What We Did in 2018

Although we don’t have the final statistics for 2018 compiled yet, we do know that we had a busy year at the EPPD. Here are a few of the ways we spent our time:

• We produced a video on the impact of opioids in Eden Prairie that profiled two families who lost their sons to heroin overdoses. The video is on the city’s YouTube channel and has been shown in Eden Prairie High School and Central Middle School health classes. It has been viewed on the Police Department’s Facebook page more than 65,000 times.
• We continued to work to combat human trafficking through a combination of education, investigation and enforcement. Since 2017, Eden Prairie investigators have participated in seven human trafficking stings with a coalition of metro area cities that resulted in 67 arrests and the recovery of 22 victims.
• We helped provide security and traffic direction during last February’s Super Bowl at several venues including Winter Park and Flying Cloud Airport.
• In January, we purchased a camera trailer that allows our staff to look at what’s happening in the location where the camera is set up. Officers, investigators and dispatchers can look at the video real-time and can also review previously recorded footage. In addition, the camera works as a crime deterrent, letting potential criminals know that we are watching.
• In order to increase our capacity for crime analysis, we created a Law Enforcement Analyst Intern position and hope to fill the position in February.
• In late December we worked in coordination with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and several other local agencies to arrest three suspects in the October 6 Eden Prairie home invasion burglary and resulting homicide of one of the homeowners. The arrests were a result of two months of intensive investigation and collaboration with multiple agencies.

Thank you for your continued community support. We are looking forward to another year of protecting and serving in Eden Prairie.

This post was originally published January 7, 2019 at the Eden Prairie Police Department’s blog.