Police Chief Bridal Paulson told the Lakeville City Council on Nov. 3 that the Lakeville Police Department is seeing both personnel turnover and changes in call patterns in the third quarter (July–September).

"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 opened the quarterly presentation. He outlined recent retirements — records technician Jenny Davis after 25 years, Officer Chad Loeffler after more than two decades including work with the canine unit, and community service officer Randy Smith — and listed several new hires now completing field training.

The report noted the department’s calls for service totaled about 12,400 in Q3, down from roughly 14,200 in the same quarter last year. Paulson credited some of the decline to the fire department’s move to full‑time medical response, which has reduced the number of medical calls routed to police. He also reported 25 transfers to the crisis response unit (CRU) in Q3; the CRU handles many calls that do not require police intervention.

Paulson described traffic‑safety trends and enforcement capacity: traffic stops were down amid a smaller patrol roster during personnel changes, while crash counts were relatively consistent year over year. He said the department has three trained drug recognition experts (DREs) and is seeing a rise in suspected impairment from substances other than alcohol. "It is still largely alcohol," he said, "but we are seeing the trend rise with other drug impairment for sure." Paulson noted the lack of a roadside device comparable to an alcohol breath test for drugs complicates detection.

The chief also highlighted community outreach and partnerships. He reported progress on the First Center construction (exterior walls up; first asphalt layer laid) and near‑final capital agreements with four area law‑enforcement agencies. He thanked the Lakeville Public Safety Foundation for a grant funding a UTV and noted regular events such as National Night Out, Safety Camp and other public demonstrations.

Council members asked for follow‑up data. Councilman John Vermel asked whether the department had seen a proportionate shift from alcohol to other drugs; Paulson said alcohol remains the predominant factor but that training and detection of non‑alcohol impairment are increasing. Councilman Joshua Lee asked for a future report on whether new striping at a roundabout has reduced fender benders; Paulson said staff are tracking those incidents and will include numbers in the next quarterly report.

The presentation closed with a reminder of ongoing training programs, from technical skills to leadership courses, and several social‑media outreach examples the department uses to publicize work and engage residents.