Last Saturday the Eden Prairie Reserve Unit helped conduct a traffic safety school in conjunction with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office for 33 volunteers from 12 metro agencies on how to safely direct traffic.

Our Reserve Unit has provided nearly all of the trainers for this event for many years.

During the training, students move through different traffic scenarios where they direct traffic under the guidance of instructors. Half of the students acted as drivers, while the other half directed the traffic; then they switched. There were also police squad cars from various agencies that functioned as emergency vehicles during the scenarios. 

The EPPD is fortunate to work with this group of committed volunteers who assist our sworn officers by performing community service tasks and non-criminal police functions. Reserve officers also assist in natural disasters and other emergencies that require additional personnel.

In 2023, the Reserve Unit put in 2,950 volunteer hours, which is the equivalent of more than 1.5 full-time employees. We are grateful to the Reserves for all of the work they do to keep our community safe.

The Reserve Unit is currently recruiting new members. If you are interested in joining this dedicated group of volunteers, please fill out the application on the Reserve Unit web page.