Shakopee Police Department 2020 Annual Report

2020 ANNUAL REPORT | POLICE DEPARTMENT | SHAKOPEE, MN

DARE In the Schools The Shakopee Police Department proudly partners with Shakopee Area Catholic School to offer the DARE program. During the school year, a DARE officer works closely with school officials, teachers, parents and students to enhance the learning experience, By Cortnie Miranowski, DARE Officer

promote responsible behavior and sharpen decision-making skills. This connection helps students see police officers not only as enforcers, but also as supporters who want them to make good life choices. This partnership promotes familiarity and trust. It opens communication lines that are vital to solving community issues and promoting a great city in which to live, learn and work. In 2020, Shakopee Area Catholic School welcomed Officer Cortnie Miranowski to each fifth-grade classroom to present the DARE “Keepin’ it Real” curriculum. Keepin’ it Real tackles such issues as bullying, peer pressure, drug abuse, risky situations and stress. During the program,

students learn and practice effective listening skills, confident communication, reporting bullying and what it means to be a good citizen. The students are also given the DARE decision-making model and resistance strategies as tools to advance their critical thinking and decision-making skills. Sixty-four students graduated from the 10-week program in March 2020. SACS hosts a graduation ceremony where each graduate is presented with a certificate, demonstrating they will continue to make safe and responsible choices. DARE students at Shakopee Area Catholic School.

C.O.P.S.

By Chad Wimmer, School Resource Officer

For the 2020-21 school year, school resource officers continued to teach the C.O.P.S. (Community Outreach by Police for Students) curriculum in the Shakopee Public Schools. C.O.P.S. is a way to get school resource officers into classrooms. The goal is to teach youth about the pressures they may face on a daily basis and how to best deal with those issues. During the school year, school resource officers tried to coordinate with elementary school teachers and middle school health

teachers to present on topics in the curriculum. The topics included stress, kid-versus-adult problems (how each affect them differently), developing a help network, peer pressure, internet safety, bullying, and drugs and alcohol. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our way of life. As Shakopee Public Schools transitioned in and out of distance learning, all four school resource officers took an active role to assist with school material and food deliveries. Officer Wimmer and Officer Christianson tried to coordinate with all fifth-, sixth- and seventh-

grade teachers (whether in person or via Zoom and Google Meets). In the fifth-grade classrooms, the topics focused on stress recognition and solutions, kid-versus-adult problems and help networks. In each sixth-grade classroom, officers spoke about peer pressure. At the seventh-grade level, the officers discussed internet safety and how it relates to social media, as well as drugs and alcohol. The program allows the school resource officers to have positive interactions with the students. The officers help the students identify the stressors they may encounter daily. Furthermore, the students are given additional resources to deal with the issues that may arise throughout their academic careers. The program reaches approximately 2,200 students in seven schools.

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In the Schools