The 50th anniversary of the Eden Prairie Police Department will be noted Tuesday, Jan. 3, by the city council. The department began on Jan. 1, 1973, when Paul Redpath, Eden Prairie’s mayor at the time, christened the first squad car in front of his home.
Eden Prairie was much smaller at the time – the 1970 U.S. Census put its population at about 7,000. The initial department had six police officers and one clerk. Today the department – which serves about 65,000 residents – has 72 sworn staff, 32 civilian staff, and 35 volunteers, according to a proclamation expected to be approved Tuesday by the council.
According to city staff, the department will observe the anniversary throughout 2023, including with a special patch for uniforms and a sticker applied to squad cars.
More on the history of the Eden Prairie Police Department can be found on the city’s website.
The city council’s Tuesday meeting — its first of 2023 — starts at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Eden Prairie City Center, 8080 Mitchell Road.
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