HomeMy WebLinkAbout011608 task force meeting notes
Prior Lake Area Community Safety Task Force Meeting Notes
January 16, 2008
Minutes Approved February 2 7 , 2008
1. Welcome by Bill O’Rourke, Police Chief, at 4 :15 p.m.
2. O’Rourke – indicated that notebooks are available. Talked about opening of Club Prior
re presenting a step in improving safety in the community. Can be used to get information
out an d could focus on identity theft type of issues.
3. O’Rourke – talked about Citizen Academy as a program to be offered February through
April to allow people to lear n about safety matters. Talked about SCALE Regional
Training Center; rifle and pistol range and shoot and don’t shoot decisions. Very good
training. Woody S., Barb, Jim Petersen are grads of the class. Purpose of Academy is
awareness of safety issues i n the community. Used example of person being pulled over.
Invited Task Force members to apply for the Academy.
4. Minutes - Mary Haugen moved and Chad LeMair seconded approval of the minutes with
changes to information provided by Sandee Wright and Kitty Merrill.
5. O’Rourke distributed Star Tribune article about alcohol use in school.
6. Hedberg – looked at minutes and counted 15 comments about drug and alcohol use and
nine comments about our kids. Suggested that perhaps that is a way to get the discussio n
going.
7. Mary Haugen – addressed school violence. Once areas are identified (problems) then we
want to look at what is and is not being done in the community. Used PLAY background
checks as example. Asked for more comments.
8. Hedberg – from his perspec tive, appears to be three major areas: drugs and alcohol,
protecting kids, other.
9. Mary Haugen – suggested: Youth – protecting our kids, social/behavior choices, other.
10. Alcorn – suggested: youth, community, family and individual. Also peers.
11. Mary Hau gen – looking at what happens in four environments and how can there be
solutions in each.
12. O’Hehir – look at what’s done/what needs to be done.
13. Hedberg – had a third category of individual comments by people.
14. O’Rourke – looking at four categories for al l three areas.
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15. Alcorn – agreed: sports, police, schools, etc., instead of call it poor choices, call it risk
factors.
16. O’Rourke: suggested a grid and placing each issue identified under either A, B, or C .
17. O’Rourke - Explained what a social host ordinan ce means.
18. Mary Haugen – asked if a child had a party, and the parents were out of town and didn’t
k now about it – who is responsible?
19. O’Rourke – not responsible in that scenario, but if parents knew and left the home, they
could be responsible. In Carve r County lots of parents do allow thei r kids to drink at
home
20. Mary Haugen – 16 - year - olds should not be left home alone. Recited school stance.
21. Geister – wants to add tobacco to drugs and alcohol category.
22. O’Rourke – placed items in the following catego ries:
A B C
Protecting our kids Poor choices by kids Broader Community
A, T, O, D Traffic, Driving, Accidents A, T, O, D
Predatory Offenders Social Host Predatory Offenders
School Violence Jet Skis/High Power Boats Identity Theft
Sexual Abuse/Abducti on Truancy Lack of Exercise
Background Checks Teen Suicide Social Host
Domestic Violence Sexual Activity Dangerous Dogs
Gangs Bullying/Harassment Active Neighborhoods
Bullying/Harassment Lack of Exercise Domestic Violence
Theft From Vehicles
Pu rse Snatching
Gangs
Pandemic
Jet Skis/High Power Boats
23. Hedberg – suggested breaking into subgroups to identify the top two or three in each
area.
24. Mary Haugen – then could factor in four areas: individual, family, peers, community .
25. Theis – ev erything under “C” is what we want to protect our kids from.
26. Alcorn – look at the risk factor under each category, then if we understand those factors,
we can decide what to do as a community.
27. Peer/Kyle Haugen/Mary Haugen – trying to figure out how to ca tegorize.
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28. Theis – how do d ysfunctional families factor in?
29. Kyle Haugen – shocks to kids are going to happen. Kids need to be empowered to learn
how to deal with them.
30. Alcorn – need to have positive role models to help.
31. Mary Haugen – protecting our k ids – need to do some thin gs for them and some for
selves.
32. Kyle Haugen – life changing events – affects some, others had perfect family lives but
sill were involved in drugs, tobacco. We need to get to them before they do it through
DARE.
33. O’Rourke – Cla ssified topics as: adults on kids = protecting our kids, kids on kids = poor
choices, adult on adult = broader community, and suggested using these to force a topic
into a category.
34. Mary Haugen – certain processes and procedures can be put in place to pr otect kids based
upon our values that looks at topics systematically and behaviorally rather than culturally.
35. LeMair – the idea with each one is how we can break them down and put them under the
groups – individual, peer, family, community .
36. Wright – goin g across allows us to look at things like bullying in after school programs.
Likes looking at each issue across all areas not just in one category.
37. O’Hehir – thought we were going to break down on various areas: family , individual,
community, peer.
38. Mar y Haugen – grab by topic in all areas.
39. Wright – take a holistic approach.
40. Mary Haugen – then discover what is being done.
41. Wright: schools may provide leadership in some areas.
42. Mary Haugen – also can find out what community and processes are available.
43. Kyle Haugen – are we trying to address those things with high pay off or big items which
may be less likely? Lots of important areas. Which can we affect?
44. Theis – there are active groups in Scott County. Talked about training in schools and
variances in community norms. What can a team do to affect the norms in Prior Lake?
Wants to see which group is best to address.
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45. Alcorn – regardless of what we do, it’s the family and bringing awareness to them.
46. Theis - Carver has lots of great youth with leade rship ability – they are not here.
47. O’Rourke – believes we need to prioritize these things. Then a committee decides on the
number one thing in the category, then finds various groups to tell us what they are doing.
48. LeMair – we know what the process is. See if we can break it down to identify areas for
improvement .
49. Mary Haugen – creating a safe and healthy community for our kids – we need to make an
action plan.
50. Geister – action plan is a community plan – one in which we will have input.
51. McCoy – sugge sted that using this list, people would decide what is one, two or three.
52. O’Rourke – will get the minutes out, members will prioritize the items , and suggested the
task force meet soon. Will email the list to the task force to choose the top five across the
board.
53. Wright – with the top five addressed, do we disband or go to the next five.
54. O’Rourke – address the top five, take a break, come back.
55. Kyle Haugen – have Boyles come back with what is a safe and healthy community.
56. Alcorn – when we know the to p five, then do we get some facts?
57. Theis – Pat Ciliberto had a great process – we could have him tell us before we get too
engaged.
58. Alcorn – we have a list of topics – could have team members share information with one
another and take a look at the info rmation.
59. O’Hehir – believes that will come at the next level. Believes that the group is a good
cross section and will tend to reflect community priorities. Community, school, family,
peer will be done in subgroups.
60. Kyle Haugen – what if our five is tw enty - fifth most important?
61. Bell – we will uncover data aspect of process to continue.
62. The task force adjourned at 5: 45 p.m.
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