EDEN PRAIRIE POLICE DEPARTMENT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
March 2022 Dear Mayor Case and City Council Members: I am pleased to submit the 2021 Eden Prairie Police Department Annual Report to you and the residents of Eden Prairie. This report contains a summary of the events and operations the Police Department undertook in 2021. As you are aware, Chief Greg Weber retired at the end of May 2021 which led to my hiring as Chief. With the additional
Chief Matt Sackett
retirements of Dave Becker and Bill Wyffels, we promoted Jess Irmiter and Jen Ficcadenti to lieutenant last year and Chris Wood to captain in early 2022. We also promoted four officers to the sergeant rank and hired 11 new officers in 2021. The pandemic continued to impact our operations and ability to engage with our residents in person. However, we did manage to host several of our favorite community events including Safety Camp, Night to Unite, Citywide Open House and Holidays with Heroes. We responded to 42,801 calls for service which was up from 40,564 in 2020. There was one homicide and one traffic fatality in 2021. A full list of statistics can be found on the last page of this report. On behalf of the nearly 150 staff and volunteer members of the Police Department, I thank you for your continued support and look forward to serving you in the coming year. Chief Matt Sackett
MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Eden Prairie Police Department is to protect and serve the community of Eden Prairie
through active and professional
Provide customized
service to the community Exercise discretion and
fairness in enforcement
engagement.
Build public trust in
the Department Promote the professional
development of its members
2021 Eden Prairie Police Department Organizational Chart City Manager Rick Getschow
Police Chief Greg Weber/Matt Sackett Captain Bill Wyffels
Patrol Operations
Investigative Operations
Support Operations
Lt. Chris Wood
Lt. Jess Irmiter
Lt. Jen Ficcadenti
Airport Unit
Chaplain Unit
Animal Control
Canine
Community Outreach
Code Enforcement
Crime Technicians
Criminal Investigations
Community Service Officers
Domestic Abuse Response Team
Dispatch
Explorer Unit
Professional Development
Field Training Unit Patrol Response Retail Crime Unit Reserve Unit Special Weapon And Tactics Unit (SWAT) Traffic Enforcement Unmanned Aerial Systems
Law Enforcement Analyst Mental Health Unit School Liaisons Special Investigations
Licensing
Records
NEW HIRES In 2021 the EPPD hired 11 new officers. Five of those new officers first served as Community Service Officers for the department. Officer Jeremy Riley started in Eden Prairie Feb. 1, 2021.
Officer Mike Miller started as an officer with the EPPD May 10, 2021.
Officer Dan Chanski started working for the EPPD May 10, 2021.
Officer Karleigh Johnson’s first day with the EPPD was May 10, 2021.
Dispatcher Dennis Clark started with the EPPD Sept. 27, 2021.
New Hires
NEW HIRES
Officer Kenny Stromgren began working as an officer June 21, 2021.
Officer Brandon Wenande started in Eden Prairie June 21, 2021.
Officer Emma Wax started work as an EPPD Officer Aug. 14, 2021.
On Nov. 22, 2021, Chief Matt Sackett swore in new officers Ben Nelson, Brett Townsend, Noah Stave (photo above) and Scott Gordhamer (photo at left).
New Hires
.
PROMOTIONS
Andrew Naumann was promoted to sergeant Jan. 30, 2021.
Jordan Koras was promoted to sergeant Jan. 31, 2021.
Jess Irmiter was promoted to Investigations Lieutenant Feb. 27, 2021.
Jen Ficcadenti was promoted to Support Lieutenant June 5, 2021.
Cory Sinon was promoted to sergeant July 3, 2021.
Matt O’Rourke was promoted to sergeant July 4, 2021.
Promotions
DEPARTURES
Officer Patti VanSickle retired in January after 22 years of service.
Officer Elizabeth Stroner retired in January after serving for 18 years.
Sgt. Jamie Good retired in January after 21 years of service.
Lt. Dave Becker retired in February after working for the EPPD for 32 years.
Chief Greg Weber retired in May after 31 years with Eden Prairie.
Capt. Bill Wyffels retired in November after serving Eden Prairie for 33 years.
Departures
DEPARTURES
Sgt. Bob Davis retired in July after 20 years of service.
Officer Linda Moua left the EPPD in August after three years of service.
Officer Kevin White retired in August after 28 years in Eden Prairie.
Officer Brianne Lesnau retired in September after serving Eden Prairie for six years.
Departures
DEPARTURES
Reserve Officer Tom Lesnikowski retired in May after four years of volunteer service.
Reserve Officer Nick Berg retired in June after volunteering for two years.
Dispatcher Darren Marshbank left Eden Prairie after five years of service.
Dispatcher Kady Mohn left service with the City after nine years.
Records Technician Natalie Lehrke left the EPPD in August 2021 after three years of service.
Chaplain Deanna Bassett retired in September 2021 after two years of service.
Departures
PATROL DIVISION
In 2021, Matt Sackett led the Patrol Division until May when he was appointed chief. Lt. Chris Wood (above) was then appointed to oversee the Patrol Division which includes eight sergeants and 38 officers. There are eight Patrol Units as well as the secondary Airport, K 9, Crime Tech, Field Training, Reserve, Retail Crime, Traffic, SWAT and Unmanned Aerial Systems units.
In 2021 the City purchased a Tesla Y for the Police Department, continuing the City’s effort to maintain a more efficient vehicle fleet as part of the Sustainable Eden Prairie initiative. The Police Department’s Tesla will be tested for 100,000 miles and continually evaluated for overall performance. The results will help inform Eden Prairie’s future decisions around the use of fully electric fleet vehicles.
___________________________________________________________________________________
After much research, training, and policy and procedure updates, all Eden Prairie officers began wearing BodyWorn Cameras in mid-2021.
Patrol Division
PATROL DIVISION In February 2021 the EPPD joined a statewide program called Lights On! that allows officers to give vouchers to motorists instead of citations if they have a broken vehicle light. The driver can take the voucher to a participating repair shop and get their light fixed for up to $250. In the first 12 months of the program, officers handed out 240 Lights On! vouchers.
For the second full year, Officer Chad Streiff served as a full-time DWI officer thanks to a grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. In 2021 Officer Streiff made 130 DWI arrests with one Hat Trick (three DWI arrests in one shift). Officer Streiff was also named to the Minnesota DWI Enforcer All-Star Team for the high number of arrests he made in 2020. The statewide team was honored at a Minnesota Twins game last summer.
___________________________________________________________________________________
'it~ LIGHTS ON!
PARTNERING WITH
A PROGRAM OF MICROGRANTS
Serl.II Number: MN91-1220-01-()()400
USOliffllt onog,ht--ftl,-,
The City experienced one homicide in 2021. On Nov. 2, 2021, officers were called to the Residence Inn for a welfare check. Upon arrival they found an incoherent, injured man and two small children in a hotel room. Further investigation led to a deceased woman in an upstairs bedroom. Through an extensive investigation, detectives determined the man had shot his wife the previous day, then shot himself. The children were uninjured. The man, Ryan Rooney, was charged with 2ndDegree Murder in the death of Samantha Columbus Boshey and Neglect/Endangerment of a Child.
Patrol Division
INVESTIGATIONS
DIVISION
Lt. Jess Irmiter began serving as the Investigations Division Lieutenant in February 2021 after the retirement of Dave Becker. The division includes two sergeants, 13 officers and two civilian employees. The Investigations Division includes Criminal Investigations, the Domestic Abuse Response Team, Explorers, Law Enforcement Analyst, School Liaisons, Community Liaison, Chaplain and Special Investigations units.
As a result of the pandemic, the EPPD was not able to conduct any human trafficking details in 2020. In 2021 the department was able to resume details along with our partners in the Bloomington, Richfield, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Plymouth and Maple Grove Police Departments, collectively called the “494 Corridor Group.” The goal of the group is to investigate crimes related to human trafficking along Interstate 494. In 2021 the group made 28 sex buyer arrests and recovered two victims during sting operations. More details are planned for 2022. ___________________________________________________________________________________
At the end of 2021, the EPPD’s Juvenile Diversion Program worked with its 1,200th offender. The 1,200 offenders were part of 842 family conferences that have taken place since 2006 when the program started. The diversion program is designed to give firsttime young offenders who have committed minor crimes a chance to meet with the people impacted EPPD Juvenile by their crimes in lieu of going to Diversion Coordinator court. The recidivism rate for Randy Thompson offenders is approximately 12% which is below the national average of 20% for teenagers.
Investigations Division
INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION
After a two-year investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that a suspect in an Eden Prairie fraud case had been sentenced to 22 years in prison. The case originated in Eden Prairie where a victim was swindled out of $9,000. EPPD investigators identified a suspect and found 10 more victims linked to the suspect. The U.S. Attorney took the case and identified it as a robocall scam with more than 4,000 victims in the U.S. who lost more than $10 million. The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognized the EPPD as providing “significant assistance with the investigation.” ___________________________________________________________________________________
After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, Safety Camp was back in 2021! Counselors from the Police, Fire and Parks and Recreation departments helped 120 campers learn about all kinds of safety, including bike safety, personal safety and animal safety.
Investigations Division
SUPPORT DIVISION
In 2021 Eden Prairie dispatchers answered 42,801 calls for service ranging from death investigations (72) to medicals (2,728) to identity theft (155).
___________________________________________________________________________________
In 2021, the Licensing Division processed 747 licenses, down from a record 1,364 licenses in 2020. Last year’s licensures included 60 liquor licenses, 20 tobacco licenses, 100 peddler/solicitor licenses and 464 applications for permit-to -purchase a handgun.
Lt. Jen Ficcadenti led the Support Division in 2021, which includes the Records, Dispatch, Professional Development, Support Operations, Community Service Officer, Animal Control, Licensing and Code Enforcement units.
___________________________________________________________________________________
After taking a year off due to the pandemic, Night to Unite celebrations resumed in August with 177 neighborhoods hosting parties, donating 12,375 pounds of food to PROP. ___________________________________________________________________________________
The Records Unit managed 14,535 records in 2021. In addition, the Evidence section of the unit processed 5,062 new pieces of evidence and disposed of 6,778 pieces of evidence.
Support Division
RESERVES
Last fall the EPPD Reserve Unit received the International Association of Chiefs of Police Award for Leadership in Volunteer Police Service Programs. The award was recognized by the City Council at its Oct. 26 meeting.
EPPD Reserve Officers are adult volunteers who assist sworn officers by performing community service tasks and non criminal police functions. Reserve Officers also assist in natural disasters and other emergencies that require additional personnel.
(l-r) Sgt. Cory Sinon, Mayor Ron Case, Deputy Supervisor Andrew Rockafellow, Unit Supervisor Boyd Hesdorffer, Chief Matt Sackett, Lt. Chris Wood Five new Reserve Officers graduated from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Reserve School in December.
EPPD Reserve Officers at the 2021 Memorial Day event at the Veterans Memorial in Purgatory Creek Park.
(l-r) Unit Supervisor Boyd Hesdorffer, Sgt. Cory Sinon, Reserve Leticia Stanley, Reserve Cole Pixley, Reserve Rossana Motta, Reserve Nathan Paulnock, Reserve Reid Gustafson, Chief Matt Sackett, Lt. Jen Ficcadenti, Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson.
Reserves
EXPLORERS & CHAPLAINS
Police Explorers are young people ages 14–21 who are interested in law enforcement. Explorers gain working knowledge through hands-on experience, including weekly meetings and training sessions. The Explorers volunteered at several community events in 2021 including Safety Camp, 4th of July Hometown Celebration, Night to Unite, the Ovarian Cancer Walk and Harvest to Halloween (below).
Explorers and their advisors at the National Public Safety Cadet Competition in Tennessee last July. ___________________________________________________________________________________
The EPPD’s volunteer chaplains provide emotional and spiritual care to community members and public safety responders. Chaplains take turns being on-call for the City’s first responders.
In 2021, chaplains were called out 19 times.
(l-r) Lt. Jen Ficcadenti, Sgt. Lonnie Soppeland, Chaplain Jim Erickson, Chaplain Bruce Goodwin, Chaplain Ryan Tarman, Chaplain John Brecount, Chaplain Paul Nelson, Assistant Fire Chief Kurt Buchanan, Chaplain Peter Johnson.
Explorers & Chaplains
AWARDS
Dispatcher Beth Duchschere received the Chaplain Tim Power Award, named in honor of Father Tim Power who served as a Police and Fire Department Chaplain for 24 years before his death in 2016. The award recognizes an employee who provides consistent care for people in the department and community and is awarded by the Chaplain Unit.
The Labor Management Team awarded Evidence Technician Kyle Duchschere with the Civilian Employee of the Year Award for his meticulous attention to detail in managing 6,000 pieces of evidence annually.
Officer Ryan Kuffel received the Labor Management Team’s Officer of the Year Award for her work as a school liaison officer and her commitment to investigating crimes involving juvenile victims. Officer Kuffel also received the City Manager’s Quality Award in June for her work in the schools. Detective Carter Staaf received the Dave Malone Award for Service and Excellence from Fierce Freedom, a non-profit education and advocacy organization in Wisconsin that works to combat human trafficking. Det. Staaf was nominated for the award by one of Fierce Freedom’s advocates for his work educating victim advocates on how to work with law enforcement on human trafficking.
Awards
AWARDS
In September the department’s SWAT team earned first place honors in the Top Gun Team and Iron Team exercises at the Minnesota Tactical Officers Association’s annual conference at Camp Riley.
The Reserve Unit Color Guard received a department Unit Citation for their work raising and lowering flags at 10 municipal locations. In 20202021, the Color Guard was called into service 59 times totaling 223 volunteer hours. Color Guard Unit members are Tony Ferlauto, Nick Cavara, Boyd Hesdorffer, Nate Keith, Michael Korus and Sandee Williams. In 2021 the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Unit received a department Unit Citation for their work creating and implementing the unit. They were activated 37 times in 2021 including searches for missing persons and fleeing suspects, training and hotspot fire detection.
Awards
At the 2021 Polar Plunge at Riley Lake, 157 plungers raised $55,000 for Special Olympics Minnesota.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
In July the EPPD teamed up with the non-profit organization Let’s Go Fishing to host Cops and Bobbers. They took 20 Eden Prairie kids fishing at Riley Lake. In the two hours they were on the water, the officers and kids hauled in (and released) 251 fish.
In August officers brought ice cream to campers at the Homeward Hills and Riley Lake playground camps as part of a new program called Cops and Cones, with funding provided by the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund. The Riley Lake group is pictured at left.
Community Outreach
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
At October’s Citywide Open House, visitors got to dust for fingerprints with the Crime Tech Unit, watch a K-9 demo and play with a robot among other activities.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Fourteen officers and firefighters partnered with children for an afternoon of shopping at Eden Prairie Center, followed by ice cream and a ride on the Ferris Wheel at Scheels. The same generous benefactor has funded the event all seven years through the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund.
In December the EPPD collected toys for Toys for Tots and delivered them to the KARE11 studios, along with law enforcement agencies from throughout the Twin Cities. Officers also took part in Holiday with Heroes with the Eden Prairie Fire Department.
Community Outreach
2020-2021 EPPD Statistics Part I Crimes Homicide Rape Robbery Aggravated Assault Residential Burglaries Non-Residential Burglaries Larceny/Theft Shoplifting Theft from Building MV Tampering (Theft from MV & Theft of MV Parts)
All Other Larceny Motor Vehicle Theft Arson
2020 0 36 9
2021 1 41 8
23 44 22
16 50 30
285 38
194 8
229
356
331 63 5
252 66 2
Human Trafficking
Traffic-Related Fatal Vehicle Personal Injury Crash Driving While Impaired
2020 2 68 260
2021 1 103 241
556
595
143 3,463 755 255 188
160 3,710 1,152 120 152
1,770
2,117
2,968
3,541
2020
2021
1,127 2,250 5,052 1,250 2,145 68
1,262 2,728 5,175 1,379 1,871 72
2020
2021
40,564
42,801
2020 13 17 3
2021 8 34 3
Juvenile-Tobacco Use
10
5
Total
43
50
2020 48 20 3
2021 77 11 11
22 16
25 3
Property Damage Crash Hit and Run Written Warnings Driver's License Violations Equipment Violations Parking Violations Moving Violations Total Traffic Citation Violations Selected Calls for Service Animal Control
Commercial Sex Acts
0
9
Medicals
Involuntary Servitude
0
0
9-1-1 Hang-Ups Alarms (False)
Part II Crimes
2020
2021
Assaults-Other Financial Theft Embezzlement
62
127
1
0
Identity Theft Counterfeiting/Forgery Bad Checks Fraud Other Offenses Stolen Property
201 59 8 229
155 35 6 134
49
34
Vandalism/Damage to Property
494
601
27 0
44 0
1 182 12 28
0 199 12 39
26 12
52 24
Weapons Prostitution Sex Offenses (Not Rape or Prostitution) Drug Abuse/Narcotics Crimes Against Family & Children Liquor Laws Fleeing Police Vehicle Foot
Suspicious Activity Death Investigations Total Calls for Service
Juvenile Status Offenses Juvenile-Alcohol Juvenile-Runaway Juvenile-Curfew
Other Offenses Domestic Assault Harassing Communication Interfering with 9-1-1 Calls Underage Drinking Age 18-21 Underage Drinking & Driving