To keep our community safe of alcohol-related injuries and death, and to keep Eden Prairie businesses and servers who provide alcohol protected from criminal penalties and civil liability, the Eden Prairie Police Department offers this proactive training free of charge.

For more information, contact the Police Department at 952-949-6200.

A strong deterrent to crime in our city is partnerships and action. The crime prevention steps you and your neighboring businesses take as a group are just as important as the things you do individually in deterring burglary, theft, vandalism and other crimes.

A concerned and watchful group of businesses is more likely to deter burglaries and other criminal activity. Crime Watch is a cooperative effort between the Police Department and individual businesses.

For more information about starting a Business Watch program, contact the Police Department at 952-949-6200.

To register for an upcoming training, click here and complete the online Business Watch registration form.

The Eden Prairie Police Department urges residents to be on the alert for identity theft, a major criminal problem that can unknowingly wipe out an individual’s savings or checking account or make a negative impact on one’s credit rating.

Identity theft involves attaining someone’s identifying information with the intent to impersonate them. Your name, address, date of birth, social security number or mother’s maiden name are all forms of identifying information.

Identity thieves use this information to commit fraud, including opening bank accounts in the victim’s name, buying cars, applying for loans and securing social security benefits.

The following are suggestions for helping to prevent identity theft:

• Remove mail from your mailbox promptly.
• Send outgoing mail through post office collection boxes or at the local post office.
• Do not have your bank send new checks to your home address. Tell the bank that you prefer to pick them up.
• Check credit card receipts against monthly bills.
• Shred credit card applications, receipts, bills and other financial information before discarding.
• Don't carry your Social Security card or birth certificate with you – leave them in a secure location.
• Keep a list of all your credit card accounts and bank accounts in a secure place so you can quickly call the issuers to inform them about missing or stolen cards.
• Limit the number of credit cards you have and cancel any inactive accounts.
• Never give any credit card, bank or Social Security information to anyone by telephone, even if you made the call, unless you can positively verify that the call is legitimate.
• Avoid using easily available information for passwords such as mother's maiden name or family member birth dates.
• Beware of "phishing" scams. Scam artists "phish" for victims by pretending to be banks, stores, or government agencies. They do this over the phone, in emails and in the U.S. mail. Don't give out your personal information. Don't respond to a request to verify your account number or password. Legitimate companies do not request this kind of information in this way.

Once a year, as a resident of Minnesota, you have the right to a copy of your credit report from the three major credit reporting agencies. You can request this information online from several consumer reporting companies listed on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website.

The general public is encouraged to do this to help catch any fraud which may be occurring without their knowledge. The sooner fraud is stopped, the dollar loss should be less and everyone will gain from this.

Minnesota Identity Theft Freeze Law
Minnesota residents can take control of their credit reports kept by the Credit Bureaus. For a fee of $5, information on the credit reports will not be released to anyone without authorization of the person. An additional fee of $5 would be paid to "unblock" the freeze and release the information to the chosen party. If you have been the victim of identity theft you may have your credit reports locked without charge.

Additional information on this Minnesota law can be found here: Minnesota Attorney General website.

Resources for Victims of Financial Crimes
Identity theft and other victims of financial crimes must call the police department in the city where the theft occurred; however if it is not known where the theft occurred, identity theft reports can be filed with the city in which you live.

Learn more about what you can do if you're a victim of a financial crime at edenprairie.org/Fraud.

The first step in preventing home burglaries is to lock all doors and windows.

Yet, this simple action is unfortunately often disregarded or forgotten by many victims of residential burglaries. Typically, in more than half the residential burglaries in Eden Prairie, the burglar obtained entrance to the dwelling through an unlocked and/or open door. Criminals most often choose the easiest way to commit a crime. The most common entrance by burglars is through an open overhead garage door.

Many valuable items are kept in a garage, including vehicles, which are also often left unlocked. Most importantly, many burglars who enter the garage do not hesitate to enter the house through an unlocked access door. Some of these burglaries occur during the overnight hours, when homeowners and their families are sleeping inside.

Tips for preventing home burglaries

• Lock doors and windows.
• Use a solid core or heavy metal door for all entrance points.
• Use quality, heavy duty, deadbolt locks with at least a 1-inch throw bolt.
• Use a heavy duty, strike plate with 3-inch screws.
• Secure sliding glass doors.
• Place lights near porches, outside of all doorways, garage doors and all other points of entry. Keep any entryways well-lit. Motion detecting lights are also good choices for home security.
• Create the illusion that you are home by using timers on lights, radios and TVs. Making your residence appear occupied, even when no one is home, will deter criminals.
• Have someone collect mail and newspapers if you are not home.
• Arrange to have someone cut your lawn, plow or shovel your walk and driveway.
• Never leave a message on your telephone answering machine telling people that you are away from home.
• Don't keep valuables in your bedroom. Burglars normally make a beeline for the bedroom because they know that people tend to keep cash and jewelry there. Keep your valuables in an unlikely place.
• Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and walkways. While large, ornate hedges may be beautiful, they also provide a hiding place for burglars who need only a minute to break in through a window or door.
• Keep the perimeter of your home well-lit. Install a low voltage outdoor lighting system.
• Get to know your neighbors. Establish that you can count on them and that they can count on you to report suspicious activities to the police. Nothing beats a cautious neighbor, ready to call 911, for burglary protection.

If you choose to purchase an alarm

• Display alarm signs as they are a visible deterrent.
• Make sure it is properly installed, programmed and maintained.
• Include an audible horn or bell along with the automatic notification of the alarm company.
• Make sure your alarm response call list is up to date.
• Instruct your neighbor how to respond to an alarm horn or bell.

A strong deterrent to crime in our city is neighborhood action.

The crime prevention steps you and your neighbors take as a group are just as important as the things you do individually in deterring burglary, theft, vandalism and other crimes. A concerned and watchful neighborhood is more likely to deter burglaries and other criminal activity. Crime Watch is a cooperative effort between the police and individual neighborhoods.

Benefits of Having a Crime Watch

• Getting to know your neighbors who will “watch out” for your neighborhood.
• Receiving neighborhood crime alerts.
• Posting Crime Watch signs to let criminals know you are involved.
• Neighbors are more likely to watch your home and report suspicious activity.
• Possible home insurance discounts.
• Safety information provided by the Police Department to help make your home and neighborhood safer.

How to Get Started

• Find out the interest level in your neighborhood – this can be done by talking with neighbors or distributing preformatted informational letters provided by the Police Department.
• Work with the Police Department to define the area of your Crime Watch – this is generally a two or three block area, keeping in mind that participation of at least 50% of neighbors within the planned watch area is expected.
• Arrange a meeting date with a Police Department crime prevention specialist and neighbors.
• Try to determine if there are specific neighborhood issues and communicate them to law enforcement in advance of meeting.
• Plan on a one hour presentation with time for questions after.
• Notify neighbors 7 to 10 days in advance of the meeting date.

For more information about starting a Neighborhood Watch program, contact the Neighborhood Police Officer program at NPO@edenprairie.org.

Find more information about predatory offender registration and community notification at edenprairie.org/PredatoryOffender.

While online computer exploration opens a world of possibilities for children, expanding their horizons and exposing them to different cultures and ways of life, they can be exposed to dangers as they hit the road exploring the information highway.

There are individuals who attempt to sexually exploit children through the use of on-line services and the internet.

Tips for Parents:

• Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual victimization and potential on-line danger.
• Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their favorite on-line destinations.
• Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
• Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software. While electronic chat can be a great place for children to make new friends and discuss various topics of interest, it is also prowled by computer-sex offenders. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily monitored. While parents should utilize these mechanisms, they should not totally rely on them.
• Always maintain access to your child's on-line account and randomly check his/her e-mail. Be aware that your child could be contacted through the U.S. Mail. Be up front with your child about your access and reasons why.
• Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line. There is much more to the on-line experience than chat rooms.
• Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child's school, the public library, and at the homes of your child's friends. These are all places, outside your normal supervision, where your child could encounter an on-line predator.
• Understand, even if your child was a willing participant in any form of sexual exploitation, that he/she is not at fault and is the victim. The offender always bears the complete responsibility for his or her actions.
• Instruct your children:
  • to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on- line;
  • to never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or on-line service to people they do not personally know;
  • to never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number;
  • to never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images;
  • to never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing;
  • that whatever they are told on-line may or may not be true.

More information about internet safety from the Federal Bureau of Investigation

A Senior Liaison Officer is available to assist the senior population in Eden Prairie with questions and concerns about safety.

The Senior Liaison Officer can be reached at 952-949-6200.

File of Life
The purpose of the File of Life is to make your medical history available to emergency personnel so that accurate medical treatment can be provided. The file is useful in situations if you become unconscious or unable to share information about your medications or allergies. The file comes with two cards: one for your purse/wallet and one (magnetized) for your refrigerator. It’s easy to use. Simply fill out the card with a pencil and update it regularly. File of Life packets can be picked up at the Eden Prairie Senior Center and the Eden Prairie Police and Fire Departments. For more information about the File of Life, contact the Senior Liaison Officer at 952-949-6200.

Senior Safety Tips
Many seniors fear crime, although statistically their risk of being victimized is quite low. Crimes of violence occur least often, and statistics show that people 65 and over have the lowest rates of being victimized by most types of crime. Criminals look for easy opportunities. If you remove opportunities before criminals spot them, you will make crime more difficult and reduce your chances of becoming a victim. The following tips can help seniors prevent crime:

• Set up a buddy system with a neighbor and check on each other daily.
• Lock the doors and windows in your home. 
• Turn lights on around your home and yard. Use timers to turn on your lights when you are not home.
• Require all service and sales people to identify themselves before they come into your home.
• Travel in well-lit, busy areas that you are familiar with.
• Keep car doors locked and windows up when you are driving.
• Be involved. 

Most importantly, trust your instincts, be cautious and alert, and exert self-confidence at all times.

Fraud and Scams
Protect yourself from consumer crimes such as fraud, sales gimmicks and scams. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Before you agree to any contract regarding insurance, home repairs, sweepstakes, money, medical or business schemes, check with the Better Business Bureau or the Police Department. Regardless of how nice and polite a door-to-door salesperson or telemarketer may seem, be suspicious of proposals that require immediate cash.

If you do become a victim of crime, call 911 immediately and an officer will assist you.

The Eden Prairie Police Department provides speakers to make safety presentations to your group.

Presentation topics include the following:

• Identity Theft
• Personal Safety
• Protecting Children online
• Road Rage and the Aggressive Driver
• Senior Safety
• Violence in the Workplace

Additionally, with advance notice, a customized talk can be prepared for your group.

For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact the Police Department at 952-949-6200.