Winter 2022-23 Hometown Messenger

PUBLIC SAFETY

Generous donations make ‘Shop with a Cop’ possible

CHIEF’S NOTES

a chance to be one on one with a child,”Police Chief Jeff Tate said “We get to know them and they get to know the officer behind the badge This is a special event that is as reward ing for our officers as it is for the kids” This program is run solely on monetary dona tions, and the community’s generous sup port makes a big impact on the holidays for the participating families This year’s donors include the Shakopee American Legion Post 2, Caspers Chiropractic, Shakopee Crime Preven tion, Inc and multiple anonymous donors To contribute to the program, contact Crime Prevention Specialist Nicole Clifton at nclifton@ShakopeeMN.gov

For more than 10 years, the Shakopee Police Department has participated in the “Shop with a Cop”program The purpose of the Shop with a Cop event is to foster positive relation ships between youth and the police Shakopee area children are selected each year during theholiday season to shopat oneof the local area stores and purchase gifts for them selves andmembers of their immediate family A police officer escorts each child around the store and assists in selecting appropriate gifts While shopping, the children and the officers have anopportunity toget to knoweachother After shopping, everybody travels to the Sha kopee Police Department where they wrap presents and enjoy a pizza party After the presents are wrapped and everyone is full, the families have anopportunity topick out winter coats donated by the community “Oftentimes, these youth come from dis advantaged families and may have already experienced some negative consequences with police Shopwith a Cop gives our officers

Winter is near! We’d like to

remind everyone that with the drop in temperatures it may seem tempting to warm

Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate

up your car unattended, but thieves are on the lookout for these vehicles warming up in driveways and/or inside parking lots Last year, there were 41 reported stolen vehicles Seventy percent of those stolen vehicles were unlocked with keys inside Even though it is no fun driving in a cold car on a freezing morning—it’ll be even less fun having to deal with a stolen vehicle There are a few easy things you can do that can drastically reduce your chance of becoming a victim of vehicle tampering or vehicle theft: 1. Please don’t leave your keys in your car! The majority of stolen vehicles out of the city this year had the keys either in the car or in the ignition Gas stations in particular are a hot spot for thieves 2. Lock your car at night Most thefts happen when thieves simply open an unlocked car and rummage through it 3. Please don’t leave valuables in your car A purse, backpack or laptop looks very enticing through a car window This creates a crime of opportunity, which is easily preventable We have a very low crime rate in Shakopee, but if people locked up their vehicles, it would make a measurable difference Take these incredibly easy and preventative steps to save yourself a big headache While we wish everyone a wonderful end to the year, let’s make sure you aren’t footing the bill for someone’s “new” Christmas present! While we'd like to believe that we can catch all of the criminals that are out there, the truth is that we need your help to prevent crimes and your vigilance to help us arrest the suspects after crimes have been committed Remember, if you see something, say something Call 9-1-1 to report any suspicious activity

Shakopee Police Chief helps a young boy pick out the perfect toy

Officer Michelle Schmidt browses for Barbies with a young girl participating in last year’s Shop with a Cop event

Officers help participating children wrap their gifts after they’re done shopping

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