Shakopee Police Department 2024 Annual Report

RECORDS UNIT

By Claudia Cassman, Records Supervisor

Foremost, the Records Unit is a vital part of the Police Department and though these staff members are not seen out on the streets, they play an integral part to the department’s daily operations. The passing of the Cannabis Expungement law in 2023 left our Records staff with more than 900 cases to be expunged. Cases dating back as far as the late 1990s were reviewed and sealed, which entailed pulling old case files from archives, locating court records, and marking these cases accordingly. Additionally, ongoing maintenance of suspense records continued to be a time-consuming project. However, Records staff has been consistently working on this task and closed out approximately 150 records in the past year. This ensures accurate nationwide criminal records and provides officers with precise information. Besides the daily stream of data requests, the Records Unit received several large and extensive data requests including

one in which Records staff spent several weeks redacting data. Another request required weeks of reviewing and copying videos from a sensitive case before releasing the data. These are only a few of the duties this team performs among countless other daily tasks. The dedication and hard work they demonstrate is remarkable and greatly appreciated.

Members of the Shakopee Police Records Unit.

CODE ENFORCEMENT

By Joe Alessi, Code Enforcement Specialist

■ Proactive Ordinance Activities: Increased efforts to address ordinance-related issues ■ Graffiti Response: Managed property damage calls involving graffiti on City property ■ Patrol Assistance: Supported patrol with civil standby calls and road hazard responses Community Service Officer (CSO) Contributions: The Community Service Officer works closely with patrol units and handles ordinance violations, parking enforcement, and other non-sworn duties, including: ■ Responding to parking-related calls ■ Assisting with traffic control ■ Managing non-emergency service calls ■ Retrieving evidence and handling lost/found property reports In 2024, the City promoted a CSO to a licensed officer position and hired a new CSO, who is also working toward becoming a licensed officer. This collaborative approach enhances community safety and compliance while supporting the patrol division’s overall effectiveness.

The Shakopee Police Department prioritizes code enforcement to encourage compliance from property owners in both residential and commercial areas. The department emphasizes voluntary compliance through collaboration with complainants and property owners, rather than pursuing citations or court referrals. Most complaints are reported directly to the department. 2024 Accomplishment: ■ Speed Trailer Program: – Deployed at 34 locations based on speeding complaints and historical data

– Operated February through October (weather-dependent) – Collected data to support traffic and speed enforcement ■ City Website Portal Requests: Addressed service requests submitted through the online portal ■ Temporary Signs: Removed over 500 temporary signs from across the city ■ Complaint Management: Responded to email complaints sent to the department’s general inbox

Shakopee Police speed trailer that can serve as a message board.

18 | Shakopee Police Department