State of Shutdown: Impact on City Police, Fire Depts.

The and have no concerns about the safety of city residents during the government shutdown.

Minnetonka Police Department: Residents are Safe

Because that the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) must continue to provide critical services to municipal police forces, Minnetonka police will continue to have the state support they need for most of their investigative duties. Those support services include DWI blood and urine testing.

Minnetonka police also continue to have access to motor vehicle registrations, driver’s license information and criminal histories. Also, all Minnetonka police officers have current drivers licenses and consequently no local cops will be unable to do their jobs because of licensing issues.

Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) Troopers and Capitol Security are critical and will continue during this shutdown. That means that Minnetonka police will not have to pick up where the state would have left off—responding to accidents/incidents where the along Interstate 494, for example, or receiving more 911 calls without state patrol dispatch.

League of Minnesota Cities: Are Residents Safe?

But during a petition hearing for additional funding on Tuesday afternoon, the League of Minnesota Cities presented arguments to suggest shutdown-related limitations on Minnesota police departments are putting public safety, local police officers and county courts at risk. 

With the government shutdown in place, vehicle license databases are not being updated, explained Minneapolis-based attorney Kurt Glaser during the hearing.

Put simply, the databases that help officers determine the category and number of vehicle-related offenses since the government shutdown are erroneous at best and incomplete at worst.

“Police officers may start to err on the side of not taking offenders into custody because drivers know they’ll get a pass,” Glaser told Special Master Kathleen Blatz.

David Lillehaug, Special Counsel for Gov. Mark Dayton, echoed the sentiments of most people in the room, “This sounds like a serious problem. It needs to be dealt with immediately."

A spokeswoman for the city of Minnetonka told Patch Tuesday that Minnetonka police are not concerned about not-updated vehicle license databases. 

Minnetonka Fire Department: Residents are Safe

A state shutdown has stopped some divisions of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS), including the State Fire Marshal’s office. But according to Minnetonka city officials, local firefighters do not foresee day-to-day operations changing much because they are, for the most part, able to conduct fire investigations, inspections and public education, on their own.

“If there is a large dollar loss fire, fatal fire or a fire which causes injuries we typically request help from a Deputy State Fire Marshal Investigator…we will utilize the Hennepin County Fire Chief’s Fire Investigation Team,” a city official told Patch.

DPS Divisions Critical and Closed Services:

Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED

• Sworn agents are critical. Enforcement and investigations will continue.
• Licensing functions are not critical and are close. 

Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA)

• Critical services include investigations, crime scene teams and the BCA lab.
• Intelligence analysis and emergency communications (state duty officer) are also critical.
• Criminal justice integration projects are not critical and are closed. 

Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS)

• DVS is closed. 
• Knowledge tests and road tests are not available.
• Deputy registrars and driver’s license agents are able to renew tabs and take license renewal applications.

Emergency Communications Networks (ECN)

• ECN is not critical and are closed. 

Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM)

• Homeland security and limited response teams are critical. 

Minnesota State Patrol (MSP)

• Troopers and Capitol Security are critical and will continue.

Office of Communications (OOC)

• OOC is not critical and is closed. 

Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

• Reparation payments (for medication, procedure co-pays, funeral expenses, etc. ) to crime victims are critical and will be available.
• All other services are closed.

Office of Pipeline Safety (MNOPS)

• MNOPS is not critical and is closed. 

Office of Traffic Safety (OTS)

• OTS is not critical and is closed. 

State Fire Marshal (SFM)

• SFM is not critical and is closed. 

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Follow the latest shutdown developments on Minnetonka Patch:

July 5: 

July 1: State of Shutdown: Replay of Final Hours

July 1: State of Shutdown: Impact on City of Minnetonka

July 1: State of Shutdown: Impact on Locals

July 1: State of Shutdown: Impact on Minnetonka Nonprofits

July 1: State of Shutdown: Impact on Minnetonka Schools

June 30: Countdown to Shutdown

June 30: Teen Clinics Await Their Fate During Shutdown

June 30: Does Shutdown Impact You?

June 29: Judge Rules on Essential Services

June 29: MnDOT to City: 'Work Must Stop for Shutdown'

June 24: Local Nonprofits, Hospitals Brace for Shutdown

June 23: 169 Project, Taxpayers: Political Pawns as Shutdown Looms?

June 23: State Shutdown Would Freeze DNR, Close State Parks

June 23: Hennepin County Battens Down Hatches for Shutdown

Share your shutdown photos or stories with Minnetonka Editor Katelynn Metz.

Keep up with shutdown developments on our Minnetonka Patch Facebook page.

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