Fall 2020 Hometown Messenger

Participate in a virtual Citizen Police Academy on Facebook

CHIEF’S NOTES

Fire prevention is an important aspect of the Shakopee Fire Department. Each fall, we focus efforts to speak with children at each school in the city. With distance learning a real possibility this year, we will follow the established guidelines and offer virtual training sessions for students and teachers. Our intention is to give the proper, age- appropriate message to teachers to use in

The Shakopee Police Department is offering residents a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes of police work without leaving the comfort of home. The department will be offering a three-week virtual academy on Facebook with live chats about a variety of police topics, including forensics and traffic safety No need to register; just log onto the department's Facebook page Wednesday evenings in October for the live presentations and chats. Sign up for updates about the academy by choosing "Police Department News" at www.ShakopeeMN.gov/ subscribe.

IF YOU GO... WHAT: Virtual Citizen Police Academy WHEN: Wednesdays in October WHERE: Shakopee Police Department Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ ShakopeePD COST: Free

their curriculum. Preschoolers and kindergarten students receive two simple messages. They are introduced to the friendly firefighter as helpers and told to “stay away from hot things. Hot things can hurt you.”This will tie in well with the 2020 national fire prevention theme of “ Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen ."

Shakopee Fire Chief Rick Coleman

First-grade students receive the messages: “Smoke alarms are important” and “Get outside, stay outside.”They need to know what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when it sounds. Second-graders build on those ideas to plan and practice a home fire drill. They are old enough to help family members learn what to do when the smoke alarm sounds and how to get outside. By third grade, we introduce the old theme, “Stop, Drop and Roll." We don’t talk about stop, drop and roll until the third grade because younger minds can confuse what to do when their clothes catch on fire and what to do when their building catches fire. The reactions are very different, so we wait until third-grade minds know how to handle each situation. It’s going to be a difficult year, not being able to meet children face-to-face and interact during fire prevention week. But we’ll do our best to teach children how to be safe. We are creating some instructional videos and will be hosting a Facebook Live tour of Shakopee Fire Station 1 Monday, Oct. 5. While these experiences can't replace what we do in the classroom, we hope they share valuable life-saving messages.

POLICE RECOGNIZED FOR GIFT CARD ORDINANCE The Shakopee Police Department is honored to receive the FBI National Academy Associates' award for Science and Innovation in Law Enforcement. The department was recognized for the first-of- its-kind gift card ordinance launched in 2019. The ordinance requires consumers to show ID when purchasing Visa, American Express or Mastercard gift cards with a credit card. Statistics show a significant reduction in gift card fraud in the city. Pictured from left, front: Mayor Bill Mars, Chief Jeff Tate, Councilor Jay Whiting; back: Councilors Jody Brennan, Matt Lehman and Angelica Contreras.

LOCK IT, SHAKOPEE Fred the Burglar reminds you to lock your vehicles, garages Check out the latest Lock It, Shakopee video on the Police Department Facebook page encouraging you to shut and lock your garage door at

night. Halfway through the year, the Police Department has reported a drop in residential burglaries and thefts from motor vehicles.

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