Emergency Response

**2022 EPPD Citizens Academy Class**

Emergency Response actions focus on strategies for enhancing Eden Prairie's highly rated public safety services to ensure positive experiences with all members of the community.

For many years, Eden Prairie's Police Department has been a leader in training its officers with regard to crisis intervention, de-escalation and implicit bias. Cultural training has also become a mainstay of the department's rigorous training curriculum.

The EPPD launched several new initiatives in 2022 related to recommendations from the Race Equity Report. The department partnered with Hennepin County to hire an embedded social worker to assist on calls associated with mental health and chemical addiction issues, and also re-imagined the role of its community liaison officer position to focus on more engagement with residents of color. In addition, a new Neighborhood Police Officer Program was implemented to create ongoing connections and positive engagement between officers and assigned neighborhoods.

Eden Prairie's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is led by the Fire Department and includes a cultural services unit to assist in communicating with the City's diverse immigrant community during times of crisis. Recruitment efforts for this CERT unit have increased in the past few years. The EPPD has also focused on recruiting more residents of color to participate in its popular Citizens Academy which is offered annually.

The strategies underway are described in four areas of recommendations which are outlined in the Race Equity Report:

#1 | Conduct enhanced cultural, implicit bias and de-escalation training for Police and Fire Departments on a more frequent basis.

Activity/Goal	Measurement	Department	Timeline
Cultural awareness training for Fire and Building Inspections staff	Participation	Fire	Ongoing
Ensure new officers complete 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Technique training	New officers trained in CIT	Police	Ongoing
Ensure all officers take 8-hour de-escalation refresher course	Officers complete course every 3 years	Police	Ongoing
Ensure 911 dispatchers complete active-listening, de-escalation training	Training completed	Police	Ongoing

#2 | Consider implementation of Police sub-beats to increase mutual understanding and strengthen relationships.

Activity/Goal	Measurement	Department	Timeline
Implement Neighborhood Police Officer program to create connections between officers and assigned neighborhoods	Implementation	Police	Started summer 2022

#3 | Explore additional programs that support crime prevention and community-building initiatives.

Activity/Goal	Measurement	Department	Timeline
Promote ride-along opportunities with Fire and Building Inspections staff	Participants	Fire	Ongoing
Hire Hennepin County embedded social worker to assist on calls associated with mental health and chemical addiction issues	Implementation	Police	Implemented 2022
Reconfigure Community Liaison Officer position to reach more residents of color	Implementation	Police	Started spring 2022

#4 | Promote relationships, transparency and trust through regular public safety gatherings with an emphasis on residents of color.

Activity/Goal	Measurement	Department	Timeline
Chat with Chief and building officials	Attendance and number of events	Fire	Ongoing
Increase footprint of cultural services unit within CERT	Increased membership	Fire	Ongoing

Race Equity Implementation Progress