Summer 2018 Hometown Messenger

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

Meet Jacob Kerr, one of the police department's newest patrol officers. Q: How long have you worked for the city? A: I started working for the police department just over a year ago. Q: What do you like about working for the City of Shakopee? A: Before working for the police department, I did not realize the dynamics of working in a city department. All departments work together to help the citizens of Shakopee get the most out of their community. Particularly, the police department. We have a strong community-oriented style of policing to best serve the people of our city. There is a strong emphasis for our department to serve the city common, is visiting with children when working patrol. I remember when I was a young kid and how excited I would get when I saw a police car drive down my block in my neighborhood. Now, I can give that same excitement to children today. Passing out stickers and other gifts while they ride their bikes outside, playing basketball or throwing a football around with a group of kids and answering all their questions is one of my favorite aspects of this job. the best we can, which I really enjoy. Q: What's the best part of your job? A: There are several duties officers do day- to-day I could list. I think the first, and most

City launches new website design Earlier this month, the city launched a new website with a more modern look and feel aimed at making it easier for visitors to find the information they are seeking. "Our website is the city's front door and often the first place the community comes for information about what's happening in Shakopee," said Communications Coordinator Kristin Doran. "We want it to represent who we are."

With approximately half of the site's traffic coming via a mobile device, the site was redesigned with a mobile-first mentality. For example, the new design features large buttons to make it easier to navigate between pages. "We know when visitors come to our site they are looking to accomplish a task. Our goal is to make that process as smooth as possible," Doran said. The redesign also incorporates improved web accessibility, an area the city hopes to continue to improve upon in coming years. The website was updated free of charge through the city's website provider, Vision Internet.

NEWS & NOTES New employees join staff Several new employees have recently joined the City of Shakopee organization: • Kirby Templin, water resources and environmental engineer • Audrey Swantz, recreation coordinator • Jenn Brewington, economic development specialist • Joe Widing, planner

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