Steve Velner Is Eden Prairie Officer of the Year

Eden Prairie Police Department’s Labor Management Team has named Officer Steve Velner as this year’s officer of the year, the city announced Tuesday.

The annual award recognizes an officer “who provides quality service to the community and goes beyond expectations,” according to the release.

Velner has been with Eden Prairie since 2002—working as a patrol officer, field training officer, investigator, crisis negotiator and domestic abuse response team (DART) member.

During his time as field training officer, he worked with 11 new officers.

“In his current roles as a DART member and Crisis Negotiator, Officer Velner has demonstrated patience, intelligence and superior decision-making skills while dealing with challenging situations,” the news release stated. “As a patrol officer, Officer Velner appropriately balances fairness and discretion when dealing with non-compliance, routinely exercises excellent judgment and motivates those around him to a high level of professionalism.”

His co-workers praise him for being “approachable, trustworthy and honest,” according to the city.

Velner will receive his award Wednesday at the department’s annual meeting and awards ceremony.