Community Outreach

Community Outreach Officer
The police department has one sworn police officer assigned to community outreach. This officer coordinates citywide programs such as Neighborhood Watch, Operation Identification, and National Night Out. This officer also coordinates the crime free multi- housing program, prepares neighborhood surveys, coordinates neighborhood meetings and addresses a variety of civic, school, resident, and business groups on matters relating to personal safety and ways to reduce the likelihood of becoming a crime victim.

Bike Patrol
The bike patrol works primarily in the City's parks and trails, interacting with the public, answering questions and providing information and literature about the City and the parks. Both sworn police officers and police reserve officers serve as bike patrol. Bike patrol also works with other agencies on problem areas.

Block Captain Newsletter
Block Captain Newsletter - December 2009/January 2010
Block Captain Newsletter - October/September 2009
Block Captain Newsletter - March April 2009

Chaplains Program
The department has six volunteer Chaplains that are available to provide professional, non-denominational services for police department employees and their families and also for citizens. The Chaplains are available on call and also participate in ride-alongs with officers and other department activities.

Citizens' Police Academy 2010
Are you interested in learning more about the St. Louis Park Police Department? Do you have questions about how police officers carry out their duties and why? Have you wanted to meet many of your local officers? If these questions interest you, plan to attend the Citizens' Police Academy in 2010. Citizens' Police Academy is open to all interested adults who live or work within the City of St. Louis Park.

The Academy is designed with the citizen in mind. Past participants have included adults of all ages and backgrounds. Most of the instructors are St. Louis Park Police Officers. Join your neighbors to learn about your Police Department! Topics covered will include history of the police department, philosophy of the department, patrol operations, dispatch center operations, investigations, narcotics, and much more.

Highlights:

• Tour of Police Department and Jail
• Ride-along with a Police Officer
• Variety of Speakers
• Involved, hands-on demonstrations
• Graduation
• FUN!

Classes start February 18, 2010. Classes will run six consecutive Thursday evenings from 6:30pm to 9:30 pm and the final class will be on Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Please click here for the brochure containing additional information and registration form.

County curfew law in effect
Since 1995 Hennepin County has had a countywide curfew ordinance restricting the nighttime hours when juveniles can be in public places. Police are authorized to enforce this ordinance.

The curfew law specifies when a juvenile should be at home. During curfew hours, juveniles are not permitted in any public place (including streets, parks, movie theaters, restaurants, parking lots or any car in a public place). Although it always extends to 5:00 am, the curfew start time depends on the age of the juvenile and the day of the week:

A curfew violation is a petty offense, and it is a misdemeanor for a parent to allow a juvenile to violate curfew (either intentionally or through negligent supervision).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Officers can stop and question any juvenile in Hennepin County who is out after curfew. After speaking with the juvenile and considering the facts and surrounding circumstances, the officer must reasonably believe that the juvenile has violated the curfew law and that none of the exceptions (below) apply before issuing a citation, detaining the juvenile or taking the juvenile into custody.

The County Attorney's Office has business-size cards and refrigerator magnets which detail the curfew times. These are provided to schools, police, libraries and youth-serving agencies for distribution to parents and children. To obtain cards or magnets, call the County Attorney's office at 612-348-6765.

Home Premise Survey
Upon request, a community outreach officer will visit a home to advise homeowners on steps they can take to improve home security and reduce the likelihood of burglary. To request a home premise survey, call at (952) 924-2661.

Neighborhood Surveys
To identify problems and track trends, the Police Department routinely surveys one of its four patrol districts each year. These surveys ask residents to respond to questions about the quality of their neighborhood, livability issues and safety concerns. With the information gained from these voluntary surveys, officers tackle the most chronic problems identified by survey respondents. These can be safety problems or simply chronic 'livability' problems such as loud parties, barking dogs, problem neighbors or speeding cars. Patrol districts are surveyed on a rotating basis so each district is surveyed every two years. (For related information, click on Patrol.)

Neighborhood Watch Program
Neighborhood Watch is a voluntary crime prevention program aimed at reducing your likelihood of becoming a crime victim. It works by teaching simple, yet proven crime prevention techniques and building a relationship among neighbors and between the neighborhood and the Police Department.

Each participating block has a block captain who serves as a liaison between the block and the Police Department. Block captains distribute crime alert fliers to their neighbors, participate in National Night Out Against Crime block parties, and hold one block meeting a year. New block captains can participate in a mentoring program where they learn about their role and police issues.  If you are a new Block Captain and would like to meet one on one to learn about your responsibilities, please email Officer Czapar at police@stlouispark.org.

To organize a Neighborhood Watch program or learn more about becoming a block captain, call (952) 924-2661.

Click here for the Block Captain Resource Manual.

Office of Justice Programs
The State of Minnesota's Office of Justice Programs reviews the practices of criminal justice agencies and crime victim service providers to ensure they are fair, reasonable and appropriate. This office can serve as a source of information and referral for crime victims and witnesses. It can also help resolve problems for crime victims or witnesses who believe their rights have been violated or they have been mistreated by the criminal justice system. For more information, call (651) 201-7310.
Website: www.ojp.state.mn.us