Shakopee Police Department 2020 Annual Report

The proactive policing unit (PPU) provides a unique and proactive approach to criminal activity, public nuisance problems and emerging crime trends within the City of Shakopee. The members receive specialized training focusing on the success of the unit, department and betterment of the community. The PPU is comprised of two officers, who work closely with all divisions of the Shakopee Police Department, the Southwest Metro Drug Task Force and other outside agencies that are seeing similar crime trends and the same criminals. The PPU works closely with community members and businesses with the goal of preventing and solving criminal activity, along with addressing quality of life concerns within the city. This unit is not subject to a patrol-style call load, allowing for a more focused response to areas of concerns. Officers Bengtson and Hendricks started with the unit in 2018. In January 2020, Officer Hendricks was promoted to sergeant, creating an open position within PPU. After a competitive application process, Officer Santos joined the unit in March 2020. Due to COVID-19, the ability to place offenders in custody has been restricted out of an abundance of caution. Due to safety restrictions, a significant number of people were charged via formal complaint in lieu of being taken into custody. Proactive Policing

By Nicholas Bengtson, PPU officer

The Lock it, Shakopee initiative was launched in early 2020 to create public awareness and reduce the number of thefts

and burglaries from unlocked vehicles and houses. Overall, the number of motor vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and residential burglaries decreased from 2019 to 2020. Thanks to the public for making Shakopee a safer place where people want to be. And don’t forget to Lock, it Shakopee! LOCK IT, SHAKOPEE 2019 2020 Residential Burglaries 34 27 Thefts from Unlocked Vehicles 74 67 Unlocked Motor Vehicle Thefts 44 40

Although the unit was intended as a full-time unit, staffing shortages created the need for the PPU members to temporarily return to a uniformed patrol function in August 2020. Although Bengtson and Santos returned to patrol, they were able to continue with some of the duties associated with the team, including working with the community to strategically place surveillance cameras in troubled areas and with local loss prevention employees to curb some of the increased theft from local stores. From January to August, the unit proactively addressed community problems such as: nuisance properties, narcotics complaints, thefts, burglaries, check forgeries and frauds. The unit arrested 49 people and sent 31 cases to the Scott County Attorney’s Office for formal complaints. The officers investigated more than 100 cases, with some still under investigation, and several referred to other divisions or departments. They also completed approximately 70 search warrants and submitted 172 initial and follow-up reports. Several cases were very involved and took several weeks of investigation to resolve. One particular case began in July 2020, involving a storage unit “burglary crew.”They worked with investigators from multiple agencies in five different counties, resulting in the identification and charging of 10 suspects in relation to multiple burglaries and property crimes. Due to the teamwork, coordination and information sharing from the PPU, it is estimated that around $100,000 of stolen property was recovered and returned to its rightful owners. Through this investigation, Shakopee police officers identified and charged two suspects with more than eight felony charges related to the initial burglary that occurred in Shakopee. The police department anticipates staffing levels to allow the PPU to resume their proactive policing sometime in early 2021.

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