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Crime & Safety

VIDEO: A Night on Patrol with Minnetonka Police

Patch follows along Minnetonka Police Officer Corey Schmidt, a seven-year veteran of the force, on a rainy evening in June.

On a rainy night in Minnetonka, Officer Corey Schmidt made his way around the city's 11 District — an area that covers Minnetonka Blvd. north of I-394 and Plymouth Rd. over to Hwy. 169.

The section also includes the Ridgedale Mall, but on the night of June 22, much of his duties revolved around traffic stops.

"When we make traffic stops, it's not necessarily to always issue a citation," Schmidt said. "It's a learning piece for the person that you stop."

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If those people are the students, then Office Schmidt is the teacher. And, he had several opportunities during the course of the night to teach his lessons.

Yet the most popular reason for pulling people over that night involved drivers who forgot to turn on their headlights.

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"It's a huge safety issue," Schmidt said. "Especially when it's raining. You know, people have their windshield wipers going, their field of view isn't as good, and it's a lot more difficult to see vehicles that aren't traveling with their headlights on."

In one particular stop outside Ridgedale, he stopped a woman for that very reason. Once he verified her identity, he discovered she had a felony warrant for cocaine possession.

As a result, a fellow officer took her to the Hennepin County Jail.

The car in which she drove, meanwhile, was left at Ridgedale for the owner to pick up.

"We're not penalizing him for her actions," Schmidt said.

In fact, many of the people Schmidt pulled over that evening did not receive citations for their traffic violations.

"If you get stopped by the police, you might think it's one of the worst days in your life," he said. "But realistically, it's probably not and your chances are more likely that you're probably gonna get a warning."

A warning designed to making the roads safer.

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