09 13 13 JTF1
The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department
SUPPORT STAFF
Kim Henning
Trista Miller
Becky Pentel
POLICE OFFICERS
Jerry Murphy
Scott Patrick
John Larrive
Bobby Lambert
Tanner Spicer
Todd Rosse
Chad Willson
Jeff Vonfeldt
Steven Meyer
Denise Urmann
Michael Shepard
Peyton Fleming
SCHOOL RESOURCE OFC.
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
SEPTEMBER 13, 2013
Maia Hendel
Congratulations!
To schedule your event, please contact
Mendota Heights PD at (651) 452.1366
Today, The Dakota County Chief of Police Association recognized the outstanding
work by Police Ofϐicers & Citizens at its annual awards ceremony at Mendakota
Country Club. We are proud that two of our own received recognition at this
event.
The Mendota Heights Police Department recognized Ofϐicer Tanner Spicer with
an Award of Honor for his part in a six‐hour stand‐off on the I‐35E river crossing
bridge. Ofϐicer Spicer was in the area and immediately responded to help. Ofϐicer
Spicer, a Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) Ofϐicer, immediately recognized the
need for his services and remained with the subject, even after trained negotiators
arrived on scene, as the subject would only speak with Ofϐicer Spicer. Six hours
later, the man climbed over the freeway fence and ended the stand‐off.
The Inver Grove Heights Police Department recognized Ofϐicer Bobby Lambert
with an Award of Honor for his part in taking a suicidal man into custody with no
loss of life. Ofϐicer Lambert worked with Ofϐicer Braucks of the WSPPD, Ofϐicers
Wegner and Boche of the IGHPD to end an armed stand‐off. Ofϐicers Lambert and
Braucks approached a shed with an armed subject inside threatening to kill him‐
self with a riϐle. When the man momentarily set down the riϐle using the cover
provided by a body bunker, the man was tased, ending the standoff.
The Mendota Heights Police Department is extremely proud of the work done on a
daily basis to make Mendota Heights a safer community.
2
Sources: http://www.stoptextsstopwrecks.org/, http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/, http://www.itcanwait.com/
What your pledge means:
No text message, email,
website or video is worth
the risk of endangering my
life or the lives of others
on the road. I pledge to
never text and drive and
will take action to educate
others about the dangers of
texting and driving.
No text is worth the risk.
It can wait.
Four national wireless service providers—AT&T, Sprint, T‐Mobile and Verizon are
spearheading the “It Can Wait” campaign and encouraging everyone to share their com‐
mitment to never text and drive. On September 19th, “Drive 4 Pledges Day,” tell 4
friends to join the movement, this can save lives!
Here are a few tips to help you stay true to the pledge and get the word out
about the dangers of texting and driving:
Place an “It Can Wait” hand sticker on your car… this will act as a reminder to others
on the road and will remind you to be a good example as well.
Download the AT&T Drivemode app and Verizon’s Safely Go App. These mobile
apps automatically reply to your incoming texts while you’re on the road to let people
know you’ll get back to them later.
Assign a Designated Texter when you’re on the road with friends and family. They can
respond to incoming texts for you or respond with “#itcanwait”.
Out of sight, out of mind. Put your phone on silent mode or in a place you can’t reach it.
No phone. No texts.
Create a music playlist to rock out or sing to in the car. It’s way safer than texting while
driving—and more fun!
Call, don’t text! If you need to tell someone you’re running late while driving, use the
approved Bluetooth feature in your car to make the call safely.
Speak Up! If you see a friend or family member texting and driving, tell them it’s not ok
and ask them to stop.
Please visit http://www.itcanwait.com/ to make your pledge and join the movement!
Every year, there are more than 100,000 texting‐
related car crashes.
75% of teens say texting & driving is common among
their friends.
5 seconds is the minimal time your attention is taken
away while texting & driving… if you’re traveling at 55
mph, that equals driving the length of a football ϐield
without looking at the road.
1 in 5 drivers confess to surϐing the web while driving.
A texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a
crash than a non‐texting driver.
3
Saturday, September 14th @ 2:00pm ‐ West St Paul PD is taking on South Metro Fire at Buffalo Wild
Wings in West St Paul. There’s also a rafϐle with great prizes. Come join in the fun!
BONUS: Buffalo Wild Wings will contribute 10% of all food sales that day to Special Olympics MN.
T‐Shirts are also on sale now and are pre‐order only! T‐shirts are $15 for cotton and $20 for athletic
styles. Orders must be in by Friday, September 23rd! Whether you can attend or not, feel free to buy
a t‐shirt anyway to support the cause.
Below is the event coupon you will need the day of the event in order for BWW to give to the charity.
Questions? Contact Mendota Heights Police Ofϐicer Jennifer Fordham with questions or to order a t‐
shirt.
4
Thanks,
Investigator
Reyes,
for pulling to-
gether a fun
staff event and
competition
with MHFD this
weekend.
Great idea and
great planning.
Remember,
guns put holes
in hoses.
GO MHPD!
What a Tool Wednesday 0813 hours
Sergeant Neil Garlock responded to the scene of a theft at a new construction site.
Upon arrival, he met with a contractor of the construction company who stated there
were several tools stolen from a first floor unit. He was under the assumption the slid-
ing door was locked, but found it was not locking properly and became an invite for
theft. No suspects at this time.
Scrapping Gone Wrong Thursday 2359 hours
Officer Denise Urmann was on routine patrol when she noticed a woman standing
between a vehicle and a dumpster at a construction site. When asking the woman what
she was doing, she said she had permission from the contractor to go through stuff and
believed his name to be, “Scott or something.” When asking for her license, she stated
she left it at home. Urmann then proceeded to the squad to run her information. Sure
enough, the woman had an active warrant. Upon taking her into custody and searching
her, Urmann came across a glass pipe with a white substance. Of course, the woman
had no idea what the white substance was, did not smoke anything, and was unaware of
whose pipe it was. However, she did say that people leave pipes all over her house. She
was then en route to the Dakota County Jail. She did not have permission to be at the
site to remove scrap nor were any of the items she stole of any value. Closed by arrest.
Fraud Friday 0832 hours
Officer Bobby Lambert took a report where a business learned that fraudulent checks
were being signed and passed. He had been contacted by the bank who became suspi-
cious of the activity. Further investigation showed a number of transactions. Forward to
investigations.
Concerned Friday 1145 hours
A local resident called in concerned when she saw four planes flying together very low to
the ground. You may worry when you see something of this nature but always call your
local PD to get information as to what may be going on. Sept. 6-8th was the annual
Tribute To The Troops Ride and Benefit Concert honoring our fallen heroes: http://
www.tributetothetroops.org/mn/news-mn.php
Theft Friday 1204 hours
Officer Lambert then took a report of items stolen from inside an unlocked car. The
owner had forgotten to lock his car and had left his wallet inside. Unfortunately, some-
one else found it along with $10 in spare change. No suspect information.
AOA-Drive-By Shooting Friday 1839 hours
Sergeant Eric Petersen assisted West St. Paul PD and St .Paul PD on a call of a drive-by
shooting, where an officer, who was on scene about a block away for an unrelated call,
heard a shot fired. When officers arrived, they learned the suspect had shot from a vehi-
cle once and had sped off. Luckily, no one was hurt, but not much info was available on
the suspect or the vehicle. St. Paul is investigating the case.
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.
5
Jokes for the Day!
A police officer
pulled a young
woman over for
speeding and polite-
ly asked to see her
license.
“Why don’t you
cops get your act
together,” she said
in a huff.
“Yesterday you take
away my license,
and now today you
expect me to show it
to you!”
Bubba was at the
police station ex-
plaining to the of-
ficer why his cousin
shot him. “We wuz
havin’ us a real good
time drinkin,” he
explained, “when my
cousin Billy Bob
picked up his rifle
and asked us fellas if
we wanna go a
huntin.”
“OK, then what hap-
pened?” the officer
asked.
“That’s when I
stood up and said,
“Sure, I’m game!”
Brought to you by:
www.angelfire.com
Suspicious Vehicle Friday 2243 hours
RP called in on a report of a suspicious vehicle outside their home. Officer Jeff Von-
Feldt responded to the scene and made contact with the individual sitting in the car out-
side the home. The driver had simply pulled over to text. Good job driver!! Never text
and drive. We’re glad it was just a suspicious caller than a call for a crash.
AOA-Fire Saturday 0115 hours
Officer Michael Shepard assisted SPPD in investigating a fire under the south side of the
river bridge. Upon arrival they encountered a group of about 10-15 people having a
bonfire. The group was warned and advised to extinguish the fire.
Littering Saturday 0246 hours
While on routine patrol, Officer Jeff VonFeldt witnessed a traveling vehicle toss a
cigarette out the window. He pull the driver over and the driver was warned for litter-
ing. Yes, throwing cigarettes out onto public territory is considered littering. Not to
mention, a fire hazard, especially with our dry weather.
Trespassing Saturday 1943 hours
DCC received several calls regarding juveniles on the roof of Mendota Heights
Elementary School. Callers say the juveniles jumped down from the upper roof to the
lower roof and are now on the ground. Officer Todd Rosse responded to the school to
find five juveniles. They were warned for trespassing on school property and released.
High School Wars Saturday 2309 hours
It’s that time of year! Officer Jeff VonFeldt arrived at complainant’s home to find syrup
and paper all over the driveway. Complainant was washing it off and there was no
damage. No suspects.
Please inform your student(s) that while damage from these pranks might seem mini-
mal and harmless, they often escalate and end up costing homeowners significant
damage and clean-up costs. Those who cause damage to property risk not only crimi-
nal charges (and school notifications) but also monetary restitution.
Possess MJ Sunday 0055 hours
Officer Todd Rosse was passed by a speeding vehicle, well above the 40 mph limit. He
pulled in behind, paced it and followed it into a parking lot of a closed business. and
soon executed a traffic stop. He watched while three people exited, approached a com-
plex and began smoking; they never attempted entry. They returned to their vehicle as
Officer Steve Meyer arrived to help out. They approached the subjects, learned they
were lost and had pulled in to make a call. When asked for DL’s, only one, a passenger,
stated she didn’t have hers with her. When they ran their ID’s, they found a warrant for
a Hit & Run charge on the passenger without the DL. When checking for her belong-
ings and retrieving a backpack, they found inside a one-hitter marijuana pipe and some
marijuana, along with the DL she didn’t have. She was later transported to jail along
with a citation. The others were released at the scene.
6
If you are a Mendota
Heights resident and
you are going out of
town/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.
Civil/Theft Monday 1301 hours
Mother reported that last year, her child had swapped her iPod out for another child’s
iPhone. She had attempted to get it back last year, but no luck. Now, that child no long-
er goes to the school and the family can’t be found. Officer Lambert is attempting con-
tact to help out.
Found Mail Monday 1936 hours
Officer Rosse found a backpack full of mail belonging to residents of Sunfish Lake. The
owners were notified and told to contact their police department to report the theft and
to check in with their banking institutions.
Counterfeit $$ Wednesday 1103 hours
A man called to report that local gas station had confiscated his $10 bill when they saw
it was counterfeit. He had reportedly gotten that bill from his bank and then used it at
the gas station. He wanted his $10 back from someone. Officer John Larrive responded
to the gas station and retrieved the $10 bill. Evidently, it’s been happening here and in
other cities; forwarded to investigations.
Another Counterfeit Wednesday 1810 hours
Officer Rosse responded to a business where an employee realized they had accepted 3
counterfeit $20 bills. She had used the pen to swipe it, but the mark color was wrong.
When the deposit was attempted, the machine rejected the bills as fraudulent. Upon
closer inspection, they were not right. Good suspect information was provided and for-
warded to investigations.
Warrant Service Thursday 1522 hours
Sergeant Petersen, Sergeant Garlock and Officer Larrive learned a wanted party was in
the neighborhood. They made contact with the fellow, well known to us, and took him
into custody without incident. Service completed.
Don’t forget to print and clip a coupon…!
7
09/06‐09/13 2013 YTD
Calls for Service 167 6083
Citations 51 1116
Warnings 14 928
Police Reports 15 746
Response Time Average 5.05 5.15
Submitted By: Police Ofϐicer John Larrive
Have a Safe Week!
Police Ofϐicers of this generation do not hear the term Paddy Wagon used very often to describe the
vehicles which are used today. Most of us do not know where this term came from or what a Paddy
Wagon is. A Paddy Wagon is used to transport several prisoners at one time, or to get several police
ofϐicers to one location at the same time. The early Paddy Wagons were horse drawn, sometimes called
the “Black Maria.” It is uncertain where this name came from, but one source claims that it was from a
fearsome, large keeper of a sailor’s boarding house that police would call on for help with difϐicult
prisoners. The phrase “Paddy Wagon” is most likely American in origin and is used as slang to describe
either those being put into the wagon, or those putting people in the wagon. The history of this term
dates back to at least the early 1930’s.
The term Paddy is slang and was a common term used for Irishmen. According to Dictionary.com, Pad‐
dy is explained as a slang word from 1780. It is the pet name for Patrick (Padraig). It was used as
shortening of the name Patrick or Padraig. Irishmen made up a large percentage of ofϐicers hired in the
early eastern American cities. Two theories behind this is that the wagons were being driven by
Irishmen (Paddy’s), and the second was that it was actually the Irishmen being put into the wagons
based on their “spirited” behavior.
One other theory out there is that the name originated because the ϐirst wagons were padded, to
prevent injury to those being transported.
I am not going with this theory, because it is less colorful and I am a Police Ofϔicer
who is 1/4 Irish.
Sources: www.grammarist.com, www.nleomf.org, www.wikipedia.org
Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood:
http://mendota.prophoenix.com/CS/CrimeMapping.aspx
Photo out of Duluth, MN