Reports of school violence around the nation raises concerns about the safety in our own schools. How safe are our own schools? Could violence happen here? Unfortunately - yes it could. There is no way to absolutely assure that some serious type of violence couldn't  happen – anywhere. However, there are precautions and preventive measures that can help reduce risk. Here is information about our situation here in Chaska.

The school district and the police department have adopted a zero tolerance policy regarding drugs, violence and weapons. This policy is administered using reasonableness as a guide. For example, a table knife found in a lunch bucket would not automatically be considered a weapon while a baseball bat with nails driven in it probably would.

Weapons taken from students range from a pocket knife to  a compound hunting bow with razor sharp arrows, to look-alike guns, and knives of various sizes, shapes and designs. Even baseball bats have been confiscated when they were intended for use as weapons.

As can be seen from the statistics, threats do occur at our schools. The police department has dealt with students as young as an eight year old assaulting a teacher. Most threats are toward other students. Some involve the threat of fighting and are on the order of one student using slaps or punches. Fights are often over boyfriends and girlfriends but sometimes an assault is the result of some perceived slight toward another. A 1998 Minnesota state survey showed that students said they committed violence for the following reasons:

Every fifth grade student goes through the CounterAct  program. In addition to drug resistance, students learn lessons dealing with respect for others, violence avoidance and gang resistance. Recent studies show that students need reinforcement of this training so another formalized training component was added in 1999. The G.R.E.A.T (Gang Resistance and Training) program is sponsored by the ATF. It is provided to all Chaska 7^th graders. The program lasts for six weeks and deals with non-violent conflict resolution and cultural sensitivity among other lessons. Students also learn how to set goals and meet basic needs without affiliating themselves with gangs or getting involved in delinquent activity.

What can I do about speeding vehicles on my street?

Contact the police department and tell us about the problem. We will do our best to help by taking one or more of the following actions:

There are some things you should know about stop signs. The main purpose of a stop sign is to assign right-of-way at an intersection. Signs are installed at intersections which have a demonstrated accident problem involving right-angle turn and left-turn accidents; at intersections with sight distance obstructions on the approaches that restrict sight lines of conflicting traffic; at uncontrolled intersections with much heavier traffic on one street than on the other; and at intersections with heavy traffic on conflicting approaches.

Requests for signs for speed control, eliminating cut-through traffic on residential streets and providing a safer environment for pedestrians are routinely denied. This is based on studies which show that that stop signs do not work for these ends, and in fact can be detrimental. Another frequent request is for a stop sign after an accident. Reducing accidents is a valid use of stop signs, but again studies have shown that installing stop signs at low volume intersections with less than one accident per year does not reduce the accident rate; this is especially true in cases where unnecessary multi-way stops are created.

There are some hidden costs in installing stop signs too. The annual highway user costs of a stop sign placed on a 35 mph street with 1000 vehicles:

Some feel an alarm to be a deterrent to burglars and this gives a greater feeling of security and peace of mind. This feeling may be worth the price but take a look at our residential burglary rate first and you may get the same feeling free. Chaska’s residential burglary rate is quite low. However, if you still feel an alarm is a good choice for you, there are many alarm companies in the yellow pages. We recommend at least two bids for the work and that you ask for references.

One caution: Police response to false alarms can be very costly. After (3) three false alarms in a 12 month period, the City bills the resident $50 for each false alarm. An alarm registration is required by City Ordinance. Contact the police department for a registration form.

Can I make a police report at any time of day or do I need to make an appointment?

The department responds 24 hours a day, every day. Usually a squad will respond to your location. If you prefer to meet the officer at a different location, you will need to make an appointment.

How can I get a copy of a police report that involves me?

Come to the police department and complete a short "request for data" form. In most cases you can get copy of the report in only a few minutes. For cases which may involve nonpublic data, a delay of up to two business days may be imposed for review and approval of release. Cost for reports are:

  If I see something suspicious, what should I do?

Please call us right away. If you are seeing something currently happening, the dispatcher may ask you to stay on the line so that he/she can direct the officer on the police radio to the activity as they arrive. This has resulted in officers finding thieves and burglars who were hiding from the police while being observed by citizen callers. We need your eyes and ears to help!

Chaska Police Gang Policy

This policy may seem a bit tough. However, after reviewing the facts about crashes involving underage drinking, the policy is more understandable. We want  to create a strong deterrent to the temptation to drug use and drinking. We want your children and our children to make it into adulthood. The dangers of illegal drug use and injuries and deaths as the result of accidents involving alcohol are all too common.