Officer Zabinski recognized with his second Police Officer of the Year award in three years
Posted on 2 January, 2025
Karl Zabinski was named Minneapolis Park Police Officer of the Year in 2022 and 2024
Karl Zabinski is the 2024 Minneapolis Park Police Department Officer of the Year. Officer Zabinski is a five-year veteran of the Park Police Department and an Isanti County native.
Officer Zabinski was assigned to nightshift patrol duties for parks located across Minneapolis in 2024. In this capacity, Officer Zabinski has worked tirelessly to ensure the Park Police values of Service, Community, Support, and Dedication.
Awards
During the year, Officer Zabinski was recognized with three formal awards:
Medal of Valor
On Feb. 29, 2024, Officer Zabinski (along with a fellow Park officer and MPD officers) risked his life by crawling onto thin ice at Lake of the Isles to help pull a man to safety. The man had fallen through the ice into freezing water and could not escape on his own.
Lifesaving Award
On March 1, 2024, Officer Zabinski responded to a “person down” on the basketball court at Elliot Park. When he arrived, he worked with North Central University security staff to administer an AED and provide CPR. The patient later regained a pulse.
Department Award of Merit
Officer Zabinski collaborated with MPD partners to help coordinate a traffic enforcement detail over Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. This detail resulted in arrests of several impaired drivers.
Officer Zabinski set a personal goal at the start of 2024 to increase enforcement related to impaired driving. He made numerous DWI arrests and received recognition from the MPD Traffic Unit and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety – Office of Traffic Safety. Officer Zabinski’s work helped to inspire other officers to focus more on traffic enforcement, parkway safety, and impaired driving. As a result, the Park Police Department made more impaired driving arrests in 2024 than it did in 2022 and 2023 combined.
Letters of Recognition and Training
Beyond formal awards, Officer Zabinski also received at least 17 letters of recognition throughout the year. Many of these letters highlight significant felony arrests.
In addition, Officer Zabinski worked much of the year serving as a Field Training Officer, helping develop newly hired Park Police officers. This secondary assignment is vitally important in the training and development of Park Police officers as they begin their service to the City of Minneapolis and park system.
Park Police Officer Karl Zabinski consistently demonstrates a superior work ethic, immense dedication to the mission of the Park Police Department, and a positive attitude. The sum of these attributes is most deserving of Officer of the Year recognition. This is Officer Zabinski’s second Officer of the Year award. He was also recognized in 2022.