The Shakopee City Council met on February 18, 2025, at 1:00 PM. The meeting included special presentations, approval of a lengthy consent agenda, discussion of a removed development item, and reports on finances and parks and recreation.
Okay, we'll call the Shakpe City Council meeting to order for February 18th, 2025. If we could take the role, please. Yes, Mr. Mayor. Councilmember Delaney. Here. Councilmember Whiting. Here. Councilmember Lara. Here. Mayor Lehman. Here. Item number three, Pledge of Allegiance. Please join us. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Item number four, we have uh special presentations for A is 2025's officer of the year award. And then uh Mr. Chief Tate will present. Good evening, Mayor, members of council. Uh this is always a special night, and uh something we're very proud of uh tradition wise at the Shakapee Police Department is to present our officer of the year award. Um I know you've heard this before, but this is award completely uh nominated and selected by the people in the Shockby Police Department. Uh tonight we're here to honor uh our 2024 officer of the year, officer Seth Pear here. Now Seth received five different nominations from his peers, five different peers for officer of the year. There's a reason all these people are here and out in the hallway. Um highlights from these nominations, and these are quotes. Always treats people with respect and dignity. He is a great example of what an officer should be. Always doing something positive and proactive, showing his drive and determination to keep our community safe. When you think of who best demonstrates the core values of this police department, you think of Officer Perrier. I could not agree more. There are countless examples uh that back up those comments from his peers. Seth was recognized by the Department of Public Safety in 2024 for a proactive stop he made uh at one of our area hotels. Again, he's always out there doing something proactive. Uh he saw a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot. Uh his subsequent investigation uh led to uh over $1,500 of pills being recovered, an AK-47, and a handgun. Always staying busy, proactive, and looking out for this community. When it comes to compassion and being empathetic and treating people with respect, Seth is a standard bearer. I received an email from a person Seth dealt with last year regarding a domestic situation. Here's what she said in the email. He used compassion to assure me that the situation was handled, calm me down, and was empathetic. It re-established my belief in compassionate police officers who take the time to assess and accurately assess the situation and come to an outstanding solution. This is not the first time I've heard comments like that about Seth from the community or his peers, and I know it won't be the last. One of the most important jobs we have in the police department is that of a field training officer. I'd even argue that while they're field training, they are the most important person in the police department. They really shape and mold new officers and make sure that they do things the Shacopee way. They are mentors, act as supervisors, and it can be a very difficult assignment. As you can see from the comments, both from his peers and the community. It is vital, Seth play a significant role in shaping the future of this police department moving forward. I know when I called you and told you that you were the officer of the year uh selected, you were extremely surprised.