Document - Historical information/data - Eagan PD Thirtieth Anniversary - 12/1/1995 .Ex
op. erience
December 1995
Volume 1 No. 4 Ea an
The official newsletter City of Eagan
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Von the Cover:
Eagan Police Celebrate
30 Years of Service
In 1965 Minnesotans were cheering as the Beatles a
invaded,jeering as their boys were sent to Viet Nam,
and watching closely as the new Mustangs rolled off
the line at the Ford plant. This was also the year that
the Eagan Police Department was formed.
Much has changed in those 30 years according to
Eagan Police Chief Pat Geagan,who started as an
Eagan officer in 1970. "In'65 Eagan staffed a part- 4.
timep olice force,everything was still pretty rural out
here.Cedar Grove and McKee were the only residential . •r
developments and there were just a few businesses
along Highways 13 and 55." Most of the calls that the
2 police officers, Chief Martin Des Lauriers and Donn
Smith received, according to Geagan, had to do with
horses and cows being loose, or an accident on one of
the gravel roads. "Once in a while they got a bigger Eagan's first Police Chief Martin DesLauriers and staff, Gin
case or a large accident on one of the county roads. Knight (L) and Marlene Adam are shown here in 1970,in the
Speeds were pretty fast so accidents were often severe." 1st Police Station, now the Fire Administration Building.
--Front cover photo is the dispatch center today,with a cross
Several more officers were hired as Eagan's population
section of the Police staff
increased. By 1969 Eagan had eight officers who (front to back) Officer Jim Thielen,
Communications Supervisor Kathey Bartel;Dispatcher Nancy
worked in shifts between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m. "When we
Ingerson;Captian Rick Swanson; Detective Sergeant Je
were done with a shift at 2 a.m. we'd take the squad ff
Johnson;Chief Pat Geagan and Detective Jennifer Wills.
car home and the County would call us at home if
necessary," said Geagan. "Sometimes we would go 5 to Today Eagan has 55 full-time sworn officers, and 26
6 days without a call. In 1995 we have received civilian employees. "Our department has highly skilled
between 100 and 150 calls per day." people.Many officers have undergraduate degrees plus
Although Eagan"s population has grown from just over 3-4 months of specialized police training. We also have
10,000 residents in 1965 to over 57,000 now, the a diverse department which comes very close to matching
crime rate has not kept pace. According to Geagan,
our overall community makeup,"says Geagan.
State crime statistics show your chance of becoming a As a part of the 30-year anniversary celebration and the
victim of a crime is no greater today than it was in viand opening of the new facilities, the Police will be
1975. "Most other cities of this size have a much dedicating a"memorial wall" to remember those officers,
higher crime rate than Eagan. Our department past,present and future and especially Officer Lou Jeska
recently was rated'extremely high' in the quality of who gave his life while serving the community. Please
service poll produced by KARE-TV and the Pioneer join us on Saturday,December 9,for this very special
Press ." Celebration and Dedication!
This official city publication is
distributed four times a year as a
public service by the Eagan City
Council. This publication is
� prepared by Joanna Foote,
The Lone Oak Tree...the symbol of Communications Coordinator,
strength and growth in our community. under the direction of Tom
Hedges, City Administrator.
City of Eagan Mayor:
Municipal Center Thomas Egan We invite comments or
Councilmembers: suggestions either in person or
3830 Pilot Knob Road Pat Awada Shawn Hunter by calling 681-4600 or TDD#for
Eagan, MN 55122 Sandra Masin Ted Wachter the hearing impaired 454-8535.
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BUILDING COMMUNITY
COME SEE YOUR NEW
M U N I C I PAL C E N T E R Center Drive. Together, the remodeling and expansion
cost just over$3 million dollars.
CITY FACILITIES The two facilities have been sized to meet the City's
Police and administrative needs through at least 2010.
OPEN HOUSE
In designing the buildings, the City has paid special
attention to user friendliness,
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9,
i� durability and energy
9:00 a.m. until Noon The new conservation to ensure that
This is the time of year to throw open your doors andtaxpayers are getting the best
invite everyone in. That is precisely what the Eagan Eagan City and most efficient service
City Council and staff will be doing on Saturday, Hall & Police possible.
December 9,when the new Police Department and Facility Will The City Council paid for the
remodeled City Hall are dedicated to the citizens of improvements using the City's
Eagan. be dedicated Community Investment Fund,
You are invited to take time out of your busy holiday to you--our which is made up of investment
schedule and get a first look,at your new City facilities income from prepaid assessments
res i d e nts-- during the City's period of rapid
on Saturday morning. The celebration will begin
with a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting at on Saturday, growth. This fund was
�
9:00 a.m. followed by an open house and established by the'Council to
December 9. provide for necessary community
refreshments. The Council and staff will be available
to answer questions about the facilities as you tour Come and wide facilities and
improvements. As such, the
both buildings. In addition,guests can visit the newly take a look building project required neither
opened Civic Arena at the same location.
around! an increase in property taxes nor
The Municipal Center project has been built in two future bonding obligations for
phases. The first phase, the 29,300 square foot Police V the City's taxpayers.
Department,was completed and occupied in April.
It houses the City's patrol, detective, dispatch,holding You are invited to come and celebrate the opening of
and administration activities. It replaces the City's your new Municipal.Center. We look forward to
previous Police facility which was built in 1978 and seeing you there.
was sized to accommodate the needs of a city of 35,000 The walk-up counters at City Hall are user friendly so
people. With Eagan's population currently exceeding customers can be served more effectively by City staff.
57,000 residents, the expanded facility is a welcome Cherryl Mesko, Parks &Recreation Secretary, looks at
addition to the community. The new building cost skating programs with Renee Sorenson and daughter
$3.8 million dollars to complete. JacquelMe
Once the Police Department was finished,
the second phase of the project began. F.
This consists of the remodeling of the old
Cit Hall and Police building and a 7,800 -`
Y g � �..
square foot expansion to accommodate ' - W-- — -- --� �
the City's administrative functions
j including Engineering, Parks and ,
Recreation,Community Development R4{
Finance and Administration. v<=
The new City Hall comprises 32,500
square feet and offers direct customer
access to the each of the City `
departments. The building also includes
a new main entrance,community room,
expanded meeting space and a new
Council Chambers which can be
approached from the south on Civic
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