During 2007–2009 in Minnesota there were 1,386 traffic deaths and 494 (36 percent) were impaired-driving related. Of the drinking drivers killed, around 75 percent were not wearing a seat belt.

The legal alcohol limit for drivers in Minnesota is 0.08. It is always illegal to drive with an alcohol-concentration level of 0.08 or above. Motorists can be arrested under 0.08 if they demonstrate impaired driving behavior. If a motorist’s alcohol-concentration is at 0.08 percent or higher, it is a criminal offense with penalties ranging from misdemeanor to felony. It is also a violation of civil law that triggers automatic driver license revocation for up to a year.

 
Starting August 20th throughout the Labor Day holiday, the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department and surrounding agencies will enhance DWI patrols to take impaired drivers off the road. Have a plan to avoid a DWI. There are plenty of safe alternatives instead of getting behind the wheel after drinking too much.

This campaign will also include seat belt enforcement.  Remember the state’s primary seat belt law means that everybody needs to buckle up, even in the back. Law enforcement can stop a vehicle if anyone in the vehicle is not belted, even passengers.





Click it or Ticket

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. Also enforced is Minnesota’s strengthened child passenger safety law that requires children to be in the correct restraint until they are age 8 years of age 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 you can do to 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 have been 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

The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department would like to remind kids and parents that the Hennepin County Curfew law must be observed, and will be enforced by the SLMPD.

The law dictates the following by age:

Under 12 -  9:00 PM weekdays, 10:00 PM Friday and Saturday

12 to 14 – 10:00 PM weekdays, 11:00 PM Friday and Saturday

15 to 17 – 11:00 PM weekdays, midnight Friday and Saturday

Exceptions are as follows:

The juvenile is accompanied by a parent/guardian or other responsible adult, is engaged in lawful employment or is going to or from work, is involved in an emergency situation, is going to/attending/returning from an official school, religious, or other activity sponsored and/or supervised by a public entity or civic organization, is on an errand at the direction of a parent/guardian, or is on the boulevard or sidewalk abutting the property of the juvenile’s residence.

The complete ordinance can be viewed on-line at www.co.hennepin.mn.us.  Click on “Ordinances” under the “Reference” section and go to ordinance 16.

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