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The IGH PD is an engaged and progressive law enforcement agency serving all who live, work in and visit our safe, vibrant and growing community. We have an authorized strength of 40 sworn officers (2018) and six non-sworn full-time staff members, who manage the department’s records and administrative support functions.
As a group, members of the department are highly educated professionals who receive regular advanced training focused on skill enhancement and professional development.
Our department is committed to the use of evidence-based best practices in the provision of police services. With the support of city leadership, the department employs a wide range of cutting-edge technologies to improve service delivery, enhance operational efficiency, and aid in the measurement of outcomes. While the department uses a wide array of modern investigative and crime detection practices, our predominant goal is the prevention of crime. As a department, we are wholly invested in maintaining the safety, uniqueness, and livability of Inver Grove Heights.
Meet our staff
Chief & Command Staff | |
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Chief Melissa ChiodoPolice ChiefEmailChief Melissa Chiodo was hired to lead IGH PD in 2019 after 23 years of experience in law enforcement with the City of Minneapolis. Before beginning her career as a patrol officer, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from St. Catherine University in St. Paul. She went on to serve as a sergeant in investigations and patrol, lieutenant in investigations and patrol, and commander in special crimes and internal affairs. Chief Chiodo earned a master’s degree in criminal justice and police leadership from Concordia University in St. Paul, and she was a logistics coordinator for the City of Minneapolis during the 35W bridge collapse and the Republican National Convention. She was also the logistics Chief for Super Bowl LII and the Incident Commander for the 2019 Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium. Chief Chiodo led the COVID-19 emergency response in IGH and co-led the response to the 2020 civil unrest in Dakota County. She is a guest speaker at events and trainings throughout the region and was featured in the PBS documentary Women in Blue in 2021. Having grown up in International Falls in far northern Minnesota, she was drawn to a leadership position in a small city. Chief Chiodo’s priorities for IGH PD include fair and impartial policing, training in de-escalation, outreach with youth and under-served communities and building safer neighborhoods through community policing initiatives. | |
Josh OtisAdministrative CommanderEmailCommander Otis oversees the daily operations of the administrative and support services division. The administrative and support services division consists of four civilian staff. Under his command and control, Commander Otis is responsible for the department’s day-to-day administrative duties, as well as the operations of support services, including the collection, management, recording, reporting, release, and storage of department records. This is all accomplished by following the Minnesota historical commission rules, State of Minnesota reporting requirements, court orders, subpoenas, public disclosure requests, and other federal and state reporting requirements. His command responsibilities also include oversight of the department’s internal affairs, data practices, grant management, policy and procedure review, fitness and wellness program, department technology and communications, and alarm program. Commander Otis began his career with IGH PD in 2001. He rose through the ranks serving in a wide variety of assignments. He has served in command-level positions since 2012. | |
Dennis HauglandCommander, Patrol DivisionEmailCommander Haugland oversees the daily operations of the patrol division. The patrol division consists of six patrol sergeants and twenty-four patrol officers. Under his command and control, Commander Haugland is responsible for the department’s patrol operations, which consists of providing police services to the community 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. These services include in-progress crimes, medical responses, crisis calls involving psychological/emotional issues, traffic enforcement, motor vehicle crashes, disputes, and general crime reports. His command responsibilities also include oversight of the department's body-worn cameras, mobile video recorders, event coordination, community policing and crime prevention program, police reserve and police explorer programs, and SWAT. Commander Haugland began his career with IGH PD in 2005. He rose through the ranks serving in a wide variety of assignments. He has served in a command-level position since 2018. | |
John DanielsInvestigations Lieutenant | |
Adam WiederhoeftPatrol Lieutenant |
Department Policy Manual
This page is the official site for the police department policy manual.
Emergency Management
Prepare for Pandemic & Other Possible Emergencies
As a local government providing essential services, including police and fire emergency response, the city plays a primary role in any emergency - a pandemic, natural disaster, local incident or homeland security threat. The blueprint Inver Grove Heights uses to respond to all types of emergencies is the city's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is intended to assist key city officials and emergency organizations to carry out their responsibilities for the protection of life and property under a wide range of emergency conditions. The EOP has been adopted by the City Council and is required by law to be updated every 2 years.
Police personnel have worked with state and county groups to integrate Inver Grove Heights' plan with other levels of government so all agencies can prepare and respond better in case of an emergency. The city is also developing plans for how it would continue essential services in the event of a pandemic or any other incident.
Emergency plans provide a template for integrating and coordinating resources during and after an emergency. The process of updating an emergency plan leaves government better able to respond in an emergency because it requires that officials identify vulnerabilities, inventory resources, outline responsibilities and coordinate communication.
Local government will be on the front line in any emergency as it provides police and fire emergency response, water and sewer service, and high priority public information. That is why Inver Grove Heights keeps its plan current and trains regularly.
If you have questions or would like more information about the Emergency Operations plan please contact the Inver Grove Heights Police Department at 651-450-2525.
Make Your Own Plan
Just as government is preparing, it's important that families also develop preparedness plans. You should know both the magnitude of what can happen during a pandemic outbreak and what actions you can take to help lessen the impact of an influenza pandemic on you and your family. This checklist will help you gather the information and resources you may need in case of a flu pandemic.
Plan for Pandemic
- Store a two-week supply of water and food. During a pandemic, if you can't get to a store, or if stores are out of supplies, it will be important for you to have extra supplies on hand. This can be useful in other types of emergencies such as power outages and disasters.
- Periodically check your regular prescription drugs to ensure a continuous supply
- Have non-prescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medications, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.
- Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would like to be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home
- Volunteer with local groups to prepare and assist with emergency response
Limit the Spread of Germs & Infection
- Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues, and be sure to model that behavior
- Teach your children to stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick
- Stay home from work and school if sick
Outdoor Warning Sirens
Outdoor warning siren policy for Inver Grove Heights
The current activation policy, which is followed countywide, is to sound the sirens when the National Weather Service issues;
- A Tornado Warning
- A Severe Thunderstorm Warning when winds exceed 70 miles per hour
The sirens can also be activated for;
- Other emergencies such as a hazardous chemical spill which requires residents to take protective actions.
Testing of Sirens
In accordance with state-wide policy, outdoor sirens are tested at 1:00 p.m., on the first Wednesday of each month.
During the testing, each siren is monitored by Inver Grove Heights Police Officers for volume and rotation. If there is an issue discovered, it is addressed and fix.
The 8 warning sirens covering Inver Grove Heights are activated through the Dakota 911.
Siren Duration
Warning sirens do not sound for the duration of the threat; sirens will sound for 3 minutes. Sirens can be reactivated if a new threat enters the area following the initial warning. The outdoor warning sirens are never used to announce an "all clear." This announcement is made only over TV or radio.
Being Alert
The outdoor warning sirens are designed to warn people outdoors to seek shelter and gather additional information through TV or radio for emergency information.
When the sirens are sounding for severe weather or other emergencies, the radio or TV announcements will provide the community with information regarding the type of storm or other emergency and what appropriate safety actions to take.
The city encourages all residents to use NOAA weather radios for receiving warnings in their homes. Weather radios with Specific Alert Message Encoding (SAME) can be programmed to only activate for warnings in Dakota County. The Dakota County SAME code is 027037. Weather radios are the best warning method for storms occurring late at night when most people are in their homes sleeping. NOAA weather radios can be purchased at most electronic stores. For additional information on weather, radios go to www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/
For more information on severe weather alerts, you can go to the Department of Public Safety website
Other Notification Options
Local public safety has other tools that they use to alert the public. This includes the Emergency Alert Program used by the Dakota Communications Center. This mass phone notification system allows the public to register their cell phones to receive non-weather-related alerts on their phones when issued by local public safety officials. Sign up for the Emergency Alert Program.
IGH PD is committed to the protection of the constitutional rights for all individuals and maintaining public order with an emphasis on respect, dignity and integrity. We want our residents and visitors to have a feeling of safety at all times. To accomplish this, we can be proactive in dealing with problems such as traffic complaints, thefts, burglaries, juvenile crime, drug problems, arson, and code enforcement issues. An important tool of community-oriented policing and public safety services is to deal with the cause of crime and problems rather than the crime or problem itself. Another important detail is that we are dedicated to providing prompt and courteous service to our entire community, while creating an atmosphere of safe and secure neighborhoods.
Find out more about our work in the community by reading our Annual Reports: