2023-08-09 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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It is my honor and privilege to present the 2022 Police work has often been described as a front row seat to the best show in town. While that may be true at times, the opposite is also true, that our officers have a front row seat to the worst events as well. With that in mind, we continue to focus on officer wellness. In 2021 our focus was on an officer's mental health, and while that focus continues, in 2022 we specifically focused on an officer's physical health. CLPD wants to do all we can to support healthy and emotionally fit officers, as we believe healthy officers will provide better services to our communities than unhealthy officers would. Whether it's providing mental health counseling services or making facilities and time available for officers to work out, we have officer wellness as a focal point of our department. We want to provide an environment where our officers can become mentally and physically strong and resilient. One of the biggest challenges for our department in 2022 was staffing. In the recent past, when an officer retired or left for a different position, we would receive 50-60 applications or more for the open position. Due to factors that portray our profession negatively, not nearly as many college students are choosing to go into law enforcement as a career, and as such, there are far fewer applicants to choose from. My commitment to our communities and to our department is that I will not lower our department standards just to get someone hired. We have remained very selective in our hiring practices and have hired some terrific new officers. I'm very proud of our officers and I hope you are, too. Don't hesitate to wave at our officers or engage them in conversation while they are out on patrol. We love getting to know our community better as we serve the cities of Centerville, Circle Pines, and Lexington with courage and compassion every day. As you take the time to read through this annual report, I hope you enjoy seeing some of the great work our officers are involved in. CLPD has a very strong commitment to provide the highest level of police services possible every single day. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Lastly, I'd like to thank all the women and men of the Centennial Lakes Police Department, the Police Governing Board, City Administrators, Citizens, and Business Community for their continued support and encouragement. Let's all continue to work together to make our cities in Anoka County the best places to live, work, and play! Serving with Courage and Compassion, James Mork 4