Lakeville police report hires, ALPR deployment and improved crisis response

Police Chief Brad Paulson presented the Lakeville Police Department's quarterly report at the May 4 council meeting, highlighting staffing updates, community programs, technology deployments and recent case results.

Paulson said the department welcomed two new sworn officers in March and a records technician in January, and that construction of a training facility is on track for a soft opening this summer. He described automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) cameras as operational at 16 of the 20 approved locations and credited the technology in at least two recent successes: an ALPR alert led officers to locate and secure a suspect wanted in a third‑degree felony assault, and detective work recovered property and firearms tied to break‑ins across the south metro.

"The Lakeville Police Department exists to ensure an excellent quality of life in Lakeville by serving and protecting in a professional and innovative way," Paulson said as he summarized department priorities.

Paulson also reviewed Q1 statistics, reporting that overall case reports were roughly in line with 2025 and that DWI arrests rose to 48 in the quarter compared with 32 the prior year, attributable in part to increased enforcement. He noted a positive result from Dakota County's crisis‑call routing: 20 of 21 routed calls were handled by the crisis team without police response being required.

Council members thanked the chief and asked for broader multi‑year comparisons in future reports to aid trend analysis.