05-14-25 - Council Special Work Session Agenda

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1 LINO LAKES POLICE DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN INTRODUCTION: In the fall of 2024, the City of Lino Lakes (“City”) retained Citygate Associates, LLC (“Citygate”) to conduct an operational study of the Public Safety Department. In April 2025 they provided their flnal report with a total of 34 recommendations for the police division. Police staff reviewed Citygate’s flnal report, the 56 flndings, and the 34 recommendations and developed a strategic implementation plan consisting of flve phases. Staff prioritized the recommendations, assigned them to a phase with an approximate completion timeline, and estimated the potential flnancial costs for the City. During the flrst four phases staff will work to implement 28 of the recommendations. It is important to note that many of the 28 recommendations were consistent with existing procedures and goals that were in place prior to Citygate’s analysis. A lack of staff has been an obstacle that has negatively affected the department’s ability to make progress in some of the areas that are identifled in the recommendations. Retaining and recruiting staff levels will be a key focus of the strategic plan. The flfth phase consists of addressing the remaining six recommendations. The recommendations involve investments in infrastructure and adjustments to positions within the organization. Due to the long-term implications of these six recommendations, they are not the focus of this strategic implementation plan; however, they should remain a priority for the City in the future. The strategic plan will cover speciflcs of the flve phases, planned future organizational structures, retention and recruitment challenges, impacts of inadequate staffing, recommended strategies for retention and recruitment, and estimated budget implications. PHASE 1 The Lino Lakes Police Department Strategic Implementation Plan begins with the council’s adoption of the four key recommendations noted in the table below. The City has already acted by adopting recommendations #1, #2, and #3. Recommendation #5 challenges the police department to develop retention-supportive structures to stem staff turnover. This recommendation should be a priority for the City as the police department works to stabilize its staffing levels. This strategic plan includes ideas for the council to consider for adoption as the police department seeks to become an “employer of choice” for existing staff and for people seeking employment.