BURNSVILLE
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Police department sees updates
The Burnsville Police Department was founded in 1964 with a staff of one police chief, one lieutenant, one sergeant, seven officers and a department secretary.
The Burnsville Police Department roster is comprised of 87 sworn officers, which includes sergeants, investigators and school and community resource officers all led by Police Chief Matt Smith and the department’ s captains. The department includes 21 civilian staff members. The Patrol Unit protects Burnsville’ s 27-square-miles and 225 miles of streets 24 hours a day. Each year, officers respond to nearly 50,000 calls for service, ranging from suspicious noises to death investigations.
In addition to the patrol unit, the department has the following units: Investigation, Emergency Action Group, K-9, Domestic Abuse Response, Crisis Negotiation, and Traffic Enforcement.
Additional officer specialties include assignments in Crime and Crime Scene Investigations, Drug Task Force, School Resource Officers, Community Engagement, Mental Health Unit, Crisis Management, Professional Standards and Records Divisions, Peer Support Team,“ BLUE in the School” Officers, Mobile Field Force, Drone Team and a number of other highly trained officers and teams.
Burnsville’ s Community Engagement and Mental Health Unit launched in 2021 to enhance support to those suffering from mental illness, chemical dependency and homelessness by working with those in crisis, their families, group homes, the county and mental health professionals.
To give community members an inside look into the Burnsville Police Department’ s operations, a Citizens Academy, Teen Academy, and the 62-PLUS programs are offered consisting of various hands-on classes. Citizens Academy courses are taught over 10-week period and 62-PLUS for senior adults lasts 4 weeks to educate participants on police work and crime prevention. More information is at burnsvillemn. gov / 2014 / Programs-Events.
The department also collaborates with neighborhoods for Neighborhood Watch and the annual Night to Unite in August. Citizens can also track police activity in the city at burnsvillemn. gov / 437 / Crime-Statistics-Mapping.
The Burnsville Police Department’ s headquarters is located adjacent to Burnsville City Hall and is under renovations in 2026. Check the city’ s website for updated access to programs and services. Burnsville Police Department 100 Civic Center Pkwy. Lobby is staffed Monday to Friday 8 a. m. to 4:30 p. m. 952-895-4600 • www. burnsvillemn. gov / police Dial 9-1-1 for police, fire or medical response
Community Guide 2026 | BURNSVILLE | 7