers are also required to complete firearms training while under low light conditions and while wearing cold weather gear.

Armorer Jess Irmiter takes apart a gun

In Eden Prairie our firearms training goes beyond what is required by state law. Our instructors set up additional range trainings throughout the year on various topics that are more challenging and more realistic than the qualification training. In addition, once a year each handgun and rifle owned by the Department is inspected by a specially trained officer called an “armorer” who takes apart each gun, makes sure it is working, cleans it and returns it to the officer.

Firearms range training is held at the Southwest Metro Training Facility in Edina. The Facility is a joint project of the cities of Eden Prairie, Edina and Bloomington, along with the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.

So once our dispatchers receive the call, what happens? If the caller is reporting that their own pet is missing, information regarding the pet will be entered into the Department’s “lost pet file” and every effort will be made to return the pet to its owner once it has been found. The information is kept on file for 10 days – shorter if the animal is found and longer if the owner requests it.

If a resident calls to report that they have observed what appears to be a stray pet, an Animal Control Officer or Community Service Officer will be dispatched to the area to look for the animal. If the animal is wearing identification or has a microchip, the officer will attempt to return the pet to its owner. If the animal is not wearing identification it will be brought to the Bloomington Animal Shelter.

The top photo at right shows a blood print in standard room light. The lower photo at right is the same blood print that has been illuminated with a forensic light. The key to forensic lighting is fluorescence: the absorption of light at one wavelength and the emission of light at a longer wavelength.

Officers wear special goggles when using the forensic light to locate evidence, including the detection of fibers and hairs that can be collected and potentially processed at a lab for DNA. Body fluids and gunshot residue can also be easily observed when using this new light.

Getting cars off the streets allows our plows to fully clear the streets from curb to curb making it easier for vehicles to move safely through the streets. This is particularly important for emergency vehicles. Police cars, ambulances and fire trucks need room to maneuver quickly down roadways in order to arrive on-scene to an emergency in a safe and timely manner.

In Minneapolis, the City has restricted parking to only one side of the street on non-snow emergency routes throughout the City until April 1 in order to allow emergency vehicles enough room to move down streets. An article in today’s Star Tribune explains the details. We don’t expect to reach that point in Eden Prairie but in the meantime, please move your vehicles off the roadways until your street has been fully plowed. Our plow drivers and emergency responders appreciate your cooperation!

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!