Police Department
The Lester Prairie Police Department can be reached at 320-395-2100 . Emergency calls should be directed to 9-1-1 .
Police Chief Bob Carlson can also be reached at : chief @ lesterprairiemn . us . He generally has office hours from 9 a . m . to noon . The police department is located at 36 Juniper St . N .
The police department ’ s page on the city ’ s website , www . lesterprairiemn . us , includes a House Watch Form , to be submitted by residents who are going on vacation so we can give your home special attention when you are on vacation .
It also includes a “ Most Wanted ” feature . Anyone who would like to remain anonymous when reporting a crime may do so by clicking on the Crime Stoppers of Minnesota link . We prefer to receive our complaints and concerns by phone , however , email is available when you feel it is necessary at chief @ lesterprairiemn . us .
We have also used Facebook to inform the public of safety issues and concerns .
The permit to purchase a handgun application form can also be located on the city ’ s website .
Letter from Chief of Police Robert N . Carlson regarding 2024 Police Department structure :
The Lester Prairie Police Department is a proactive police department involved in Community Oriented Policing Services . The department has three full-time police officers and three active part-time police officers . The police department is responsible to the citizens of Lester Prairie 365 days a year , 24 hours a day and seven days a week . Part-time officers worked an average of seven shifts a month . Part-time officers are needed to fill in for vacation , training , special summer shifts and sick time . The part-time officers have also been used for special activities ( i . e ., Prairie Days and Festivals ) and emergencies ( i . e ., missing persons and suicides ). We have also worked with the City of Winsted on better coverage for holidays and weekend day shifts . We will now have an officer on duty covering both communities Saturdays and Sundays during the day .
12 Official guide to Lester Prairie 2024
As the Chief of Police , I am responsible for the administration of the department . I work a regular patrol shift during the day , have taught Drug Abuse Resistance Education ( fifth and eighth grade ) for 20 years and am now handing those duties over to Officer Vaske ,
I also serve as the school liaison officer , and work with the city council and city department heads to make the city work efficiently and effectively . I represent the City of Lester Prairie in the following organizations and associations : President of the McLeod County Chiefs of Police Association , Lester Prairie Community Youth Task Force and the Crisis , Health and Safety and Student Assessment Teams ( Lester Prairie Public School ). I am also helping the City Council prepare for my upcoming retirement and the process of a transition to new leadership within the Police Department .
If I am not out on patrol , I attempt to have office hours from 9 a . m . to 12 p . m . and it continues to provide more visibility and availability to the public to meet with us face to face . The City of Lester Prairie has a city website available for your viewing at www . lesterprairiemn . us . You are now able to see , review and fill out information from the convenience of your home . We have our House Watch Forms on the website and we will give your home special attention when you are on vacation if we are notified . We have also put our “ Most Wanted ” on the website and hope it can be a useful tool for you to help us apprehend those with warrants for their arrest . The permit to purchase a handgun application form can also be located on the website . We prefer to receive our complaints and concerns by phone however email is available when you feel it is necessary at chief @ lesterprairiemn . us . We have also used Facebook to inform the public of safety issues and concerns .
Officer Travis Wakefield is the senior police officer and was hired in January 2021 . He comes to us from the McLeod County Sheriff ’ s Office where he served as a Communications Officer for seven years . He oversees the Crime Prevention Detail , Field Training , Fire Department Liaison and National Night Out . We look forward to the exciting plans he has in store for National Night