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BACK TO SCHOOL: Mahtomedi students return to the classroom PAGE 8
Developer nixes plan; future of corner lot still up in air BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER
Protect and serve
Neighbors near Third Street and Cook may have gotten their wish. A proposed four-story apartment building and adjoining parking ramp on the northwest corner of that intersection appears to be scrapped. In a Feb. 25 email to downtown business owners and other interested parties, City Manager Ellen Hiniker said developer TE Miller will not be submitting an application for the project as proposed (See “Downtown development project draws neighborhood ire,” Feb. 24). “However, the developers still have the corner house under contract and plan to take more time to determine whether there is an alternative concept worth pursuing before abandoning the site altogether,” Hiniker said. The developer also canceled plans to conduct soil borings on the site. Hiniker and City Planner Anne Kane had met with representatives of the Eden Prairie company earlier that day. Their meeting was one of several held last week regarding the unpopular project. The opposition met with White Bear Lake attorney Fritz Knaak at Kellerman’s Event Center to plan strategy and learn the legalities of the permitting process. Knaak specializes in municipal law. Terry Kellerman knows Knaak and invited him to speak to the group. “He knows the depth of the problems we’re dealing with,” Kellerman explained. The attorney reminded those in the room, and on a Zoom call, that they’re “dealing with a professional development staff being
Unless the judge delays it, next week begins the televised trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with the killing of George Floyd. His death on Chicago Avenue still echoes across the country, and puts Chauvin and a metro police department on trial for use of force. In the northeast suburbs, neighborhood policing is routine. Many suburban departments are using this time to examine how they train and restrain. Press Publications asked six local and county departments about how they train and policies on restraining to give suburban residents perspective how local police departments respond.
SEE DEVELOPMENT, PAGE 13
The WBLPD continues to focus on de-escalation as a primary resolution tool. Department policy does not authorize use of chokeholds and has not for as long as
any current officer has been a member of this department. There have been changes to MN State Statute in the areas of Use of Force (609.06) and Authorized Use of Deadly Force by Peace Officers (609.066) since the summer of 2020. Our Department’s Training Unit has remained current in the instruction of our officers and vigilant in ensuring they understand the changes and their implications.
How many staff are in your department today? How does this compare to 2020? The White Bear Lake Police Department, which also provides patrol and investigative services for the city of Gem Lake, has 31 sworn officers, including
the chief and its two captain positions. Additional staffing includes records/ administrative assistants, evidence technicians and part-time community service officers for a total of 42.
are left unattended and running. The department has also experienced an increase in mental health and persons in crisis calls, some of which we attribute to the stress of the pandemic.
How has the number of calls your agency responded to changed during the past year?
How has the political, pandemic or racial climate affected your agency?
The calls for service have remained consistent over the past few years, with the department responding to approximately 29,000 calls per year. There has been an increase in auto thefts and theft from autos over the past year in White Bear Lake and throughout the metro area. Auto theft rates typically involve vehicles that
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We experienced an increase in mental health, substance abuse and disturbance calls in 2020. While the cause cannot be certain, the rise in these types of calls definitely correlates with the events of 2020. Specific to the civil unrest following George Floyd’s death, our department
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White Bear Lake Police Department
White Bear Lake Police Department Has the department/ agency changed any training, policies or approved restraints since the death of George Floyd? Please explain.