Fall 2023 Hometown Messenger

PUBLIC SAFETY Celebrate Fire Prevention Week with us! Annual Fire Dept Open House is Oct 2

Patrolling Shakopee Get to know Officer Wiseman Of course, we hope you’ll join us for our Annual Fire Department Open House on Monday, Oct 2 at Fire Station 1, in preparation for Fire Prevention Week from Oct 8–14 Bring the whole family to see fire demonstrations in action and give the kids a chance to spray a fire hose and meet Sparky the Fire Dog We’ll even have free food! Shakopee Police Officer Jon Wiseman may only be a second-year offi cer, but he’s had a hunch since he was a kid that he would end up in this line of work “Growing up, I had really good interactions with law enforcement I liked the way they carried themselves, and I felt like it’s a way to serve the community,”Wiseman said “It’s been my dream since I was a kid There are good things that happen in policing I wanted to be a part of that” In June 2022, Wiseman made that dream a reality when he was sworn in as an officer for the Shakopee Police Department With experience in the Marine Corps and as a corrections officer, he knew being a sworn officer was the next step toward the career he always wanted “The more I drove around Shakopee and looked and saw the people and the way the department got along, the more I could see myself working for this department,” he said No two days—or nights, in Wiseman’s case—are the same in polic ing, and that’s part of what he loves about the job On any given shift, Wiseman does everything from responding to medical calls and domestic altercations to taking fraud reports and pulling over poten tially intoxicated drivers No matter who he is dealing with, Wiseman said he makes it a point to remember their humanity We care about fire prevention all year-round, but Fire Prevention Week each October provides an opportunity to renew our commit ment to prevention and safety The purpose of Fire Prevention Week is to educate children about how to prepare and stay safe in case of a fire This is an important life skill that will be beneficial at home, in school and beyond Each October, we ask residents to test their smoke alarms to ensure they work, agree on a meeting place away from the home in the event of a fire, and make a home escape plan that caters to all members of your home According to the National Fire Protection Association, 74% of all fire deaths in the United States take place in the home It’s likely there will be more fatalities in a home fire in 2023 than in 1980 because of the use of plastic and lightweight materials in our modern homes

Shakopee firefighters wait to intervene on a fire demonstration at the 2022 Open House

Meet Officer Jon Wiseman, who has been with the department since June 2022

“The policy here is regardless of who they are as an individual, we still treat them with respect,” he said “I don’t go into an encounter thinking, ‘I got you!’I go in thinking,‘We need to stop what’s happening right now’” After more than a year on the job, Wiseman said it has exceeded all his expectations There are so many niche areas of policing to learn about and explore, it’s difficult for him to choose just one “Ultimately, I want to become a well-rounded officer and get into investigations down the line,” he said “I’m a year in, and there’s a lot to learn on this job that I’m just starting to dip my feet into I can always be better, and I always strive to be that”

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