Annual Review
The Hermantown Police Department presented its 2023 Annual Review early in 2024 at a City Council meeting. The entire report can be viewed below.
2023 Annual HPD Report
Around Town
Around Town is a regular look at a cross-section of efforts by the Hermantown Police Department. These selected actions provide a look at how the HPD serves the community, keeping it a safe place to live, work, and play.
Around Town
Around Town
Predatory Offender Relocation
The Hermantown Police Department has been notified that a Level 3 Predatory Offender is relocating to the City of Hermantown on June 13, 2022. Please see the below links for information regarding this relocation and individual. Information regarding the state’s community notification, supervision, and re-entry processes can be found at the following link: Minnesota Department of Corrections
Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention
Thefts of catalytic converters are up around the country, and the City of Hermantown is no exception. While our numbers are still small, they are on the rise. In the first four months of 2022, the Hermantown Police Department worked a total of 12 incidents – 14 total stolen catalytic converters – resulting in five arrests thus far with other cases still under investigation.
Below is a list of precautions you can take to best avoid a catalytic converter theft from your vehicle.
- Install an anti-theft device. These can include a steel shield that fits over the catalytic converter, a locking cable device that secures the converter to your car, or a cage made of rebar or other high-strength steel that’s difficult to cut.
- Engrave your VIN on it. Consider engraving your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter, making it easier to identify you as the owner. It could also alert a scrap dealer that it was stolen and they might decline to buy it.
- Weld it to the frame. Throw thieves for a loop by making the catalytic converter harder to steal by taking your car to a mechanic to weld the catalytic converter to your car’s frame.
- Park your vehicle in your driveway or a closed garage. Whenever you can, park your car on your own property, where thieves are less likely to venture. And keep all garage doors shut and locked.
- Park your vehicle in well-lit areas. If you can’t park in your own driveway or garage, park in busy, well-lit areas and close to building entrances.
- Regularly move your vehicle. Parking in one area for a long period of time, such as a commuter parking lot or leaving your car parked on the street, can give thieves more time to steal your catalytic converter.
- Set an alarm or camera to catch thieves. Calibrate your car’s alarm to go off when it detects vibration, like when your car is jostled. Or install a motion-sensitive camera that will notify you of any unexpected activity.
- Install motion-sensitive lights. Simply adding floodlights that turn on when they detect motion can help deter would-be thieves.
- Get to know your neighbors. Having another set of eyes on the lookout will help you recognize anyone who seems out of place and might be casing parked vehicles in your neighborhood.
As always, if you see something that looks suspicious or out of place, there is a likelihood it is an issue of which you can and should inform the HPD. We welcome these types of calls if there is uncertainty in your neighborhood or regarding your property.
School Resource Program
The HPD, in cooperation with the Hermantown School District, provides funding for a School Resource Officer (SRO). The SRO works in the schools on a full-time basis during the school year, primarily at the high school, but also supports the middle school, elementary school, and the Early Childhood Center as needed.
Beyond traditional police responsibilities, such as investigations and interviews, the SRO serves as a resource to staff, administration, parents, and students. The SRO also teaches Hermantown students the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program through a partnership between the HPD and the Hermantown School District that began in 1989.
Body Worn Cameras
In May of 2022, the HPD worked through a process to garner public opinion in the exploration of the use of Body Worn Cameras and the policy that would govern their use. That policy can be found here.
Additional Policies
As of May 30, 2023, Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board Rules (6700.1515) require the publishing of all adopted MN POST Board Required Agency Policies (“model policies”) on the adopting agencies’ website. The following are the North St. Paul Police Department’s adopted Required Agency Policies. Per MN POST Board Rules, the adopted policies must be identical or substantially similar to the approved model policies.
The HPD policies can be viewed within the following links. These policies include Use of Force, Public Assembly, Eyewitness Identification, Domestic Abuse, Avoiding Racial Profiling, Investigation of Sexual Assault, Response to Reports of Missing or Endangered Persons, Predatory Offenders, Vehicle Pursuits, Criminal Conduct on School Buses, Vehicle Lighting Exemptions, Forfeitures, Confidential Informants, Police Complaints, and Automated License Plate Reader.
National Night Out
As Hermantown has grown, the HPD has begun working with community members to create a city-wide National Night Out. The first of these city-wide events was a huge success, with more than 700 residents attending the event on August 6, 2019. Joined by the Hermantown Volunteer Fire Department, the huge cookout, concert, and community-building event was one of the feel-good events of 2019.
Neighborhoods looking to pull their NNO into the city-wide event should contact the HPD at [email protected] and join the larger planning committee. Neighborhood-specific NNO events are still welcome in Hermantown, but because of the size of our HPD and our event at the Police Department, the HPD does not attend additional events that evening.
We will post additional information on our Facebook page regarding each year’s NNO.
Social Media
You can stay connected to the Hermantown Police Department through our Facebook account.