Strong, persistent rotation in the cloud base.

Whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base -- tornadoes sometimes have no funnel!

Hail or heavy rain followed by either dead calm or a fast, intense wind shift. Many tornadoes are wrapped in heavy precipitation and can't be seen.

Day or night - Loud, continuous roar or rumble, which doesn't fade in a few seconds like thunder.

Night - Small, bright, blue-green to white flashes at ground level near a thunderstorm (as opposed to silvery lightning up in the clouds). These mean power lines are being snapped by very strong wind, maybe a tornado.

Night - Persistent lowering from the cloud base, illuminated or silhouetted by lightning -- especially if it is on the ground or there is a blue-green-white power flash underneath.

• Who is sending the alert
• What is happening
• Who is affected
• What action to take

Rochester Alert is a free emergency notification system.  Local police, fire, and emergency management will alert you in time of emergency or disaster.

You may wish to alter or have a back-up plan for any outdoor activities or travel.  When a severe thunderstorm, tornado or flash flood watch is in effect, it means you should look for signs of dangerous weather and maintain access to the latest information.  Sometimes a severe thunderstorm, tornado or flash flood can happen so quickly that warnings can't be issued in time. 

• Presidential Alerts - Issued during a national emergency
• AMBER Alerts - Issued for the abduction of a child in your area
• Imminent Threat Alerts - Issued for extreme weather or harmful events that threatening life or property in your area

In a house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. Know where very heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc.) and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor and crush you. Head protection, such as a helmet, can offer some protection also.

In a house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. A bath tub may offer a shell of partial protection. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail. A helmet can offer some protection against head injury.

Please email Michon Rogers, Executive Assistant, at mrogers@rochestermn.gov or call (507) 328-2700 to schedule a month!  

Mayor Norton makes every attempt to attend as many community events and activities as her schedule allows. Please send your event/activity information in any of the following ways: 

Email (preferred): Michon Rogers, Executive Assistant, at mrogers@rochestermn.gov
Telephone: (507) 328-2700
U.S. Mail: Mayor’s Office, City Hall, 201 4^th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904 

Please send invitations at least 30 days in advance (the sooner the better)! 

We look forward to hearing from you!

Please email the proclamation language to Michon Rogers, Executive Assistant, at mrogers@rochestermn.gov. Please allow a two week turnaround time.

Mayor Norton maintains an open-door policy and is available to meet with community members. However, her busy meeting schedule and attendance at community events doesn’t always accommodate walk-in visitors. To ensure time with the Mayor, please email Michon Rogers, Executive Assistant, at mrogers@rochestermn.gov or call (507) 328-2700 to schedule a meeting with the Mayor.

The Recreation Center is not a work-out gym, or a community center.  

We offer pre-paid passes that can be used in place of paying the $6 fee each time you participate in one of the scheduled events.   

Passes are a great way to save money if you plan to swim, skate or play pickleball multiple times per week.  Passes (sometimes called memberships) do not grant special access or differing hours from the schedule that is set for open skate, open hockey, open swim, lap swim, pickleball, or any other public event.

To view the pass options (click here)

Please select the following link for instructions relating to Recreation Center Accounts and Online Reservations.

(click here) Making Online Reservations

The Recreation Center has two pools!

 - 50 METER COMPETITION POOL

- SMALL WARM WATER POOL

The competition pool ("50 Meter Pool") is an Olympic-length swimming pool designed by Myrtha that meets all AAU and FINA standards with a pool size of 50 meters in length and eight or 16 swimming lanes.  Included in this area are two 1-meter and two 3-meter diving boards. The pool has two movable bulkheads that allow for numerous pool setups.  The pool area has seating for 1,294.  The temperature is kept between 81°F - 82°F.    The pool has a depth range of 3.5ft to 13.8ft.

The smaller pool ("warm water pool") is a 25 yard, four-lane leisure pool. This pool is used for recreational swimming, warm-up, and cool-down when racing dual-pool or long courses in the competition pool.  The temperature is kept at 88°F.  The pool has a depth range of 3.6ft to 4.6ft.  Additionally, the pool is equipped with an ADA Lift Chair, as well as a ramp for easy access to the water.

Please see Chapter 48 of the City Ordinances to determine what is considered acceptable or not.

We are committed to a community policing approach – establishing connections with members of the community in order to create, maintain and build trust and relationships. 

These are a few of the programs RPD leads or participates in: 

• Safe City Nights:  The Safe City Nights program was designed to provide opportunities for community members, in all wards of the City of Rochester, to become familiar with the RPD members who serve them over a meal rather than just during times of trouble or need. The initiative was launched in 2019 with the intention that positive relationships are built, nurtured, and strengthened between the community and RPD. In total, over 5,400 people attended the six gatherings.
  
  
• Lights on Program: In 2019, we partnered with a non–profit agency that provided the RPD with vouchers to give members of the community that we find with vehicle light issues.  Instead of a ticket, the community member in need received a voucher to get their lights repaired.
  
  
• New Americans Academy: In partnership with Rochester Fire Department, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, Olmsted County Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Victim’s Services, Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association, Hawthorne Education Center and others held a New Americans Academy.  This academy was made up of four workshops designed to give community members not born in the United States an opportunity to learn about local law enforcement and the criminal justice system. The intent of the program was to enhance communication, understanding and trust between law enforcement officers and Rochester’s immigrant community.
  
  
• Police Assisted Recovery Program (PAR): The Police-Assisted Recovery project seeks to find new pathways to help people stay out of jail and access drug treatment services. Collaborating on this project are the Rochester Police Department, Zumbro Valley Health Center, Doc's Recovery House, Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, EmPower CTC, and Olmsted County Adult Behavioral Health. In 2019, PAR was the recipient of Mayo Clinic’s Shared Value Award. 
  
  
• Police Activities League program (PAL):  PAL is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to reducing juvenile crime and violence by giving kids a safe place to play, positive role models, and creative activities to engage in—all with no charge.  We currently sponsor a football and baseball team. Our goal is to develop and nurture strong communities and relationships between police officers, children, and families.
  
  
• Shop with a Cop:  Shop with a Cop provides a fun filled day for a number of children in need throughout Rochester, while creating positive relationships with law enforcement.  The children chosen to participate in the program are identified by schools, youth organizations, and social services agencies. On the day of the event, uniformed officers from various local and state offices volunteer their time to be with the children shopping.  Each child will shop for their family as well as a child from the community where the police officer serves.
  
  
• Bike and Kids Bike Program:  This is a newer program within the past three years.  We go into communities where resources may be limited and interact with people, encouraging kids to bring their bikes to officers who can do repairs on those bikes.  In addition, we give bikes and helmets to those who may not have one.
  
  
• National Night Out (NNO):  NNO is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.
  
  
• Public speaking: RPD speaks to clubs, organizations and at public gatherings when asked.  Examples include-Barber Shop Talk, Human Rights Commission, RNeighbors, Meadow Park Neighborhood, Somali Elders, Rotary Club etc.

Lastly, free grocery delivery during the COVID pandemic was provided by the RPD Community Service Officers and Cub Foods, as a partnership offered to help keep at-risk, home-bound, and elderly citizens safe during the Governor Walz’s Stay at Home Order.

In the City of Rochester, in addition to the City Council and Mayor, we use two community led committees to help provide input for the law enforcement system.  We have a 3-member Police Civil Service Commission that reviews and recommends new hires and promotions.  We also have a 7-member Police Policy Oversight Committee that reviews and recommends policy and may review citizen complaints.

The Rochester Police Department’s hiring criteria is established and managed by the Police Civil Service Commission.  The process included numerous steps, each of which evaluates a candidate’s character, understanding of 21^st Century Policing concepts, as well as work and personal history.  For the last two years we have focused much less on previous police experience and much more on the character of the candidate.  This character based process includes:

• Initial resume and screening to identify any background issues in either the work or personal life.
• A testing assessment to evaluate a candidate’s attitudes, values and background.
• A second interview to explore deeper the candidates values and understanding of our values, as well as, seek clarity on any issues identified in the testing assessment.
• A thorough background investigation that includes review of all personnel records and personal interviews with all past employers.  (These backgrounds are forwarded to the Civil Service Commission for a determination on a pass or fail basis)
• A complete psychological examination to determine a candidate’s fitness to perform the duties of Police Officer in the City of Rochester.
• An interview with the Chief to provide an additional review of the candidate.
  
  
  
  

We have not yet signed on to #8cantwait– but when the new policies (currently under revision and awaiting final review) are adopted, I am confident we will meet all 8 requirements. Currently we have a solid six of the eight in place and one of them, chokeholds, has not be used in practice for many years.  A change was made on June 9, 2020 to prohibit the use of neck restraints/carotid control unless deadly force is authorized.  This is currently under further review by the Police Policy Oversight Committee.

Here is the RPD’s current response to the #8cantwait: 

Bans Chokeholds and Strangleholds:

RPD policy allows for a carotid control hold/vascular neck restraint for restraining a violent or combative individual subject only in cases where deadly force would be authorized.  RPD officers are trained to use this technique only when deadly force is authorized.

Require de-escalation:

RPD Policy - Crisis Intervention Incidents: Officers are required to use conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques to stabilize an incident as appropriate. When determining the necessity of a use of force, an officer’s attempt to de-escalate the incident is expected and will be evaluated. In addition, de-escalation techniques are a required part of training in RPD policy. RPD has adopted the ICAT training model for de-escalation and has been practicing and training the concept for 3 years.

Require Warning Before Shooting:

RPD Policy - Deadly Force: requires a verbal warning before using deadly force when feasible.

Exhaust All Other Means Before Shooting:

RPD Policy - Deadly Force: states an officer may use deadly force:

• To protect him/herself or another from what he/she reasonably believes would be an imminent threat of death or serious great bodily harm
• To stop a fleeing subject when the officer has probable cause to believe that the person has committed, or intends to commit, a felony involving the infliction or attempted infliction of great serious bodily injury or death, and the officer reasonably believes there is an imminent risk of great serious bodily injury or death to any other person if the subject is not immediately apprehended.

These are the only circumstances where an officer is justified to shoot. The ICAT model trains officers to exhaust all means before using deadly force, including tactical repositioning, considering distance and cover to allow more time for a peaceful resolution. 

Duty to Intervene

RPD Policy - Duty to Intercede: This policy as well as the MN Police Code of Conduct (Principle Two, section 2, F) require officers to intervene and take appropriate action. Officers are also required to report such conduct to a supervisor.

Ban Shooting at Moving Vehicles

RPD Policy - Shooting at/or From Moving Vehicles: This policy requires officers to “move out of the path” of an approaching vehicle and only allows for shooting at a moving vehicle in order to prevent death or great bodily harm consistent with when deadly force would be authorized.

Require Use of Force Continuum

RPD has adopted a more robust critical decision-making model applied to use of force.  Our model and training is based on force options weighing the State Statute standard of “objectively reasonable standard”, “totality of circumstances”, and “necessity” at the time force is implemented.  Incorporating necessity into use of force is a higher standard than the traditional use of force continuum. 

Requires Comprehensive Reporting

Comprehensive reporting is required throughout the policy manual, from crime incidents to vehicle accidents.  The reporting of use of force incidents, (Reporting The Use of Force) requires that any use of force by a member of this department shall be documented promptly, completely and accurately in an appropriate report.  All use of force reports are individually reviewed by supervisors.

I have called the Police Policy Oversight Committee together on June 9, 2020 to fulfill my commitment to President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Pledge for Mayors to review their policies and seeking review and recommends in the next 90 days.  The state laws limit citizen boards from investigation, funding of fact and discipline.  They can however make recommendations regarding the merit of a complaint as an advisory to the Police Chief and Mayor.

The Police Civil Service is made up of three members: one black male, one white female, and one white male. 

The Police Policy Oversight Commission is seven members:  One NAACP appointee, one Human Rights Commission appointee (both people of color), and five Mayoral appointees of which there were two persons of color (one male and one female), two white people (one male & one female) and a judge (white male.)

Hiring for Diversity

Hiring for diversity has been a goal for both the Chief and I during the last year. Our focus has paid off with excellent hires, despite a shrinking applicant pool across the state and nation in the law enforcement profession.   Additionally, there are excellent officers throughout the department that have provided leadership and mentoring for the new hires.

Within the past two years, RPD has had two recruit hiring classes consisting of 7 officers and 10 officers, each comprised of 40% women and people of color.  

Much like a driver’s license, a Minnesota Peace Officer License contains a unique number, which follows an officer regardless of where they work.  This would include a record of where they have worked and if their license has ever been suspended or revoked. .  A Peace Officer from another state cannot be hired in Minnesota, without first obtaining a Peace Officer License, which provides an initial level of screening prior to the issuance of the license.  The Minnesota POST Board also maintains a record of all background investigations done on licensees in Minnesota.

• Projects
  • Interactive map showing the major construction impacts to roads, pedestrian facilities and parking
  • Current & Future City Projects 
• Specs & Standards

These are examples of issues with construction sediment control.

These are examples of damaged and obstructed signs.  If the sign is a stop sign then it is considered an emergency.  Please call the emergency contact numbers provided on the main service request page.

These are examples of illegal dumping in waterways.
   

These are examples of storm water pond concerns.

These are examples of streambank erosion.
 

• Sanitary Sewer & Storm Sewer Backups
  • Call 507-328-2640 24/7 to report a sewer emergency.

• Traffic Concerns
  • Call 911 for emergencies.
  • Call the police non-emergency line at 507-328-6800 for non-emergency crashes, knock-downs, or other situations that require traffic control. Note: Signals flashing red are not emergencies

• Rochester Public Utilities (RPU)
  • Power outage: 507-280-9191
  • Watermain breaks, street light maintenance, and electrical lines: 507-280-1500 or 800-778-3421

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  • Public Works Infrastructure Maintenance: 507-328-2450
  • Click here for Public Works contacts

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Apparently, whenever it is painted on the street!

A number of years back, the City of San Diego published some startling results of a very extensive study of the relative safety of  marked and unmarked crosswalks.  San Diego looked at 400 intersections for five years (without signals or four-way stops) that had a marked crosswalk on one side and an unmarked crosswalk on the other. About two and one half times as many pedestrians used the marked crosswalk, but about six times as many accidents were reported in the marked crosswalks!  Long Beach studied pedestrian safety for three years (1972 through 1974) and found eight times as many reported pedestrian accidents at intersections with marked crosswalks than at those without.  One explanation of this apparent contradiction of common sense is the false security pedestrians feel at the marked crosswalk.  Two painted lines do not provide protection against an oncoming vehicle and the real burden of safety has to be on the pedestrian to be alert and cautious while crossing any street.  A pedestrian can  stop in less than three feet, while a vehicle traveling at 25 MPH will require 60 feet and at 35 MPH approximately 100 feet.

Pedestrian crosswalk marking is a method of encouraging pedestrians to use a particular crossing.  Such marked crossings may not be as safe as an unmarked crossing at the same location.  Therefore,  crosswalks should be marked only where necessary  for the guidance  and control of pedestrians,  to direct them to the safest potential routes.

A common belief is that posting a speed limit will influence drivers to drive at; that speed.  The facts indicate otherwise.

Research conducted in many parts of this country over a span of several decades has shown that drivers are influenced more by the appearance of the highway itself and the prevailing traffic conditions than by the posted speed limit.

Minnesota's Basic Speed Law requires that:

"No person shall drive a vehicle on a ·highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing.  In every event speed shall be so restricted as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person,  vehicle or other conveyance on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to use due care."

In Minnesota, the maximum speed limit in an urban district is 30 miles per hour unless otherwise posted.  An urban district is defined as  the territory contiguous to and including any street which is built up with structures devoted to business, industry, or dwelling houses situated at intervals of less than 100 feet for a distance of a quarter of a mile or more.  Outside urban districts, the maximum speed limit for any passenger vehicle is currently 55 miles per hour.  These speeds are not always posted but all Minnesota motorists are required to know these basic 30 and 55 mile per hour speed laws.

Under Minnesota law, intermediate speed limits (except school speed limits) between 30 and 55 miles per hour may be established on any road, including county highways and city streets, only by the State Commissioner of Transportation.  The commissioner must establish the speed limit upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation. This investigation includes an analysis of roadway conditions,  accident records,  and the prevailing speed of prudent drivers.  If speed limit signs are posted for a lower limit than is needed to safely meet these conditions, many drivers will simply ignore the signs.  At the same time, other drivers will stay within the posted limits.  This generally increases the conflicts between faster and slower drivers, reduces the gaps in traffic through which crossings could be made safely and increases the difficulty for pedestrians to judge the speed of approaching vehicles.  Studies have shown that where uniformity of speed is not maintained,  accidents generally increase.

A stop sign is one of our most valuable and effective control  devices when used at the right place and under the right conditions.  It is intended to help drivers and pedestrians at an intersection decide who has the right-of-way.

One common misuse of stop signs is to arbitrarily interrupt through traffic, either by causing it to stop, or by causing such an inconvenience as to force the traffic to use other routes.  Where stop signs are installed as "nuisances" or "speed breakers," there is a high incidence of intentional violation.  In those locations where vehicles do stop, the speed reduction is effective only in the immediate vicinity of the stop sign, and frequently speeds are actually higher between intersections.  For these reasons, it should not be used as a speed control device.

A school crossing may look dangerous for children to use, causing parents to demand a stop sign to halt traffic.  Now a vehicle which had been a problem for 3 seconds while approaching and passing the intersection becomes a problem for a much longer period.  A situation of indecision is created as to when to cross as a pedestrian or when to start as a motorist.  Normal gaps in traffic through which crossings could be made safely no longer exist.  An intersection which previously was not busy now looks like a major intersection.  lt really isn't - it just looks like it.  It doesn't  even look safer and it usually isn't.

Most drivers are reasonable and prudent with no intention of maliciously violating traffic regulations; however, when an unreasonable restriction is imposed, it may result in flagrant violations.  In such cases, the stop sign can create a false sense of security in a pedestrian and an attitude of contempt in a motorist.  These two attitudes can and often do conflict with tragic results.

Well-developed, nationally recognized guidelines help to indicate when such controls become necessary.  These guidelines take into consideration, among other things, the probability of vehicles arriving at an intersection at the same time, the length of time traffic must wait to enter, and the availability of safe crossing opportunities.

An often heard neighborhood request concerns the posting of generalized warning signs with "SLOW-CHILDREN AT PLAY" or other similar messages.  Parental concerns for the safety of children in the street near home, and a misplaced, but wide-spread public faith in traffic signs to provide protection often prompt these requests.

Although some other states have posted such signs widely in residential areas, no factual evidence has been presented to document their success in reducing pedestrian accidents, operating speeds or legal liability.  Studies have shown that many types of signs attempting to warn of normal conditions in residential areas have failed to achieve the desired safety benefits.  If signs encourage parents and children to believe they have an added degree of protection, which the signs do not and cannot provide, a great disservice results.

Because of these serious considerations, Minnesota law does not recognize, and Federal Standards discourage, use of "Children at Play" signs.  Specific warnings for schools, playgrounds, parks and other recreational facilities are available for use where clearly justified.

Children should not be encouraged to play within the street travel ways.  The sign has long been rejected since it is a direct and open suggestion that this behavior is acceptable.

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