Thursday, May 16, 2013
Chief Vonhof: “To reduce delays and the number of crashes related to the construction zones, it is advisable to plan ahead and take an alternate route if you can.”
Many motorists driving around Lakeville this summer will think the saying that in Minnesota we have only two seasons: winter and road construction, could not be more accurate. We have just finished (hopefully) with a spring of record breaking snowfalls and now, almost right after the snowplows are finishing clearing the streets of snow, there are a number of State of Minnesota, Dakota County, and City of Lakeville roadway repair and improvement projects going on across the city that will last until the end of this year. The first project is the bridge and roadway work on Interstate 35E in Burnsville started last weekend that has closed southbound I-35E traffic for 30 days. That will be followed by roadway work on I-35E through Burnsville …
Friday, May 3, 2013
The LPD Police Reserve Officer Academy teaches the new Police Reserve Officers the basic skills and knowledge that they need to perform their duties.
The 2013 Police Reserve Officer Academy graduation was held Tuesday night to recognize our eight new Police Reserve Officers’ successful completion of the academy. Mayor Matt Little spoke at the ceremony, thanking the new recruits for their demonstration of service to our community in volunteering to be Police Reserve Officers. The ceremony culminated with the Police Reserve Officers being presented with their badges by Reserve Captain Heidi Krane. Family and friends of the new officers attended the ceremony as well. The LPD Police Reserve Officer Academy teaches the new Police Reserve Officers the basic skills and knowledge that they need to perform their duties. The Academy was coordinated by the Police Reserve Liaison Officer Mike …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Police investigate hit and run crash where offending vehicle left license plate at the scene.
Officer Ron Hvinden responded to a report of a car fire in a parking lot of a local retail store one morning this week. When Officer Hvinden arrived on the scene, he found the engine compartment of a parked 2005 Jeep fully engulfed in flames. The driver told Officer Hvinden that the vehicle’s engine was acting up when he pulled into the parking lot and that then the fire started in the engine compartment. Lakeville Fire Department units arrived on the scene and quickly extinguished the blaze. No one was injured but the vehicle was a total loss. LICENSE PLATE LEFT AT SCENE OF HIT AND RUN Officers are called to investigate crime scenes frequently where there is no physical evidence available to be collected that will be useful in furthering…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Officer Adam Stier, fearing that he was going to be hit, jumped towards the ditch. The vehicle did not reduce its speed and nearly struck the back of his squad, just swerving at the last moment to avoid collision.
Law enforcement can be very dangerous work. Every year thousands of officers are feloniously assaulted and injured in the line of duty or, even more tragically, killed. What many people in the public do not realize is the number of officers that are killed or injured when they are struck by passing vehicles, while out on our roadways enforcing traffic laws. It is estimated that over 150 officers have been killed across our country since 1999 while on the roadway and struck by passing vehicles. Since 2006, Minnesota has had a “move over” law that requires motorists to move one lane over when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights activated (ambulance, law enforcement, fire, towing, and also maintenance or construction vehicles) is on …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Last Saturday, we hosted our annual City of Lakeville rabies clinic at the Lakeville Police Station.
Officer Nic Stevens was training Officer Sarah Brockman on her first day in Field Training as a police officer one morning this week when they responded to a property damage crash. During the course of investigation of the crash, the officers discovered that the passenger in one of the vehicles had active arrest warrants for narcotics. The officers arrested the subject and also found suspected narcotics. The officers transported the subject to Dakota County Jail on the warrants and the pending narcotics possession charges. RABIES CLINIC Last Saturday, we hosted our annual City of Lakeville rabies clinic at the Lakeville Police Station. This annual event is designed to give pet owners (dogs and cats) the opportunity to come in and have …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
This past Monday, February 25, the Minnesota MADD organization held their Minnesota Statewide Recognition Awards ceremony at the Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul.
The past few weeks of February, it has seemed to snow almost every day. While we have not had any huge snowstorms yet, a couple of inches of snow can make the commute difficult for motorists and a very busy day for the patrol officers working. That was the case last Friday morning when Sergeant John Kornmann’s patrol team was on duty and the strong wind created near blizzard conditions. Sergeant Kornmann’s daily shift notes indicated: “Officers worked nine crashes or assists to the State Patrol on I-35 before noon. I-35 was a mess from 0730 until about 1100 a. m. One person was injured after the driver lost control of her Ford and her vehicle rear ended a semi. The actual number was much higher than nine incidents as we aided State Patrol …
Saturday, March 2, 2013
More than 270 attend Lakeville's annual Domestic Abuse Awareness Luncheon.
Officer Shawn Fitzhenry responded to a report of a single vehicle crash with the vehicle on fire on the side of the roadway. When Officer Fitzhenry arrived on the scene, he discovered that the driver, who was uninjured, had safely exited the car after the crash. Lakeville Fire Department units arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire without incident. The driver told Officer Fitzhenry that he had possibly dozed off and drove off the roadway, striking a line of trees. The car was a total loss. The officers at the traffic crash scene felt the driver was very lucky not to have been seriously injured, based upon the damage to the car. DOMESTIC ABUSE LUNCHEON The 28th Annual Domestic Abuse Awareness Luncheon was held at Brackett’s …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Despite a blizzard, a Lakeville driver thought it a good idea to drive 86 MPH across icy, snowy roads.
Tuesday morning there was a light dusting of snow, but the presence of a strong wind was creating very hazardous driving conditions, especially in the areas where there were open fields. Blowing snow across the roadway was also causing small areas of near blizzard conditions for motorists. Officer Adam Stier was on duty, driving on Cedar Avenue when he noted a vehicle that appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed. Officer Stier was able to stop the vehicle and identified the driver, who was then cited for Careless Driving, due to the dangerous road conditions. The speed that Officer Stier clocked the violator’s vehicle traveling on his squad radar unit – 86 MPH.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
One of the major safety challenges for police officers and other rescue personnel, such as fire fighters and paramedics, working at traffic crash scenes during a winter snow event is the traffic coming up to the scene after the crash.
Officers Shawn Fitzhenry and Jim Dronen responded to a personal injury crash one night last week at an intersection on Cedar Avenue. The officers discovered that a pickup truck had been stopped at the intersection and was waiting at a red light when a van rear ended the stopped pickup and then flipped over and came to rest in an upright position. The officers found that all three occupants of the two vehicles had suffered non-life threatening injuries and they were transported to the hospital by ambulance. The initial investigation indicated that the driver at fault in the van also showed signs of being impaired and a blood test was requested. The investigation into this traffic crash continues. BAD ROADS MEAN GREATER RISK FOR FIRST-…
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Captain Tim Knutson was introduced to the City Council at the City Council meeting this past Monday night in recognition of his recent promotion to Captain.
Officers on patrol respond to intrusion (burglar) alarms all the time. It is not uncommon for an officer to respond to an intrusion alarm almost every shift. The vast majority of the time when there is a call of an intrusion alarm, it is actually a false alarm. The sensors on the alarms are very sensitive and if not properly set, can be activated by a wide variety of causes including the wind, heat vents or even lights. Many businesses and residences in our community have intrusion alarms and even though there can be false alarms, the vast majority of officers encourage their use for a couple of reasons. The first is that an intrusion alarm can be a real deterrent to a potential burglar who would likely not want to enter a building with …
Erin C.
9:29 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013
I didn't know I-35W went through Lakeville... more ›