Leaders of the Prior Lake fire and police departments updated councilmembers July 22 on activity levels and changes that have transpired in the first six months of 2025.

While there were no major surprises, each talked about how technology continues to change their respective departments.

The city transitioned to a full-time, 24/7 staffing model for the fire department two years ago and now includes these full-time positions: fire chief, assistant fire chief, three captains, nine firefighters and 28 active paid on-call firefighters, according to Fire Chief Rick Steinhaus.

Assistant Fire Chief Jim Ruzicka said the department has begun using RMS software which allows for data collection on personnel, scheduling, department planning, training, incident reports, asset management, permits and inspections. In January, use of a new software developed by Emergency Services Perspectives will allow the department to make more information available to the public that shows the types of calls received by the department, and compare data with previous years.

In addition to the city of Prior Lake, the department also serves the City of Credit River and Spring Lake Township. Ruzicka said the department has two trucks ready at all times, which works well, given the large area it serves. A rescue pickup is part of the department’s fleet and is frequently dispatched for less serious calls, which allows for more availability of large engine vehicles to respond to serious incidents.

The fire department responded to 865 calls within the Prior Lake area in the first half of 2025, of which 40 were fire calls, 780 involved medical emergencies and 45 related to motor vehicle accidents. That number is up when compared to the same period in 2024 which totaled 506. Ruzicka said the increase this year is attributed to the department now responding to all medical calls. Allina continues to be the city’s primary ambulance service.

Of the total number of calls responded to in the first half of the year, the department was dispatched to 117 calls in Credit River, while Spring Lake had 102. Since 2022, June and July have historically been the busiest call months for the department, the largest call volume day has most often been Saturday, while the busiest time of day calls are received is typically 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Police Chief Liam Duggan provided information on activity within the department, with much of his presentation focused on staffing.

The department is preparing for the promotion of a police officer to a sergeant’s role in 2026, so new officer candidates are being interviewed to fill the existing role. In years past, the city would have 100 candidates expressing interest in an open position, but now have only 10 who meet minimum qualifications, and some may not pass beyond the first round of interviews.

“It’s a reality that our city faces,” Duggan said, noting that the law enforcement profession as a whole is experiencing a recruiting crisis, adding that those seeking new positions in the past are now settled and not looking to move again.

Duggan said the department has current staffing challenges due to an officer being out for several months after being injured while working.

“When we lose a single officer or sergeant, the only place the slack gets picked up is by others already doing the work,” Duggan said.

The department will continue with its mission to meet each staffing goals identified last year, Duggan said. On that note, he recently met with the League of Minnesota Cities, which provides insurance coverage for the city, and received a positive affirmation of city initiatives.

“The city, as a whole, is at the absolute bottom when it comes to claims and losses over decades,” Duggan said. He added that LMC research identified staff culture as the top contributor that leads to lower losses and claim rates, along with celebrating accountability and leadership training.

The department’s training and use of drone technology has been fully deployed which allows staff members to stay out of many dangerous situations, he said, adding that the city’s drone pilots “were intimately involved” in the capture of Vance Boelter, arrested last month for the murder of Melissa Hortman, Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House of Representatives, along with her husband.

Statistics comparing the first six months of 2024 versus 2025 were largely the same, with the exception of motor vehicle accidents showing an increase of 24, with a total of 228 reported. There were 52 assaults reported between January and June, while domestic assaults accounted for 28 calls. Duggan did, however, talk about the number of reports involving fraud received by the police department that usually originate with email scams and phone calls that attempt to obtain access to residents’ financial accounts.

While the department continues to inform residents about the dangers of providing that information to unknown parties, “no trends are moving up other than financial crimes against vulnerable populations,” Duggan said.