2006-06-22 Friday News The Friday News
June 23, 2006
NEW POLICE OFFICER STARTS
Mike Shepard was sworn in by the Mayor as a new police officer at this Tuesday’s City Council
meeting. Mike had a huge contingent of family and friends a the meeting to watch him get
sworn in. Chief Aschenbrener has known Mike since he was about 14 years oldwhen he Mike
was an Explorer ScoMike’sin his Law Enforcement Post. Shepard Mike has had experience as a
part-time police officer in Roseville, Anoka County, Sacred Heart and Balse, Wisconsin. Mike
started on Wednesday with Brian Convery as his primary FTO. Mike currently lives in
Wyoming, Minnesota (a long drive). Welcome!
TORCH RUN 2006
The Annual Special Olympics Torch Run was held on Wednesday of this week. Officer Jennifer
Fordham is a Dakota County Coordinator for the event. Jen also serves on the State Board for
the Special Olympics. Jen donates a lot of time for this great event.
There were representatives from every law enforcement agency in Dakota County at this year’s
run. The MAAG (SWAT) Team ran the entire distance with most of the members completing
10+ miles of the 18 mile course. (Bobby Lambert for Mendota Heights).
ARC TOURS TOWER
The Airports Relations Commission Meeting took place this Thursday evening with a tour of the
FAA Tower and the Radar Room. The entire commission (all seven members) as well as
Councilmember Duggan, Councilmember Krebsbach and myself was in attendance.
On the tour we learned that this tower controls the operation of the planes within a 40 mile
radius. The tower part controls the planes “visually” on the airport grounds, during take offs and
landings and for the first 5 miles at which point they hand them over to the radar operations
located in the “dark” basement of the tower. These controllers then hand them off to
“Farmington” for sending them off on the air “highways” to their destinations. It was a
wonderfully lead trip by FAA’s own Cindy Greene.
One interesting fact (there were many) is that controllers are only allowed to work 25 years and
since many of the current controllers started in 1981 when President fired all the striking
controllers. It is now 25 years later and many of the controllers are scheduled for mandatory
retirement. Anyone interested in being a controller?
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Danielson
Attachments: Planning Commission Meeting Agenda, Pioneer Press Articles “Running with the
Law” and “Ehret to Head new fire agency”, and Sun Current Article “District 197
superintendent promises school without holes”.