Mendota Heights Police: Transparency Has Challenges, But Worth It

The Mendota Height Police Department wants citizens to know that it's working to to be transparent and open its lines of communication to residents, even if that leads to a "negative perception" of them. In a note posted on Facebook Monday morning, Mendota Heights Police Department detailed its philosophy that "knowledge is power":

As we work to be more transparent and increase communication with the community, it may have the effect of people thinking there is more crime in Mendota Heights than in previous years. While the challenges that we face are always changing and evolving, our communities are as safe as they ever were.

We know that increasing communication and being honest about incidents/problems could lead to a negative perception of the Police Department. We have confidence that this will be short lived and that the people of Mendota Heights, Mendota, and Lilydale are wise enough to know that knowledge is power.
Thank you for allowing us to be your police department.

Several residents responded to the post, commenting that they appreciate the transparency and are happy with police officials being more forthcoming.

Image via Google Streetview