The Prior Lake City Council unanimously approved a three-year funding agreement with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) last week that would designate an officer to join Southwest Metro Drug Task Force.
The law enforcement agency, one of 23 drug task forces across Minnesota, focuses on drug trafficking in Scott, Carver and McLeod counties as well as the cities of Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood and Tonka Bay. Prior Lake pays dues as a voting member of the organization but does not have an investigator assigned to the multi-jurisdictional force or employ an officer with extensive drug training.
Over the past six months, authorities say they have recorded nearly a dozen overdose calls, and responded to at least one drug-related shooting and homicide. The city of 25,000 tracks two or more overdoses a month, officials said.
"Our community and county has seen a dramatic increase in both utilization and drug-related crime," said Mayor Kirt Briggs. "I certainly see this drug task force officer as providing us with the resources focused on a problem that's become very troubling."
Under the agreement beginning Oct. 1, the Mdewakanton Sioux tribe would contribute $70,000 a year toward officer-related expenses. Prior Lake would pay the remaining personnel costs for each of the three years.
Although the police department has made strides to curb drug use — such as equipping officers with Narcan, an overdose antidote that can reverse the effects of opioids, and sponsoring programs that allow residents to dump unwanted prescription pills — Police Chief Mark Elliott recently told the City Council that his department lacks the resources to fight the drug epidemic at the dealer level. Meth and heroin continue to be the biggest public safety concerns, Elliott said.
"I feel this would be a very effective way for us to try and combat that crime," he said.
Liz Sawyer
