At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Police Chief Jamie Baker provided an overview of public safety trends so far in 2025, highlighting crime statistics, traffic enforcement, and nuisance violations.
Baker reported that the department has already handled more than 6,100 calls for service through August 6, with total calls projected to exceed 10,000 by year’s end. “As you can [see] they have gone down in the last three years,” she said of reported assaults, adding that burglary and property thefts have followed a similar downward trend.
Traffic enforcement, however, has been on the rise. Officers have issued 1,089 citations this year through August 6, a 66 percent increase from the same time in 2024. Twenty-five DWI arrests have been recorded so far, which Baker emphasized were “not related to the businesses or restaurants” downtown.
Community Service Officers (CSOs), who cannot stop moving vehicles, have nonetheless taken on a growing role. Since June, they have written 22 citations and 55 ordinance violations, assisting with issues ranging from parking enforcement to tall grass and fence complaints.
On nuisance violations, Baker explained that loud mufflers and exhibition driving now require a mandatory court appearance. Most of these cases are still pending. E-bikes remain another area of focus, with a new city ordinance requiring helmets for juveniles. Officers have been contacting parents directly and coordinating with schools to increase education. Baker said the city is also working with regional partners and even participating in a national study. “Like I said, it’s not just a local issue, [it] is a nationwide issue,” she told the council.
Baker closed her report with an update on Loki, the department’s recently retired K9, who has continued working in search-and-rescue with his new handler. Loki recently helped locate a missing person in Wabasha County, a reminder, Baker said, of the wide-reaching impact of Wayzata’s public safety efforts.
