Events

March 2002: President Bush visited Eden Prairie High School.

June 2006: The Eden Prairie Police Department, Eden Prairie Fire Department, Eden Prairie School District and Hennepin County Public Health held a Mass Dispensing Drill at Eden Prairie High School and Grace Church to test its system to deliver antibiotics to a large number people in the event of a large-scale illness outbreak.

August 2007: The Eden Prairie Police Department, along with other agencies, provided security for President George Bush while he visited a private home in Eden Prairie for a fundraiser.

March 2008: The Department hosted Eden Prairie's first Polar Plunge at Round Lake which raised over $39,000 for Special Olympics.

September 2008: The Eden Prairie Police Department assisted in providing 1,689 hours of security at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

August 2009: A private aircraft crashed into the grounds of the Cummins-Grill House killing two people. Four civilians were awarded the Award of Valor, the department's highest civilian honor, for their efforts trying to save the two occupants of the plane.

October 2009: A private aircraft crashed into a wooded area in Cardinal Creek, trapping the injured pilot. Three civilians received the Award of Valor and two civilians received Letters of Recognition for their efforts in successfully saving the pilot.

Crimes

March 2001: Pyotr Shmelev killed his wife, Svetlana Pedash, and dismembered her body at their home in Eden Prairie.

May 2002: Eden Prairie High School is locked down due to a bomb scare.

2006: The Investigations Division solved a major identity theft case involving six victims, over $3-million worth of property and 17 felony counts. The case took one year to investigate and resulted in a nine-year prison sentence for the suspect.

2009: Eden Prairie Police Department investigators broke up a prostitution ring operating out of a massage business.

2010: There were two homicides in 2010 — both infant children. In one case the child's father was charged and sentenced. In the other case, the child's parents were investigated for negligent manslaughter, however, the Hennepin County prosecutor declined to charge them.

Equipment and Facilities

March 2002: The Public Training Facility opened in Edina. The training facility is a joint project between the Metropolitan Airports Commission and the Cities of Edina, Eden Prairie and Bloomington.

2005: The Eden Prairie Police Department patch changed as part of a citywide rebranding program.

2006: The department began adding Dodge Charger squad cars to its fleet.

April 2007: After extensive research and training, the department's officers began carrying TASERs as a tool to minimize the risk of injury to officers and suspects.

2008: The department's Dispatch Center was remodeled with new equipment designed for large-scale mutual aid events.

2010: After three years of testing, the department launched a major software upgrade which integrated several areas of the department's dispatch and radio systems.

Staff

November 2002: Chief Jim Clark retired and Dan Carlson was named Chief.

January 2007: Chief Dan Carlson retired. City Manager Scott Neal appointed Deputy Chief Rob Reynolds to serve as Chief effective January 27, 2007.

March 2007: The department’s first-ever law enforcement analyst was hired to help analyze crime patterns and trends to aid in crime prevention and investigation.

2007: K-9s Micah (handler Officer Ann Bogren) and Riley (handler Emily Millard) retired. K-9 Brix, with handler Officer Jess Irmiter, began working in November 2007.

May 2008: Officer Jeff Berg passed away after a battle with cancer. He was the first Eden Prairie police officer, past or present, to pass away. A new park bench outside the Department's night lobby was dedicated in Officer Berg's memory in 2009.

June 2008: K-9 Booker, with handler Officer Tim Snetting, began working.

Programs

2004: The Eden Prairie Police Department started the Speaker’s Bureau, a program where officers make presentations to the community on personal safety and personal responsibility.

2004: The Airport Unit was created to work with staff and customers of the Flying Cloud Airport.

2004: The Computer Intelligence System (CIS) was created in-house as a computer tracking tool designed to monitor crime trends and improve the overall performance of the department and its officers.

2004: The Police Reserves initiated the Color Detail to raise and lower the flags on all City buildings.

2005: The Crime Scene Technician Unit was formed to process evidence from crime scenes including fingerprints, shoe prints, DNA and other physical evidence.

2006: The Juvenile Diversion program was started to divert young, first-time offenders from the court system.

2006: The Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) was formed to proactively intervene and provide assistance to individuals involved in domestic disputes in an effort to reduce violence in the community.

2007: The Department developed and hosted its first Retirement Academy for officers throughout the metro area who were approaching retirement age to discuss life transitions.