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05 16 14 JTF1 The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning Trista Miller Lisa Brandt Becky Pentel POLICE OFFICERS Jerry Murphy Scott Patrick John Larrive Bobby Lambert Tanner Spicer Todd Rosse Jeff Vonfeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER Jennifer Fordham INVESTIGATIONS Mario Reyes Chad Willson SERGEANTS Neil Garlock Brian Convery Eric Petersen RESERVES Randy Pentel Jim Knox Jeff Parker George Castillo CHAPLAINS Frances Cuenca Joel Detlefsen Lynn Liberman Butch Millett Sue Plucker John Snider David Wick CHIEF Mike Aschenbrener MAY 16, 2014 Spring is here and it is time for residents to get out and enjoy the warmer weather. Bicycling is one of the many activities people enjoy, and as a parent, I need to stress the importance of child safety and wearing a bicycle helmet. The number of head injuries suffered by children not wearing helmets is on the rise. I have personally noticed a number of parents out riding bicycles with their children and not wearing a helmet. The child is wearing a helmet, which I am sure the parent insisted they wear, yet my question for the parent is: “Why not lead by example?” Parents can fall just as easily as a child and suffer a head injury. Many states, including Minnesota, do not require a helmet to be worn when riding a bicycle, but parents should take the responsibility for not only their children’s safety but also their own and wear a helmet. LEAD BY EXAMPLE, WEAR A HELMET. BICYCLE SAFETY Cell phones, the new sense of security. Or are they? SITUATION: You have fallen down the stairs and dial 9‐1‐1 from your cell phone which you happened to have with you; however, you lose consciousness as you connect with dispatchers. Do you believe the dispatcher can track your call and send help to you? Actually, it may be difϐicult or impossible to ϐind you in time. If your phone’s GPS chip connects with satellites above or hits a series of cell towers on the ground, a dispatcher will know your latitude and longitude within 50 meters or so most of the time. If your phone cannot connect with satellites or towers (when indoors or out of range), your location could be off by 100 meters or more! People are often opting to have cell phones instead of landlines in the home. For many, this is an important consideration, especially if children and elderly family members are in the home. When calling 9‐1‐1, the ϐirst question a dispatcher will ask is “where you are located?” This is the most important question to saving lives; police can learn the “when, why, and how” upon arrival. If you are in an emergency and can utter any words, please state your location right away in the case the phone disconnects for some reason. The Find Me 911 Coalition recently surveyed emergency dispatchers in all 50 states and found that 82% do not have a great deal of conϐidence in the location data automatically displayed for wireless calls. And, 54% said that the location information is regularly inaccurate. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimates that more than 70% of all calls to 911 centers now come from cell phones—that’s more than 400,000 calls per day. 2 We’ve set a $500 fund-raising goal to benefit the organizations below. Please help us achieve it by making a tax-deductible contribution. Make checks payable to: Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association L.E.M.A. 4335 Pheasant Ridge Dr. NE Suite #224-105 Blaine, MN 55449 Click HERE for Website National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund Division of Development 901 E Street NW, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20004-2025 Click HERE for Website May 11—17, 2014 In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Ofϐicers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement ofϐicers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. MHPD ėĊĒĊĒćĊėĘ ęčĊ ċĔđđĔĜĎēČ OċċĎĈĊėĘ ĜčĔ ĘĊėěĊĉ ĔĚė ĈĔĒĒĚēĎęĎĊĘ Ćēĉ čĆěĊ ĕĆĘĘĊĉ ĆĜĆĞ: 3 Lost Property Wednesday 1435 hours Officer Bobby Lambert spoke with a male via telephone in regard to his lost keys. The male stated he was at Subway and set his keys on the counter while checking out. When he got into his vehicle to leave, he noticed he did not have them. He went back into the store but could not locate them. When asked, a Subway employee stated he saw a Caucasian man standing behind him grab the keys, put them into his pocket and then leave. The employee thought the keys belonged to the man who grabbed the keys and thought nothing of it. No video sur- veillance the man was advised, case inactive. Traffic Stop/Drugs Thursday 0917 hours While on routine patrol, Officer John Larrive observed a suspicious driver who appeared very curious and keeping a watchful eye on his squad car. Larrive followed the vehicle who was randomly driving around and then turned without signaling. Larrive stopped the vehicle and when he came in contact with the driver, he could smell burnt marijuana. When he stopped the car, he asked the driver if there was any marijuana in the vehicle, the driver stated, “No.” When asked if there was any drug paraphernalia in the vehicle, he said, “Yes.” The driver then pulled out two glass pipes and a black grinder which “were not his, a friend used his truck and left them in it.” In searching the vehicle, more drug items were found, as well as a handy notebook with tips on growing, selling and ordering marijuana, not to mention a 10-step marijuana bible. The driver was issued a citation. Theft Thursday 0706 hours Officer Tanner Spicer along with Sergeant Neil Garlock were dispatched to a home on a report of two suspicious males who had been looking in vehicle windows and trying to open doors. It turned out that three unlocked vehicles had been entered and one of them had a missing GPS system. No suspect information. Attempted Burglary Thursday 1104 hours Officer Bobby Lambert along with Officer John Larrive responded to a home on a residential alarm call. Upon arrival, they found an unsecured deck door with no signs of forced entry; however, in looking further, the west side doors indoor and outdoor glass had been broken. The deadbolt was still intact and fresh footprints were outside the home. There were two additional suspicious person calls where a male had been knocking on doors and trying to open them. In these cases, a suspect and vehicle description were obtained in hopes the cases are linked together. Under investigation. Theft Friday 1828 hours Officer Todd Rosse met with a complainant who stated her son had his cell phone and cash stolen from his school locker. The juvenile was at track practice while his locked gym locker had been broken into and cash and an iPhone that were in his pants pocket were stolen. The iPhone has been deactivated and the case has been forwarded onto the School Resource Officer for follow-up. Traffic Stop/DAR/Revoked Plates Saturday 1824 hours While on routine patrol, Officer Peyton Fleming ran a routine license plate check at a stop light and it showed the registered owner as revoked and the license plates flagged as impounded for alcohol. Fleming stopped the vehicle, confirmed that the driver was the registered owner and informed him of why he had stopped him. The driver claimed no knowledge of either allegation. The vehicle plates were removed, vehicle towed and the driver was cited for DAR and Displaying Revoked Plates. 4 Theft of Gas Saturday 2010 hours Officer Peyton Fleming responded to a local gas station on a gas drive-off report. In speaking with the employee, he was able to give a vehicle description and a vague suspect description. The license plate given did match that of the suspect vehicle. A suspect name was recovered but with negative results in making contact with the party. Case pending video follow-up. Under 21 Consumption Saturday 2357 hours While on routine patrol, Officer Tanner Spicer observed a vehicle with a headlight out. Spicer stopped the vehicle and detected an odor of alcoholic beverage. Spicer then asked the driver who had been drinking—the rear seat passenger spoke up and said that it was a friend whom they had just given a ride home to. He then asked the rear seat passenger why she wasn't driving; she stated she didn't feel good. Spicer then administered PBT tests to all occu- pants and the rear seat passenger (owner of the car) showed a positive PBT result. She said she lied because she was scared; unfortunately, she lied her way into a citation. AOA/DWI Sunday 0037 hours Officer Tanner Spicer along with Officers Fleming and Urmann were dispatched to assist State Patrol on a call where a vehicle was parked in a parking lot and the passenger was passed out while the driver was attempting to pull him out of the vehicle. Officers arrived at the scene to find a male passed out in the car and the other male in the driver’s seat with headlights on and the vehicle running. The driver had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person and was very unsteady on his feet. The driver had bloody fists and the passed out passenger had abrasions to his face. State Patrol took over and arrested the man for DWI. Theft of Gas Monday 1029 hours Sergeant Neil Garlock responded to a local gas station in reference to a gas drive-off. In speaking with the employee, he mentioned the suspect pumped $100 worth of gas and then left. He was able to get suspect and vehicle descriptions. Video surveillance was captured and a letter was sent to the registered owner. Under investigation. Mail Theft #1 Monday 1000 hours Officer Peyton Fleming was contacted by Eagan PD regarding recovered mail. The mail that was turned over was a Mother’s Day card with a local return address. Fleming met with the homeowner to notify her of the mail theft and she stated that the Mother’s Day card contained two $25 gift cards. No sufficient suspect info. Mail Theft #2 Monday 1639 hours Officer Peyton Fleming was dispatched to a home on a report of mail theft report. En route to the home, Fleming received a message from an Eagan PD Officer requesting to meet regarding mail that had been recovered in Eagan. The homeowner stated she had put two items in the mailbox to be picked up by the mailman but did not put the red flag up. She went to check her mail and there was nothing in there. Moments later, she saw the mailman arrive leaving her to believe her mail had been stolen. Included with the stolen mail were two checks that were not recovered. She was advised to monitor her account for fraudulent activity. Mail Theft #3 Monday 1809 hours Officer Peyton Fleming was contacted by Eagan PD regarding mail that had been recovered. The mail that had been turned over were several financial statements. Fleming met with the victim to notify him of the theft. As of this date, there is no known loss. He was advised to have a fraud alert activated on his accounts. No sufficient suspect info. 5 The Mendota Heights PD hosted a special BBQ event to celebrate NaƟonal Police Week on Thursday, May 15th. There was a lunchƟme and a moonlight BBQ honoring the police officers both were a delicious success! From all of us here at the City of MH, THANK YOU Officers for protecting and serving our cities and putting your lives on the line each and every day!   YOU ARE ALL TRULY   APPRECIATED!  Please send us your positive feedback on our staff to: pdrecords@ mendota-heights.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated and helps boost the morale of our staff. 05/09—05/15 2014 YTD Calls for Service 137 2,963 Citations 15 668 Warnings 13 378 Police Reports 22 357 Response Time Average 5.29 5.73 Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood: http://mendota.prophoenix.com/CS/CrimeMapping.aspx If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are going out of town or on vacation, you can notify MHPD of your outing and we will be more than happy to keep a watchful eye on your home while you are away. The House Check Request online form is available on our website; we have similar forms in the MHPD lobby and we will take your info over the phone. MHPD offers monthly Car Seat Safety Checks. To schedule an appointment, call 651.452.1366 to contact Ofϐicer Jennifer Fordham. MHPD has a Medication Disposal Box in the lobby of the PD where Dakota County residents can safely and anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs and over‐the‐counter medication.