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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.a. Oath of Office - Eckstein and HansonEXECUTIVE SUMMARY City Council Regular Meeting: September 17, 2019 AGENDA ITEM: New Police Sergeant Oath of Office and Introduction AGENDA SECTION: Presentations PREPARED BY: Mikael Dahlstrom, Chief of Police AGENDA NO. 3.a. ATTACHMENTS: None APPROVED BY: LJM RECOMMENDED ACTION: None BACKGROUND Following the promotion of Commander John Winters, a vacancy was created at the Police Sergeant position. Over the past month, a rigorous and demanding promotional process was completed to select the Department’s next Police Sergeant. Applicants were first asked to submit a resume, letter of interest, and written leadership continuum exercise; these materials were evaluated by an outside panel of reviewers. Secondly, a “forced choice” rank/evaluation, listing a variety of key leadership and management characteristics, was completed by all non-probationary employees of the Department. The applicants moved on to an interview process with a panel of leaders from outside of the Department, and lastly, an interview with the Chief. While all the applicants performed admirably, we are pleased to announce that Officer Alex Eckstein was selected to be promoted, effective September 22, 2019. Sergeant Eckstein was born and raised in Burnsville, Minnesota. After attending Apple Valley High School, Alex went on to the University of Minnesota where he attained a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design. Following a short stint with a design firm, he felt called to the law enforcement profession and made a complete career change. While in school for law enforcement, Alex started as a Community Service Officer with the Department in 2011 and was promoted to a police officer in 2012. During this time, Alex has primarily served as a patrol officer and field training officer, but he also has experience as our traffic safety liaison and has worked on the crisis intervention team, crime scene team, recognition committee, facilities committee, and uniform committee. Furthermore, Alex has worked supplemental assignments with the Dakota County Drug Task Force and Dakota County Special Operations team where he currently serves in a formal leadership role as the law enforcement manager and assistant logistics manager. Alex’s professional career is already decorated with accomplishments, and he is well known for his passion and ability to be a change agent for the Department. Of note, Alex helped create the crime tip line, design the newest patch and badge worn by officers, formulate the first “family academy,” worked as a mentor for students at Rasmussen College, helped equip the department with Narcan, and had a major role in designing the newest training manual for Community Service Officers. We are proud to announce and promote Officer Alex Eckstein to Police Sergeant. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY City Council Regular Meeting: September 17, 2019 AGENDA ITEM: Police Officer Oath of Office AGENDA SECTION: Presentation PREPARED BY: Mikael Dahlstrom Chief of Police AGENDA NO. 3.a. ATTACHMENTS: Oath of Office APPROVED BY: LJM RECOMMENDED ACTION: None BACKGROUND Following several retirements in early 2019, the Department initiated a hiring process to hire four police officers. One of those officers has completed the Field Training requirements. Officer Kip Hanson grew up in St. James, Minnesota and moved to the City of Mankato in the summer of 2001. While living in Mankato, he attended Mankato West High School and graduated in 2005. Kip entered the workforce as an ethanol plant technician and performed that job for the next 8 years. It was about this time that he decided a career in Law Enforcement was the job for him, so he ended his job at the ethanol plant, sold his house, and began to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer. Kip moved to Lakeville, Minnesota in May of 2018 and began working as a Community Service Officer with the Lakeville Police Department. While gaining valuable experience as a CSO, Kip also attended Rasmussen College’s Law Enforcement program. In 2019, he graduated with Honors with an Associates Degree in Law Enforcement. Officer Hanson joined our department on May 28, 2019 and he began an extensive fourteen-week officer field training program. Throughout this training program, Officer Hanson has proven that he has the necessary skills and abilities to serve the citizens of Rosemount as a police officer. Officer Hanson currently lives in Lakeville and when he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Rachel and their Golden Retriever “Kai” hiking in Northern Minnesota. He is a self-proclaimed automobile enthusiast and outdoorsman who loves fishing and hunting. We are very proud and excited to welcome Officer Kip Hanson to our Rosemount Police Department family.