Scott began his career as a part-time licensed police officer for the city of Rochester, MN in 1990.  While working for RPD, he attended Rochester Community College where he obtained an A.S. degree in Law Enforcement.  Scott was hired by the city of Zumbrota as a police officer in 1992.

In December of 1994, Scott accepted a position as a police officer for the city of Minnetonka, where he is still currently employed.   In his 30 years with Minnetonka, Scott has taken on many supporting roles within the department including; Crisis/Hostage Negotiator,  Mental Health Unit,  Peer Support Team,  EMT,   FTO,  Counteract (DARE) Officer and a Bike Patrol Officer.  He has attended numerous Crisis Negotiator classes and seminars throughout the country.   Scott currently serves as a Patrol Officer, working a night-shift schedule by choice.  His calling has always centered around working the street and out on the front lines.

Scott’s motto; always strive to have an attitude of gratitude.  To be thankful even when there seems nothing to be thankful for.  As we begin each day, we can tell ourselves, “This is what I HAVE to do today” -or- “This is what I GET to do today”   Understanding the difference fosters gratitude.  Scott’s genuine empathy and compassion for those whom he serves has paid out many dividends throughout his career.

In recent years, Scott has been primary on multiple high stakes negotiations with barricaded suicidal subjects threatening ‘suicide by cop’.  In one event, a male was holding his 10-year-old son at bay while barricaded in a bedroom of an apartment.  The subject was holding two large steak knives and communicated the desire for police to shoot him.  After a 45-minute negotiation with the subject, he released his son to police and was taken into custody without any lethal force.  Another event involved a retired police officer suffering from severe depression.  The subject was armed with a loaded handgun, barricaded in his bedroom with his wife.  During the negotiation, the subject expressed the desire to exit his home with the gun so police would shoot him.  Scott was able to deliver empathy, through active listening, and build the rapport necessary for the subject to realize there was hope and help for him.  After about an hour, the subject disassembled his handgun and exited his home.  In both these cases, Scott followed up with the persons involved to ensure they were receiving proper aftercare.

Scott also serves as a Law Enforcement Presenter and Coach for MNCIT (Minnesota Crisis Intervention Team).  He came on board in 2017, after attending their 40-hour mental health class.  MNCIT offers first responders training in mental health, de-escalation, implicit bias and autism.  The training consists of a mental health presenter, a law enforcement presenter, several speaker panels and practical roll-play experience with professional actors.  Scott purposefully and thoughtfully infuses humor into his presentations as neuroscience teaches us humor can be an essential part of learning.

Scott is also employed by Hennepin Healthcare (HCMC) as an EMS Education Instructor for the TEMPO (Tactical Emergency Medical Police Officer) program.  TEMPO consists of scenario-based training for our EMR and EMT first responders.  Scott has maintained his N-EMT license since 1994.

In the beginning of 2025, Scott accepted an offer with LETAC (Law Enforcement Training Academy & Consulting / Eckberg Lammers) to present their “Crisis Intervention Mental Illness Crisis” class to police officers throughout the state of MN.

In addition, Scott accepted an offer with Hennepin Technical College as an adjunct professor in their Criminal Justice / Police Science program.  Scott will be teaching mental health and de-escalation.

All the above is thoughtfully managed so Scott can enjoy life outside of work too!  He enjoys spending time with family and adores his two amazing daughters who are now 18 and 21. Scott has an appreciation for music concerts, travelling and exploring new places.