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2019 Annual Report • Police Department • St. Anthony Village, Minnesota <br /> <br /> <br />30 | Page <br /> <br />As a direct result of citizen input, the Patrol Division has made a priority of addressing street <br />racing concerns in the area of Hwy 88 in St. Anthony, and Hwy 280 in Lauderdale. Officers <br />have increased patrols and enforcement activity in these areas for the past few years. While we <br />still encounter this, it has been substantially reduced as we have directed patrols to this issue. <br />Directed enforcement of this kind is a result of citizen input and supports our traffic and <br />pedestrian safety strategic goals. <br />The St. Anthony Police Department introduced some new <br />programs 2019. We added a prescription medication disposal <br />site in the police department lobby. Citizens may dispose of <br />unwanted, unused, or expired household medicines for free in a <br />secure medicine disposal drop box. This program is in addition <br />to our offering the free Deterra medication disposal bags which <br />render prescription medication inert and safe for household <br />disposal. Residents of St. Anthony and Lauderdale may also <br />request a “pet rescue” decal to display on your front door or a <br />window that could notify emergency responders of the presence <br />of your pets inside your home so that they might be rescued in <br />case of fire or other event requiring evacuation. <br />In the fall of 2019 we brought back our Citizens Academy. The one day event was held at St. <br />Anthony City Hall and included presentations on department equipment and technology, <br />SWAT, use of force, and a DWI lab which allowed participants to perform field sobriety tests to <br />subjects at various levels of impairment, just as Police Officers do when enforcing DWI laws. <br />Ten participants went through the academy and offered outstanding feedback on how we can <br />improve the program. We are grateful to them for their input and look forward to an improved <br />Citizens Academy in 2020. <br />As mentioned earlier, it is difficult to statistically quantify the efforts the department in the area <br />of community engagement. However, the department prioritizes contribution to our goals of <br />community partnership and inclusion. In 2019 we began tracking the amount of time each <br />Officers logs that is dedicated to engagement in the community. The data does not reflect the <br />nature of the activities specifically, but they include activities such as a quick game of one-one <br />basketball with neighborhood kids, listening to a residents concern of a personal matter and <br />offering resources, working with civic groups, and even offering support to persons involved in <br />altercations after de-escalating a tense incident. This illustrates the belief in our approach that