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<br /> <br /> <br />2Lino Lakes Public Safety Department 2020 ANNUAL REPORT <br />ONE VISION. ONE MISSION. <br /> <br /> <br />Public Safety Director Message: <br />During 2020 the Public Safety Department weathered several changes to our <br />operations, as did our community, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the <br />civil unrest in the Twin Cities metropolitan area which followed the death of <br />George Floyd, and the homicide in our community. This year was trying and <br />stressful for the Public Safety Department and for our community as a whole. <br /> <br />The manner in which we responded to calls for service from our community <br />changed significantly as a result of COVID-19. Our police and fire responders <br />were directed to limit all close interaction with community members and other <br />staff, which resulted in some remote and modified responses to calls for <br />service, as well as staffing deployment changes. In an effort to limit the risk of exposure and ensure <br />we maintained sufficient staff to respond to calls for service, we moved our patrol staff to 12-hour <br />shifts, had office staff work from home, split our investigators into two teams rotating those teams <br />into the office, and all in-person training for police and fire personnel was cancelled. These changes <br />took effect in April and continued through June, when we were able to return to our traditional <br />staffing deployment. <br /> <br />The tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police custody on May 25, 2020 sparked protests <br />which led to civil unrest in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. Our staff took steps to protect our <br />community from any looting that took place in other communities and provided support and staffing <br />to other Anoka County communities. <br /> <br />In August of 2020 our community experienced a homicide, which was the first homicide in Lino Lakes <br />since 2008. Our investigative staff, in collaboration with the Anoka County Criminal Investigative <br />Division, worked very hard to identify and arrest two <br />individuals in connection with this homicide. Both individuals <br />have been charged with Second Degree Murder and are <br />awaiting their trial. <br /> <br />Regrettably our team has not been able to engage with our <br />community in 2020 in the same manner as we have grown <br />accustom to in years past. We did provide forty four public <br />safety drive-bys in an effort to assist our community in dealing <br />with some of the stressors stemming from the COVID-19 lock- <br />down and to reassure our community that we continue to <br />serve during these stressful times. <br /> <br />I am very proud of how our staff and community have <br />responded to the challenges of 2020. It is our shared <br />perseverance that will enable us to overcome the pandemic <br />and any other challenges that come our way. <br /> <br /> <br />John Swenson <br />Public Safety Director