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09 20 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 20, 2013 School Shootings, Mass Shootings, Bombings, Natural Disasters, Wars Sometimes the world’s tragic events feel overwhelming and can turn your world upside down. The media blast often adds to our stress and worry as your body re- acts in an attempt to protect you, releasing a variety of emotions. To give your mind and body a break, maintain your sense of balance and activate your natural coping mechanisms, try the following: Follow a normal routine as much as possible Eat healthy meals, being careful not to skip meals or overeat, exercise and stay active, Reach out and help others—volunteer Accept help from others, especially simply talking about your feelings Limit time spent on the media blast— learn only relevant facts to avoid overstimula- tion. If you find your stress levels unmanageable and you are unable to care for yourself or your children, unable to do your job, using alcohol or drugs, feeling sad or depressed for more then two weeks, and/or thinking about suicide, please, SEEK HELP! Sources: www.cdc.gov, www.crisis.org, www.fci.org In a tragic event, it’s our children who, while they may not understand it all, are acutely aware of and often responsive to the emotions and expressions of the adults around them, and tune in to tone of their parents voices. The following are a list of the top priorities to keep in mind when helping your child understand and cope with a tragic event: Provide a strong sense of security. Children need the reassurance that their parents are doing well and are fully capable of taking care of them. Give extra comfort and physical affection. They also need to know that people in the government, world and community are working hard to keep them safe. Help make children feel more secure. Positive play is the most important thing to keep children’s minds occupied and help them relieve stress. Watch for play involving re- enactment of the tragic events. They may become clingy, whiny and scared, along with many other emotions. Positive, confident parents will result in positive and confident children. Limit scary, confusing images. TV, internet, radio and newspaper messages can be very confusing and scary for a child. Repetitive sights and sounds of a tragedy can make them feel anxious and confused as to what is real and what is pretend. Parents should initiate their own discussion and use your judgment on how much is too much information for your child. In many cases, it may be enough to simplify it to, “I’m sad about the news but I love you and I’m here to care for you.” We want to let our children know it is OK to have emotions, to learn how to cope with them and help them find constructive ways to release their energy or emotions. 2 Officers Steve Meyer and Todd Rosse received a gracious thank you on their fast response time from a mother whose 16 year old daughter smelled gas coming from their home and called 9-1-1. Turns out there was a slow gas leak! Active senses and fast thinking led to a safe outcome. Remember to leave your house before calling 911 to prevent triggering an explosion. Juvenile Fight Thursday 2148 hours RP called in on a group of males yelling at each other in the McDonald’s parking lot, stating the situation was getting heated. Sergeant Eric Petersen responded to the area to find a group of juveniles who were not willing to talk. Ultimately, it was found that a male was punched in the nose but the male insisted he did not want to press charges against the male who had fled the scene. Closed. Illegal Dumping Thursday 2359 hours While on routine patrol, Officer Peyton Fleming observed a vehicle pull up next to a dumpster and soon the vehicle then left. Fleming soon located the vehicle and asked his purpose in pulling up to the dumpster. The man admitted to dumping a small part from a dehumidifier into the dumpster. The man was escorted back to the dumpster to retrieve his part and advised to not return and warned for illegal dumping. Skippin’ School Friday 1143 hours A local gas station called in to report three juvenile males loitering in the parking lot. A customer had left something at a gas pump; when the customer left, the juveniles nabbed it. The clerk asked them to put the item back (a gas cap) and leave; the clerk received a lot of grief from the juveniles and called the cops; then they decided to leave. Officer John Larrive responded and was able to locate them and ensured they would receive school consequences for truancy. Was it worth nabbing someone’s gas cap? Car Surfing Friday 1934 hours Sergeant Eric Petersen was dispatched to an area on a report of two kids “car surfing” on top of a car. All kids fled when they saw the squad car. Cowabunga! We’ll catch you on the next wave! Dog - No Leash On-Going…. MHPD receives several calls on dogs at the dog park or within the city that are not leashed. The City of Mendota Heights does require all dogs to be restrained, on a leash, at all times within the city; City Ordinance 5-3-3. Please be courteous; while it may seem an inconvenient requirement at times for you and your pet, keep in mind that this and other ordinances help maintain the safety and sense of security our citizens enjoy while they enjoy our parks and trails. Bar Fight Sunday 0000 hours Officer Denise Urmann received a request to call a complainant on an after-the-fact as- sault at a local bar. The victim apparently wasn't living up to another man’s view on bar behavior toward patrons, and sent him a clearer message by punching him in the eye. The injured victim, regrettably, was in a hurry to catch his red-eye flight so he made his complainant call from his cab, stating he wasn’t able to stick around. Urmann spoke with the victim to get a recorded statement from him; however, he was a reluctant vic- tim, probably because there was an out-of-state warrant for his arrest. He ceased commu- nications on the topic, outside of sending some pictures a bit later, which were definitely 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. 3 Jokes for the Day! “How long have you been driving without a tail light, buddy?” demanded the police- man. The driver jumped out, ran to the rear of his car, and gave a low moan. His distress was so great that the cop was moved to ease up on him a bit. “Aw, come now,” he said, “you don’t have to take it so hard. It isn't that serious.” “It isn’t?” cried the motorist. “What happened to my boat and trailer?” A father in a hurry, taking his 8-year old son to school, made a turn at a red light, where it wasn't allowed. “Uh-oh, I just made an illegal turn!” he said. “That’s OK, Dad,” his son replied. “The police car right behind us did the same thing.” Brought to you by: www.angelfire.com not taken at an airport. Evidently, he also missed a court date and now, there’s a war- rant waiting for him in Dakota County also. There’s almost always more to the story. Domestic Sunday 2156 hours Officers Urmann, Petersen, Meyer, Fleming & VonFeldt responded to a home on a call of a domestic. A mother stated her daughter’s boyfriend had broken into her home, her daughter was being assaulted and the house was getting torn apart; the call was then dis- connected Upon arrival, officers located the victim who stated she had disconnected the 9-1-1 call for fear her mother would be evicted. The suspect had fled, but he was soon caught. He was a feisty feller, struggling with officers so much that they put “hobbles” on him to keep him from flailing about. However, along the way to jail, he broke free of those and yet another struggle ensued, and some threats towards officers were tossed about as well. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation, but they would- n’t take him; luckily, the jail did. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, officers detected an odor of alcohol coming from the injured, pregnant victim who was feeling unwell from the assault. She was transported to the hospital. Charges for Burglary and Domestic As- sault were filed. Burglary Sunday 1140 hours Officer Scott Patrick and Sergeant Neil Garlock were dispatched to a home on a burgla- ry. The homeowners ensured doors were locked but didn’t set the alarm. Upon arriving back home, they noticed doors were now unlocked and it appeared items had been gone through. It was found that two tea sets went missing. Under investigation. Potty “Break” Monday 1010 hours Officer Scott Patrick was dispatched to a theft call. He arrived at a trail where the victim waited. She tole him stopped to take a quick potty break and in the few minutes she was gone, her car was broken into and her purse was stolen. Several items were taken. Under investigation. Ex-Trouble Monday 2048 hours A family called for a assistance with their son’s ex-girlfriend who was drunk and being disorderly toward the new girlfriend. Upon arrival, Officer Shepard soon learned noth- ing physical occurred, just loud, rude behavior. The son was a reluctant witness, as he is not a fan of government or cops. But once Officer Shepard calmly indicated he under- stood that and just wanted to handle the problem, cooperation was provided. The ex - girlfriend was given a ride to detox and he listened to her rant the whole way. Let’s just say we’re not surprised by her behavior, nor was the staff at detox. Creepy Monday 2417 hours A man came into the City Hall carrying a wooden cross requesting to speak to someone important. He was advised that there was no one to speak to. He then left the building with his cross. Amen. TP Tuesday 0143 hours While on routine patrol, Officer Steve Meyer observed two vehicles near the Village of MH without headlights on. He made contact with them to find 5 juvenile females, 4 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 Officer 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. dressed in black and out after curfew. The teen driver had a provisional license which limits the number of allowed passengers. When asked where they were headed, they stated, “A friend’s house.” When asked what they were doing out so late, they stated they were participating in junior/senior wars and had been out toilet papering. These wars, in the recent past, have proved costly for some homeowners. Meyer removed 5 of the passengers; while removing the toilet paper in the rear hatch, he located the sixth juvenile female, hiding. All of the teens were staying overnight at one of the girl’s hous- es who was being babysat while the parents were out of the country. Upon arrival to pickup the girls, the 23 year old babysitter saw nothing wrong with it either, even after learning her charge was the one found hiding under toilet paper in the trunk. After all, she had approved the adventure for all the girls. No TP needed for tears here… none of the parents when notified seemed to be too concerned with the situation either and they were allowed to back to with the babysitter to finish the sleepover. All were given cita- tions for curfew violations, and most received an extra seatbelts charged. The driver also received two provisional license violations for driving un-seatbelted passengers and hav- ing too many passengers. Impersonating Police Officer Tuesday 2244 hours Officers Meyer, Rosse and Shepard were dispatched to a local bar/restaurant on a call of a man flashing a badge, impersonating a police officer. A week prior, this same male came into the restaurant in a karate uniform, got into an altercation and was asked to leave the bar. The man was soon located outside the restaurant (not too many karate uniforms around at midnight). When approached about the allegations, he at first de- nied them then stated he is an instructor at a Karate business and admitted to flashing a security badge. He is not a security guard nor is an instructor at a Karate business. He does handle security, though, at a local residence where there have been frequent com- plaints of burglars in the attic. He was advised of the severity of showing a badge and to not come back to the bar/restaurant. Make It Stop! Wednesday 0728 hours An elderly male was turning his vehicle into a local gas station when he turned in front of another vehicle, causing a collision. That didn't stop him though, as he then drove into the parking lot, striking yet another vehicle that was waiting to exit the lot. And still he kept going, driving into a new awning that was waiting to be put up at the gas station. That finally stopped him, right in front of the store door. Driver Evaluation and cita- tion completed by Officer John Larrive. Nosy Neighbor Wednesday 1210 hours Sergeant Eric Petersen and Officer John Larrive responded to a home on an ongoing neighbor dispute. Upon arrival they met with the complainant who stated she was very upset about the neighbors continuing to tap into her phone line and listening in on her conversations. She mentioned Comcast had come to the home to check the lines but find nothing wrong. She then got upset about the young boy who had just started screaming next door; officers listened but heard nothing. She was then transported to the hospital on a Health & Welfare Hold. 5 09/13-09/20 2013 YTD Calls for Service 142 6,219 Citations 39 1,154 Warnings 18 978 Police Reports 16 762 Response Time Average 4.55 5.13 Submi t t e d B y : Police O f f i c e r Micha e l S h e p a r d Have a Safe Week! “That cop was hiding behind a bridge pillar looking for speeders- that’s entrapment!” Contrary to popular belief, we can (and do) hide while enforcing traffic laws. We’re most successful at seeing people drive as they normally do when they don’t know a cop is in the area. Entrapment is defined as: law enforcement inducing or encouraging a person to commit a crime when that person would not have committed that crime without said encouragement. So, unless the cop who gives you a ticket is also sitting in your front seat yelling, “Punch it! We need more tasty pastry items before Grandma’s closes,” an entrapment defense won’t work for you! “That cop didn’t have any lights on while running radar- the law says that they have to have parking lights on to run radar!” In Minnesota, there is no law that requires police vehicles to have any lights on while running radar. Once again, people tend to drive their version of “normal” when they don’t know we’re there. We hide because it works! “That cop gave me a speeding ticket and refused to let me see the radar- I’ll get off of this for sure!” When we stop a driver for speeding, there is no requirement that we show that driver our radar unit. Most officers will not show a driver the radar for a multitude of different reasons related to officer and violator safety. You will never argue your way out of a ticket on the side of the road- but you can certainly argue your way into one! The time to dispute a ticket is in the court room, not on the shoulder of the road! Calling an officer a, “donut eating, Fargginay (bacon cologne) scented, swine” probably won’t convince them to let you off with a warning. Remaining calm and civil if you are pulled over will go over much better, both with the officer and in court. Remember, we’re simply doing our job—law enforcement. Check out the MH Crime Map! Click below to search your neighborhood: http://mendota.prophoenix.com/CS/CrimeMapping.aspx