Minnesota's primary seat belt law requires passengers in all seating positions, including the back seat, to be buckled up or seated in the correct child restraint. A seat belt fine is $25 but can cost more than $100 with court and administrative fees. The campaign will also include enforcement of Minnesota’s strengthened child passenger safety law that requires children to be in the correct restraint until they are age 8 and 4 feet 9 inches tall. This law requires booster seats for kids, usually starting at age 4, to ensure that adult seat belts fit them correctly.

Properly wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger occupants by 45 percent in a car and 60 percent in a light truck. Seat belts are the most effective means of protecting oneself from injury while riding in a vehicle. 

There are four things that are likely to save your life while operating a vehicle on Minnesota roads: buckle up, drive sober, pay attention, and drive at safe speeds.

The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department and surrounding agencies will be stepping up seat belt and child seat enforcement. Please buckle up!

 



Are You And Your Family Prepared For an Emergency?

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is encouraging Americans to take advantage of the March 14 time change for Daylight Savings as a reminder to ensure their families are prepared for a possible emergency.  A few simple steps like checking smoke alarms, developing a family communications plan, and putting an emergency kit together can go a long way toward keeping families safe.

“No matter how much the federal government, the state, or local officials do to prepare, we can’t do it alone – individuals and families must do their part to be ready in case of an emergency,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.  “The public is the most important member of the nation’s emergency management team, and so I encourage everyone, as they spring forward this year, to also take a few minutes to check their smoke alarms and talk through what your family would do during an emergency.”

Information on preparing for emergencies can be found at Ready.gov.  Steps include developing a communications plan to ensure family members know how to get in touch with each other during an emergency, putting together an emergency kit, and staying informed of potential risks.  It’s important to remember that an emergency could be a large scale catastrophic disaster, or a smaller-scale event like a car accident or house fire.

In addition to visiting Ready.gov, the United States Fire Administration is encouraging families to ensure their homes are equipped with working smoke alarms.  A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire so it’s important to test alarms regularly and keep them properly maintained.  This includes checking the manufacture/expiration date on the label, replacing the batteries, and cleaning dust away from the slots so that smoke can enter freely.

For more information about home smoke alarms and fire sprinklers, please visit: www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms.
Southwest Metro Drug Task Force

Click "Meetings and Agendas" tab for time and date of next Governing Board Meeting.


Fight Flu With the Facts





Click on the logo above or call 1-800-232-4636 for up-to-date influenza information.

2010 Summer Safety Camp

The 2010 South Lake Safety Camp has been scheduled fror Wednesday, August 11th at Badger Park in Shorewood. More details, as well as registration information, will follow.
Help Police Fight Crime!

How Do I Help?

Visit the Chaska Police Department's web blog at http://www.cpdvideos.blogspot.com to view surveillance video images. If you recognize an individual in the photos, please comment!  You can comment anonymously. All comments will be reviewed, and will never be published on the website. Just click the “comment” tab under the photo.

Chaska Police Department personnel will forward the information to the correct law enforcement agency for follow up.

Inhalant Abuse Information for Parents