City Council - 02/14/2017 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017 CITY CENTER
5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS
6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER
CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher
Wickstrom, Kathy Nelson, and Ron Case
CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief James DeMann, Fire Chief George
Esbensen, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah,
Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City
Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Workshop - Heritage Room H(5:30)
I. POLICE UPDATE
Police Chief Jim DeMann and Captain Greg Weber gave a presentation on departmental
initiatives and updates on the following topics:
Public Safety Answering Point(PSAP)
The the Hennepin County Sherriff s Office provided PSAP services for Eden Prairie from
1973-1982. In 1982 the City switched to the City of Richfield for dispatch services, and in
1990 Eden Prairie opened their own PSAP.
The Dispatch office was remodeled in 2008 and a major equipment and software upgrade
was implemented in 2014. Currently the PSAP is a joint fire and police answering point. It is
where staff and residents can get answers to questions after hours or on weekends —even
ones that are of a non-urgent nature. Weber said next frontier for the PSAP will be Next Gen
911, which will allow for texting for assistance and transmittal of photos by the public, along
with other new features.
Recruitment
Interest in law enforcement as a career has been waning in recent years for a variety of
reasons. Eden Prairie has a number of initiatives in place to help ensure the City will
continue to be able to hire top notch officers. New officers are recruited through the
Community Service Office program,job fairs and college law enforcement skills programs.
The department is committed to continuing to build an organization that reflects the
demographics of Eden Prairie.
Training
All new officers complete a 3-4 moth field training program. Captain Weber noted that Eden
Prairie's philosophy is to "hire for character first, talent always." Community engagement is
instilled as an important component of the job throughout the FTO course.
City Council Workshop Minutes
February 14, 2017
Page 2
Weber said the City has had a Crisis Intervention Team(CIT) since 2011. As of 2015-2016
all officers receive a 40-hour scenario-based Crisis Intervention Training. All dispatchers
also receive active listening training. Weber noted that there has been a decline in use of
force by officers in recent years although there has been an increase in medical psychiatric
calls.
All officers are also certified Emergency Medical Technicians, and they must pass a refresher
course every two years. This training goes to good use as officers assist on 2,200 medical
calls every year. In addition to CIT and EMT training, officers receive a variety of other
trainings, including Parkinsons awareness training, Minnesota for Safe Driving training,
wellness training and trainings related to OSHA requirements. The Department also provides
SWAT.
Community Engaizement
Weber noted that the Police Department has a long history of community engagement.
During the months after the department was officially founded in January 1973 the Chief and
his five officers held more than 35 community meetings to find out what residents wanted in
their new department. Weber said that legacy of strong community relations continues today.
The department holds an annual open house, and conducts citizens and senior citizens
academies for adults, the CounterAct program for youth, and Halloween on the Mall for the
entire community. The department is also closely involved in the annual Night to Unite,
which is held the first Tuesday of August,helps run the annual safety camp,provides car seat
inspections, and holds Shop with a Cop every year.
The Department is active on social media with its own Facebook page, which currently has
8,100 "likes," an active Twitter account with 3,600 followers and a blog on the City website.
Council Member Case asked whether the department is looking at cases in which a robot or
drone results in lethal force. DeMann said Eden Prairie does not use explosives, so that is not
an issue our department would be facing.
DeMann said squads have dash cams. They currently don't use body cameras, but they are
researching the issue. Storage of data can be very expensive. He said the department has
traditionally been cautious about adopting new technology. He said once it becomes a federal
mandate, funding is usually made available.
Mayor Tyra-Lukens asked about the status of the City's Emergency Management Plan. Chief
Esbensen said the County is currently assisting the City in updating the plan. Council
Member Aho said it would be helpful for the Council to have a refresher on their
responsibilities in the event of a disaster. Esbensen said he will set something up with the
City Council after the plan is finalized.
II. OPEN PODIUM
III. ADJOURNMENT