Spring-Summer 2019 Hometown Messenger

PUBLIC SAFETY CORNER

Speaking your language Como puedo ayudarte? Могу я чем- нибудь помочь? Womit kann ich Ihnen behilflich sein? Police departments around the country talk a lot about seeking diverse police officers. But diversity isn’t always about skin color. It’s also about having staff with a variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. In recent years, the Shakopee Police Department has grown its diversity by hiring staff with fluency in multiple languages. Among the languages spoken by department staff are English, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and sign language. For many people, their interaction with the police department often comes during a stressful situation, such as a traffic accident or as a victim of a crime. A language barrier can add extra stress and confusion. “Having staff who can speak to a victim in their native language makes a huge difference in the victim's experience with police and our ability to handle the situation,” Police Chief Jeff Tate said. To attract candidates, the department offers a financial incentive to officers interpretive language phone line to give officers in the field and staff at the station access to more language services. “Being able to communicate in the languages our community speaks is important to us because we know there’s nothing more reassuring than feeling like you are heard and understood," Tate said. with fluency in another language. The department also contracts an

DIAPER DRIVE NETS 25,000+ That's a lot of diapers! Thanks to the generosity of the Shakopee community, the Police Department's third annual Diaper Drive collected 25,211 diapers for the Shakopee Community Assistance diaper bank. The annual drive is in memory of former Crime Prevention Specialist Janna Wood. Enroll in our Citizen Police Academy Ever wondered what a police officer's job is really like? Or how the department trains its officers to handle such a variety of situations?

Here's your chance to gain first-hand experience and behind-the-scenes knowledge about the Shakopee Police Department through its Citizen Police Academy. This weekly academy will discuss traffic enforcement, use of force, investigations,

SWAT, school resource officers, Drug Task Force and crime victims support. Participants will also be exposed to several of the same training programs our Shakopee police officers experience. The evening class will be offeredWednesdays, April 17 through May 22 at the Police Department. To register, visit the city website at www.ShakopeeMN.gov/crimeprevention. For more information, contact the Crime Prevention Office at 952-233-9441.

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