Shakopee Police Department 2022 Annual Report

INVESTIGATIONS

By Sgt. Jamie Pearson

The Shakopee Police Department’s investigations unit includes one sergeant, three detectives, a tribal liaison detective, investigative assistant, evidence technician and a crime victim coordinator Investigations partners with officers and civilian staff who are assigned to the proactive and community services division The two divisions often work together Detectives are responsible for a caseload assigned by the sergeant As part of their caseloads, they process crime scenes, gather evidence, conduct interviews of victims, witnesses, and suspects, and present all evidence to the Scott County Attorney’s Office for prosecution In 2022, the investigations division implemented a forensic phone lab We have two Cellebrite operators who forensically analyze cell phones This continues to be an asset to our investigative efforts Our investigations assistant analyzed 31 cell phones in 2022 as part of various investigations When we cannot access a password protected device we will partner with the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and utilize software to further our investigative efforts The nature of criminal cases investigated runs the spectrum of property and person crimes that are most often generated at the patrol level Detectives also participate in many inter-jurisdictional criminal justice teams As a team effort, detectives are also called to assist other law enforcement agencies with their investigations

In 2022, the investigations division worked many financial crimes cases including mail theft, unauthorized credit card use, check forgery and identity theft Aside from financial crimes, the investigations unit worked other cases that include assault, criminal sexual conduct, burglary, crimes against family, and much more Detectives work diligently to obtain successful prosecution on every case they are assigned Detectives were assigned 712 cases in 2022 compared to 579 in 2021 A case to highlight from 2022 was a fraud investigation at the Travelodge Hotel in Shakopee Police received an anonymous tip alleging that the owner of the Travelodge filed fraudulent applications to obtain monies from the RentHelpMN program The allegations stated that the owner collected $150,000 from the state of Minnesota for emergency rental assistance by means of fraud The Attorney General’s Office provided information indicating nine applications were fraudulently paid and 13 others were denied According to the tipster, the owner paid applicants to use their identity to collect rent help It was determined through investigative efforts that $150,000 was paid to the owner and an additional $310,000 was requested through 16 declined applications The owner was charged with identity theft and theft by swindle This case is still in the court process and there has not been an outcome yet

Members of the Shakopee Police Department’s investigations unit

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