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01 23 15 JTF1 1 The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department CHIEF Mike Aschenbrener SERGEANTS Eric Petersen Tanner Spicer Peyton Fleming POLICE OFFICERS Jerry Murphy John Larrive Bobby Lambert Todd Rosse Jeff Vonfeldt Steven Meyer Denise Urmann Michael Shepard Peyton Fleming Nick Gorgos Robin Nelson INVESTIGATIONS Chad Willson SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER Jennifer Fordham SUPPORT STAFF Kim Henning Trista Miller Lisa Brandt Becky Pentel RESERVES Randy Pentel Jim Knox Jeff Parker CHAPLAINS Butch Millett John Snider David Wick Frances Cuenca Alberto Vargas Lynn Liberman Sue Plucker Joel Detlefsen Lenny Andrie JANUARY 23, 2015 Are You the Only Good Driver on the Road? I am frequently asked what it takes to get special registration plates, more commonly referred to as “whiskey plates.” These are plates that start with the letter W, followed by another letter and four numbers. The original intent by the Minnesota legislature was to permit law enforcement to stop any vehicle bearing theses plates to check the license status of the driver. This was later deemed unconstitutional by the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2003. Whiskey plates are issued after license plates are either seized by law enforcement or surrendered by the offender for the following reasons: Each prior conviction or implied consent revocation within the last 10 years. Current breath, blood, or urine test with a result of 0.20 or greater. Child endangerment (passenger in the vehicle less than 16 years of age and greater than 36 month’s difference than the offender). Driving without a valid license by a person whose driver’s license or driving privileges have been Cancelled Inimical to Public Safety (CANC‐IPS). If the offender is the owner of the vehicle they must obtain special registration plates for each vehicle they own or co‐own. If the offender is not the owner of the vehicle, the owner must obtain special registration plates for only the involved vehicle. So it is possible to be required to have special registration plates without having a DWI. However, these owners can request a rescission by ϐiling a request for administrative review. The registration period for these plates is one year. According to the MN Department of Public Safety, as of January 2014, there were 20,289 of these license plates currently in use. It is easy to look out of our windshields and become frustrated or angry with the drivers around us as we either observe or are vicƟms of poor driving conduct. However, we oŌen find ourselves making basic traffic mistakes, being distracted in the car or going 65 in a 55 because we are running late. Minnesotans for Safe Driving wants to remind you that our acƟons on the road can have permanent, damaging consequences. Most of us feel safe in a car as we drive ourselves and our families to work, school and events. However, it is good to remind ourselves when we start our vehicles that we have now started a potenƟal weapon—it’s up to us to drive it safely, every Ɵme. Check out their website for interesƟng informaƟon, including stats, legislaƟve and law links, discussion points for teens & parents and even vicƟm/survivor info. Be informed, vigilant and aware: hƩp://mnsafedriving.com/. “Whiskey Plates” 2 2 Fraud Friday 15:58 hours Officer Todd Rosse responded to the police department lobby to take a fraud report involving funds from the victim at a care facility. The director of the care facility reported that one of the client’s is not receiving his monthly settlement payments and that it is suspected that the mother of the victim is keeping the payments instead of depositing them into the victim’s bank account. This case is under investigation. Theft Friday 16:03 hours Officer Steve Meyer was dispatched to a senior assisted living facility on report that the victim has been noticing personal belongings and small amounts of cash missing over the last several months. Officer Meyer took a report on the missing items and notified the director of the facility who is working with police to determine a suspect. Found Property Saturday 10:58 hours Officer Todd Rosse responded to a local gas station on report of found property. An employee stated she found several electronic security alarms; all were brand new and had not been tampered with. Officer Rosse checked with local businesses and police agencies but the owner of the items was not located. Case is currently inactive. Father/Son Domestic Saturday 22:16 hours Officer Nick Gorgos received a call in regard to two males fighting outside a home. Upon arrival, Officer Jeff VonFeldt had the father in handcuffs and was in the process of detaining the out of control son who was cursing, spitting and trying to harm himself by hitting his head on the side of the residence. HealthEast arrived to check for injuries and were able to calm him down. In speaking with the father, he said he and his son were at the bar having drinks then came back to his dad’s house where an altercation began and made its way outside. Based on the information provided to Gorgos, the son was issued a citation for Domestic Assault and was placed on a medical hold for the comments he made about harming himself. Father/Son Domestic Monday 22:18 hours Sergeant Peyton Fleming was dispatched to call a juvenile male regarding some family issues. He did so but in talking with him decided to meet up instead. The male stated that his father told him he had to go to a math tutor due to his poor grades so he was upset that he didn't get enough notice and didn't think it was necessary. The argument went on throughout the day but when his father came home intoxicated, it escalated. It escalated to the point they were in each other’s faces and the son pushed his father away from him at least twice. It was determined that no assault had occurred. Fleming then went to the residence to speak with the father about step-mom about the incident. They had similar stories and said his grades are poor and his truancy. In an attempt to mediate the situation, the son agreed to go to bed and talk about the incident after school the next day. Theft of Gas Tuesday 08:49 hours Officer Bobby Lambert responded to a local gas station on a theft of gas report. Upon arrival, he was met by a store employee who stated a black male in his 30’s, approximately 6’1” and weighing 300 lbs. pumped $50.04 worth of gasoline and left without paying. The employee was able to capture a possible license plate in two different combinations where one came back as a silver KIA and the other was not on file. Surveillance video was collected and the case is under investigation. 3 3 01/16—01/22 2015 YTD Calls for Service 90 364 Citations 14 27 Warnings 5 18 Police Reports 19 64 Response Time Average 4.96 5.57 Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood: https://www.raidsonline.com 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118 When is Ice Safe? There is no sure answer. In fact, ice is probably never 100 percent safe. You can’t judge the strength of ice just by its appearance, age, thickness, temperature or whether or not the ice is covered with snow. Strength is based on all these factors—the depth of water under the ice, size of water body, water chemistry and currents, the distribuƟon of the load on the ice, and local climaƟc condiƟons. General Ice Thickness Guidelines 2” or less STAY OFF 4’’ Ice fishing or other acƟviƟes on foot 5” Snowmobile or ATV 8” ‐ 12” Car or small pickup 12” ‐ 15” Medium truck 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; you can complete a form found in our lobby, or simply give us a call and we’ll help you out. 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. 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. HAVE A SAFE WEEK!