2021 Blaine Police Department Annual Report

City City of of Blaine Blaine Police Police Department Department

Serving with integrity, respect, and professionalism

2 | 2021 Annual Report

Table of Contents About Blaine PD

74

Sworn Personnel

15

Civilian Personnel

49K

Calls for Service

5

Divisions

2

K9 Teams

City of Blaine Police Department 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine, MN 55449 763-785-6168 BlaineSafetyServices.com

A Message from Chief Podany ............................................. 3 Organizational Chart .............................................................. 4 Budget and Policy Overview ................................................. 5 Year in Review ......................................................................... 7

Community Engagement.................................................... 8-9 Community Connections ............................................... 10-11 By the Numbers 2021 .......................................................... 12 Crime Statistics ............................................................... 13-15 Administrative Services Division ................................... 16-17 Patrol Division .................................................................. 18-23 Special Operations Division ........................................... 24-25 Emergency Management Division ..................................... 26 Support Services Division ..................................................... 27 Awards .................................................................................... 28 Promotions/Retirements ...................................................... 29 Staff Roster ............................................................................. 30 Oath of Office ......................................................................... 31

Mission Statement As proud members of our community, we, the members of the Blaine Police Department, strive to enhance the quality of life in Blaine by serving with integrity, respect, and professionalism.

Core Values Integrity  Respect  Professionalism

Blaine Police Department | 3

A Message from Chief Podany Are we there yet? Anybody who has ever taken a road trip with children will

reaffirm the trepidation, excitement, and frustration that phrase can generate. While I can’t promise an answer for that, we have had similar questions of our own for public safety. Where are we and where are we going seem to be the prevailing questions of the day for us. As we have struggled with trying to stay on top and adapt to the latest challenges in policing, we remain steadfast in making Blaine the safest community it can be. I firmly believe that it should be a basic human right to be free from victimization. Blaine is and will continue to be a place for our residents, business community, and visitors to flourish and not live in fear. In policing, the police and the criminal element are commonly the two primary entities aware of public safety issues. Most members of the public don’t pay a lot of attention to those issues until they or someone they love are directly affected. As your police department, we hope that you don’t have to enlist our services. But, rest assured, if and when you do, we will be there for you and commit to give you our best should that time come.

At your Blaine Police Department, one of the three core values is respect. The principle of treating everyone with respect is engrained into our staff from before they are hired through the duration of their career. The core of the problems that we are facing in law enforcement comes back to respect. It is imperative that we are mutually respectful of one another if we are going to continue to be successful in our society.

Police departments are facing several challenges which include never before seen staffing challenges in our field, monumental increases in mental health service calls, and an utter disregard for the law by an increasing number of people. These challenges are being met and overcome with dedicated women and men who show up day in and day out to fulfill their oaths.

In last years annual report, I talked about the support we are so fortunate to have from our community and from our City Council. This support truly matters on many fronts. One of those is staffing. As your Chief, I work with public safety agencies across the state. Virtually every agency I speak with talks about their inability to find quality staff members. We are fortunate here that, despite a tough job market and anti-law enforcement rhetoric, we have not had those challenges. For the first time in recent history, at the end of 2021 your Blaine Police Department’s licensed personnel was fully staffed. This is monumental given the challenges we are up against. In my conversations with our new hires, that support was essential to their decision to come to Blaine, many of whom come from other law enforcement agencies. For that, I thank you.

As you review our 2021 Annual Report, I ask you to consider the names and faces behind the badge. The staff of the Blaine Police Department stands ready to bravely and compassionately serve you. We are constantly improving and are committed to exceeding your core knowledge and expectations of what your Blaine Police Department is. We are on this journey together and we ask for your support along the way.

Please take the time to visit our website BlaineSafetyServices.com and become a follower of the Blaine Police Department Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Brian Podany Chief of Police Blaine Police Department

4 | 2021 Annual Report

Organizational Chart Chief of Police/ Safety Services Manager Brian Podany

Executive Assistant Cara Rand

Deputy Chief Dan Szykulski

Patrol Division Captain Matt Carlson A-Shift Team 1 Sergeant Sadler Sergeant Hatanpa 7 Officers A-Shift Team 2 Sergeant Warner Sergeant Gerhard 7 Officers Specialty/Flex-Shift K9 Unit 2 Officers Traffic/DWI Unit 3 Officers Retail Unit 1 Officer FTO 4 Officers C-Shift Team 1 Sergeant Rygg Sergeant Koch 8 Officers C-Shift Team 2 Sergeant Johnson Sergeant Nordby 7 Officers Community Service Officers (4 CSOs) Reserves/Park Patrol / Explorers

Administrative Services Captain Russ Clark Training/Uniforms/ Equipment Sergeant Berg School Resource Officers 4 Officers Community Outreach (Restructuring) Evidence 1 Supervisor 1 Property Technician Mental Health Professional

PIO / Social Media

Special Operations Captain Dan Pelkey Investigations Unit Sergeant Villegas 9 Detectives 1 Crime Analyst

Directed Operations Group 2 Officers Anoka-Hennepin Drug Task Force 2 Detectives Administrative Investigations

Support Services Manager Wende Ferguson 1 Lead Record Tech 4 Record Techs

Emergency Management CaptainMark Boerboom

Blaine Police Department | 5

Budget and Policy Overview Policies

Deputy Chief Dan Szykulski oversees and manages the day to day operations of the police department as well as the safety services budget and department policies. Szykulski has been with the department for 38 years and is set to retire in early 2022.

The Blaine Police Department strives to have the most up to date policies that reflect changes in federal and state court rulings, law changes, as well as keeping them contemporary with the ever changing public safety climate.

The department contracted with Lexipol, a renowned U.S. company, back in 2019.

Lexipol is a national law enforcement policy company that not only ensures policies are legal and defensible, but best practices are followed as well. The entire police department policy manual is being reviewed and updated with the guidance of Lexipol representatives. Updated policies will be rolled out to staff in the coming year to complete the transition fully to Lexipol.

Budget

The operating budget of the safety services division was $17,236,495, with expenses totaling $16,340,305.

The police department’s annual budget was $12,138,780, with expenses coming in 7 percent under budget.

Below is a breakdown of each area’s budget and expenses for 2021:

Safety Services Administration

Budget

Expenses

Balance

Percent Used

$1,245,490

$1,174,031

$71,459

94%

$265,870

$282,441

-$16,571

106%

$12,138,780

$11,344,818

$793,962

93%

Fire Protection

$2,202,000

$2,201,800

$200

100%

Community Standards

$1,384,355

$1,337,215

$47,140

97%

Emergency Preparedness Police

Police Department Administrative Services

Budget

Expenses

Balance

Percent Used

$922,510

$662,601

$259,909

72%

Police Patrol

$7,367,730

$7,123,803

$243,927

97%

Special Operations

$2,208,140

$2,198,171

$9,969

100%

Police Records

$819,650

$833,384

-$13,734

102%

Community Outreach

$217,710

$3,573

$214,137

2%

Community Service

$540,290

$327,562

$212,728

61%

Instacart Incident Press Conference Chief Podany gave a press conference to address the media inquiries about an incident where an elderly couple was targeted for displaying a pro police yard sign by an Instacart driver.

Blaine Police Department | 7

Year in Review Nanney Memorial Bench Almost four years ago, we lost Officer Steve Nanney and his wife Susie Nanney in a tragic motorcycle crash involving a distracted driver. Officer Nanney was the school resource officer at Blaine high school and during his assignment, he volunteered countless hours coaching the Trap and Skeet Team. The team dedicated a bench that was placed at Beaverbrook Tri-County Sportsman Club in their memory. Officers visited the site to pay tribute and thank the team for honoring their former partner.

K9 Gains and Losses

Presidential Inauguration

The police department added a young new K9 named Tyrone to replace retiring K9 Rex. Tyrone was purchased through a generous donation by a longtime friend of the PD. Unfortunately, Tyrone passed away unexpectedly, leaving the PD, the donor, and the community disheartened. The support from the community was incredible and the department received two very generous donations from Blaine residents to help purchase and train two new K9s. The K9s are expected to begin training and join the department’s K9 team in early 2022.

The department sent 14 staff members to Washington DC to assist in the security detail for the 46th Presidential Inauguration.

Building Renovation Project The City of Blaine began a $4.2M building renovation project driven by growth in the police department to meet the needs of Blaine’s growing population. The renovation includes expanding the men’s and women’s locker rooms, increase evidence storage space, add additional bathrooms, increase the size of the lobby to allow for more seating, and move the administration and investigations divisions to the second floor. An internal stairwell between the 1st and 2nd floor of the police department is being added to help keep the department functioning as one cohesive team. Staff has had to make many adjustments during the construction, going without locker rooms and a dedicated roll call room, having to use a multi-function space for patrol workstations and mailboxes, and working through the noise and delays that construction brings. The department is looking forward to the project being completed in early 2022.

8 | 2021 Annual Report

Community Engagement The always popular Blaine Safety Camp celebrated its return after being canceled last summer due to COVID-19. The twoday camp taught 130 Blaine students all about safety. The kids learned about animal safety, bike safety, bullying prevention, self-control, railroad safety, electrical safety, fire safety, personal safety, and injury prevention. The police department also provided a K9 demonstration. Safety Camp was held at SBM Fire Station 3.

Safety Camp

Night to Unite Blaine residents were eager to get out and participate in Night to Unite festivities once again after a year of COVID-19 restrictions. A total of 105 families registered for block parties through the City. Thousands of Blaine residents enjoyed celebrating community and building relationships.

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Bike with a Cop Officers organized a Bike with a Cop event in August. They visited six west side locations and seven east side locations. Helmets, stickers, lights, Dairy Queen “I got caught” coupons as well as “I Biked With a Cop” certificates were handed out to kids. Simple bike maintenance like filling tires was also provided. The event was very successful and impactful for local kids.

Blaine Citizens Academy is an eight-week course designed to introduce residents to the structure and daily operations of the Blaine Police, Fire, and Community Standards departments that comprise the City of Blaine Safety Services. The fast-paced academy provides both classroom and hands-on training, offering a fun and safe behind-the-scenes look at the functions of safety services while allowing participants an opportunity to perform tasks otherwise reserved for police officers and firefighters. The academy is free and all participants must live or work in Blaine.

Citizens Academy

10 | 2021 Annual Report

Community Connections Polar Plunge

The Polar Plunge was back for its 11th year in a row even though the event was a little different than previous years. Instead of jumping into an icy cold lake, plungers jumped into a Special Olympic trailer full of water. The City of Blaine team raised $2,402 for Special Olympics Minnesota. Thousands of Special Olympic athletes were given the opportunity to participate in the Athlete Leadership and Healthy Athletes programs from the donations received.

Guns –N– Hoses The Guns-N-Hoses event is an annual hockey game that features local police departments pitted against local fire departments in an epic hockey game as they battle for the coveted bragging rights as to who’s the better team—all while raising money for a cause. Several Blaine Police Department staff participated in the event helping to raise over $14,000 for “Backing the Blue Line,” a non-profit organization composed of police wives dedicated to the support of the law enforcement community.

Blaine Police Department | 11

Heroes and Helpers The Heroes and Helpers program looked similar to last year with contactless shopping at Target. The program was very fortunate to receive a grant from Target as well as substantial donations from the Blaine Police Federation and the Blaine Festival. The program was able to help 59 children celebrate a Christmas they wouldn’t have had otherwise. The police department along with Spring Lake Park PD, Lino Lakes PD, Centennial Lakes PD, Allina EMS and SBM Fire, all participated to make a difference in their community.

Blaine City Hall was an official drop-off site for the Toys for Tots program. The police department donation box was overflowing with many gifts and toys. Several staff members got into the holiday spirit by shopping together to pick out the perfect gifts for the kids in need. Because of everyone’s generosity, many children were able to have a very special Christmas this year.

Toys for Tots

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By the Numbers 2021 49,356 Calls for Service

5 min.

70,222 Policing Population

467

Emergency Response Time (Avg.)

Animal Complaints

1,329

1,642

Total Arrests

Medicals

3,164

766

Citations Issued

Gun Permits Processed

0 Homicides

15 Robberies

97 Burglaries

151 Catalytic Converter Thefts

Blaine Police Department | 13

Crime Statistics Part 1 Crimes

Part 2 Crimes

Part 1 crimes are the most serious offenses.

Part 2 crimes are less serious offenses.

Part 1 Crimes

2,010

2017

Part 2 Crimes

2,292 1,786

1,655

2018

1,557

2019

2,333

2,264

1,947 1,559

1,439

2020

2021

2017

2018

2019

2021

Part 2 Crimes are DOWN

Part 1 Crimes are DOWN

Part 1 Crimes

2020

7.58%

19.93%

From 2020 to 2021

From 2020 to 2021

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Part 2 Crimes

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Homicide

0

0

1

2

0

Simple Assault

207

187

167

101

81

Manslaughter

0

0

1

1

1

Forgery

162

110

98

130

97

Rape

16

23

21

19

16

Fraud

401

407

421

396

409

Robbery

19

16

16

19

15

Vandalism

402

371

250

265

220

Assault

23

27

24

40

42

Weapons

23

14

18

19

33

Burglary

159

157

110

105

97

Sex Offenses

63

37

31

19

19

Larceny Theft

1,707

1,480

1,375

1,251

1,175

Drug Violation

302

217

278

162

197

Vehicle Theft

79

78

103

110

87

DUI

167

258

263

162

180

Arson

7

5

3

10

5

Disorderly Conduct

307

343

339

192

31

Human Trafficking

0

0

1

0

1

All Others

258

320

468

501

292

2,010

1,786

1,655

1,557

1,439

2,292

2,264

2,333

1,947

1,559

TOTAL

Data from the BCA Crime Reporting System

TOTAL

Data from the BCA Crime Reporting System

14 | 2021 Annual Report

Blaine Police Department | 15

16 | 2021 Annual Report

Administrative Services Captain Mark Boerboom led the administrative services division until July 2021. Captain Russ Clark (pictured) was promoted in July 2021 and assigned to the administrative services division.

Sergeant Ted Berg is the supervisor for the administrative services division that oversees training, school resource officers, evidence/property intake, community outreach, and the Blaine Police Department’s mental wellness program.

Training

The training unit is responsible for facilitating, coordinating, and maintaining all department trainings as well as verifying all sworn officers maintain MN POST required trainings.

The training unit conducted department wide trainings for use of force and firearms. A dedicated training building is utilized for law enforcement trainings such as de-escalation, simunitions, Taser, and 40mm less lethal launchers, which the department transitioned to in 2021. Eleven new officers went through the police department’s new hire academy.

Certified Crime Fighter software was purchased and implemented which tracks training records and POST compliance for all police department employees.

School Resource Officers (SROs)

Four SROs returned to their respective schools for the start of the 2021-2022 school year. They conducted in-class presentations and safety education for three school districts. SROs are in Blaine High School, Centennial High School,

Roosevelt Middle School, and Westwood Intermediate and Middle School.

Two new SROs attended a week-long National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) training in August.

Blaine High School SRO Tou Vang started a youth mentoring program targeting at-risk youth. The program is a great success reaching many students in need.

Evidence

The evidence department is responsible for receiving and maintaining the chain of custody for all evidence that is taken in by the police department.

Inventory of items is continually happening throughout the year. There were 4,020 items of evidence taken in, 5,421 items disposed of, 255 items returned to the owner, and 516 items auctioned off. This was a slight increase from the previous year. There were also 21 data requests received from the public, and 1,003 digital media requests for discovery which was also a small increase from the previous year.

The evidence department purchased Veritone, a video redaction software program to efficiently redact video in a timely manner.

P.O.W.E.R. Program

Police Officer Wellness by Enhancing Resiliency (P.O.W.E.R.) program provides each staff member a yearly mental health check-in with Marie Ridgeway and Associates, the department’s partnered therapist.

Mental health professionals from Marie Ridgeway & Associates conduct critical incident de-briefings for officers, new officer healthy family presentations, and provides on-going mental health support and information for all staff members. All meetings are kept confidential.

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Community Outreach

Community outreach programs were back in full swing after a year of cancellations due to the COVID pandemic.

Social Media Followers

Some highlights from the year include:  Night to Unite block parties — approximately 105 registered

block parties participated.

 Safety Camp — the police department participates in Safety

Camp and bike helmet fittings with the Spring Lake Park, Blaine, and Mounds View (SBM) Fire Department.

 Mental Health Professional program. A part-time mental

health professional, Amanda Terwey, came to us from People Incorporated and splits her time between the Blaine and Coon Rapids Police Departments. Terwey works closely with the department in assessing and assisting the needs of our community in areas of mental health, domestic abuse, substance use, and homelessness. Terwey can respond to 911 calls with police officers and provide on-scene assessments, crisis interventions, and complete referrals.

Terwey is able to provide follow up with individuals including phone calls, home visits, and care coordination. This position provides timely engagement with individuals in need and increased access to community resources. In 2021 there were 1,554 calls for service involving mental health and/or substance use.

 Multi-Housing Officer program initiated to be liaisons for

multi-housing developments in the City and working with building management for ongoing issues.

 Theft Prevention Video. Sergeant Berg produced a theft

prevention video with North Metro TV that was aired for the Blaine community.

PIO—Social Media

Captain Mark Boerboom is the department’s public information officer (PIO), and posts department communication on the police department’s social media platforms as well as press releases. Captain Boerboom frequently works with the City of Blaine’s Communication team to provide information to Blaine residents and visitors. The department currently uses Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, Twitter, and YouTube.

Stay Connected For up to date information @BlainePoliceMN

18 | 2021 Annual Report

Patrol Division The patrol division is led by Captain Matt Carlson, and is comprised of 37 patrol officers and 8 supervisors. The patrol supervisory staff was increased from 6 to 8 in order to satisfy a 24-hour, 7-days/week supervisor presence on all shifts. This increase in supervision allowed our department to add new officers without compromising the quality of service that Blaine residents deserve and have come to expect.

Besides conducting self-initiated activity such as traffic enforcement and routine patrols the patrol division responded to over 49,000 calls for service.

The patrol division focuses a portion of their unallocated time on the enforcement of traffic laws throughout the City. Officers of the patrol division conducted over 8,200 traffic stops. A significant majority of those traffic stops resulted in an educational opportunity whereby the motorist was given a verbal warning and released without a citation.

The Lights-on! program is a grassroots, crowdfunded program that offers police officers the opportunity to issue a free voucher for minor

vehicle repairs to low-income motorists who have equipment issues such as non-functioning vehicle lights. This program is intended to build relationships with community members through financial assistance and provides for an alternative to a citation or verbal warning. This option could potentially lead to a vehicle repair.

Our patrol officers issued 38 vouchers in 2021.

Staffing

A significant emphasis was placed on staffing this year. Nine new officers were sworn in and successfully passed our rigorous field-training program. We had six officers leave the agency in resulting in a net gain of three patrol officers. This increase in staffing allowed us to fulfill plans to create a “power shift” at the start of the year that deploys officers at the peak time of the day when call volumes are at their greatest. The addition of nine new officers was the result of a lot of hard work from a dedicated field training team led by Sergeant Joe Gerhard.

In 2021, we saw a 10 percent increase in the volume of calls for service over 2020. We attribute the sharp increase to anticipated population growth and an increase in activity based on the temporary lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

The raw number comparison on a month-bymonth basis and the percent change are shown below.

Calls for Service Two-Year Comparison Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

2020

3,384

3,154

3,093

3,089

3,487

3,900

4,394

4,604

4,277

4,134

3,517

3,474

44,507

2021

2,956

3,279

4,009

3,775

3,970

4,340

4,367

4,682

4,765

4,511

4,447

4,255

49,356

-14.48%

3.81%

22.85%

18.17%

12.17%

10.14%

-0.62%

1.67%

10.24%

8.36%

20.91%

18.35%

9.82%

Blaine Police Department | 19

K9 Unit

The canine unit consists of Officer Reggie Larson with his K9 partners Rex and Tyrone, Officer Mark Allen with his K9 partner Remy, and Officer Brandon Fettig with his K9 partner Storm. The unit is supervised by Sergeant Nate Hatanpa.

K9 Quick Facts

K9 teams were deployed 102 times and made 27 felony arrests.

Sixteen K9 demonstrations were given for 277 adults and 359 juveniles. The combined tracking find rate was at 32 percent and they spent 1,365 hours in training. K9 find highlights for the year were as follows: 2.6 lbs. of methamphetamine, 569 Xanax pills, one handgun, and $7,700 in cash.

In August, K9 Rex retired after nine years of service to the City of Blaine. He had an exceptional career amassing several USPCA national and regional awards. He was replaced by a young K9 named Tyrone. Unfortunately, Tyrone became very ill in December and sadly did not recover from his illness. Tyrone had just completed his K9 training in November. Even though the department only had him for a short time, he will be greatly missed. The passing of Tyrone brought K9 Rex out of retirement and back to full duty. Several generous donations from community members were made to the K9 program in Tyrone’s memory. This will allow for two new K9s to be purchased in early 2022.

In memory of K9 Tyrone

Chief Podany with Officer Larson, presenting K9 Rex with a Recognition Award for his faithful and devoted service to the City of Blaine.

K9 Rex and K9 Remy have a combined total of 18 years of service.

20 | 2021 Annual Report

Community Service Officers (CSOs)

The CSO team is comprised of part-time employees who are working toward earning their degree in law enforcement. They handle a variety of nonemergency calls for service such as vehicle lockouts, animal complaints, and motorist assists.

While in the CSO program they are provided with training and mentoring that prepares them for a future sworn officer position. They help with many of the day-to-day functions within the police department that keep things running smoothly.

The CSO team is comprised of four part-timers and one full-time member. The full-time CSO, Justin Adamski, is responsible for fleet maintenance. He works closely with our vendors, dealerships, and mechanics to get our vehicles set up and keeps the fleet of over 60 police vehicles running smoothly all year round.

Field Training Officer Program (FTO)

Sergeant Joe Gerhard oversaw the field-training program in 2021. As the field training program coordinator, he is responsible for the scheduling and tracking of the progress through the program of all new officer recruits.

Sergeant Gerhard developed an in-house POST Board approved field-training program. The revised and updated system created a field training program that exceeds our own very high standards and generated the flexibility needed to meet the demand for new officers at a time when recruiting challenges in the police field are ubiquitous nationwide.

As trainees work their way through the program, the FTO coordinator reports to the Field Training Advisory Board. The board makes recommendations for continued advancement in the program or referrals for additional training. The field training staff successfully trained nine new officers. This recruiting effort and hard work by the field training staff resulted in the department being fully staffed for the first time in many years.

DWI Grant Officer

Officer Jake Green conducted 809 hours of DWI enforcement in 2021 under a grant project funded by the MN Department of Public Safety – Office of Traffic Safety. During this time, he conducted 982 traffic stops throughout the City of Blaine. He investigated 60 DWI violations that resulted in the arrest of the driver. Officer Green is a trained Drug Recognition Effort (DRE) and has the expertise to identify drug-impaired drivers and get them removed from our roadways.

In addition to his impressive DWI statistics, Officer Green’s frequent contacts with motorists resulted in 90 total arrests, 459 traffic citations issued, 45 vehicles impounded and 94 drivers cited for driving without a valid license. Officer Green issued a combined 999 citations and warnings for traffic violations in 2021, despite the decreased volume of traffic on our roadways due to the pandemic.

Retail Unit

The retail unit is primarily responsible for providing enhanced patrol in the greater Northtown commercial district. They work to build relationships with retailers and visitors to the mall as well as adjacent businesses. They serve as a deterrent to thefts and other criminal activities in the densely populated region of the City and look for innovative ways to keep the region free from retail crime.

The dedicated officers of the retail unit, supervised

by Sergeant Nate Hatanpa, work to identify repeat offenders and members of organized retail crime rings. That information is shared among the members of TCORCA (Twin Cities Organized Retail Crime Association), an organization comprised of police and community stakeholders who share data about these repeat offenders and larger retail crime groups so they can be identified and stopped.

Retail Unit Stats Calls for Service: 633 Call Assists: 304 Self-Initiated Contacts: 213 Traffic Stops: 105

Citations: 26 Arrests: 36 Non-Custodial Arrest: 9 Narcotics Recoveries: 10

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Traffic Unit

An important component to any police agency’s public safety plan is the enforcement of traffic laws. The dedicated traffic enforcement unit is comprised of Officer Travis Hale who was joined by Officer Trent Bachman in November.

Traffic enforcement officers in the City of Blaine have many roles besides stopping violators and issuing citations. They are also tasked with assisting our engineering department with collecting data and proposing solutions to traffic complaints and roadway design issues to the Traffic Commission. The traffic enforcement unit has several tools at their disposal to aid in the collection of data including both discreet data collection devices and driver feedback signs that are deployed in order to change driver behavior.

The traffic unit responds to driving complaints and uses an analytical approach to problem solving, oftentimes collecting data to determine the validity of the concern before deploying additional resources. They continue to strive to have the most efficient and effective traffic enforcement unit possible.

student drop-off and pick-up times to remind motorists of the need to be mindful of the presence of children. Members of our traffic unit, supervised by Sergeant Nate Hatanpa, collaborated with school districts, individual administrators, and county and city engineering departments while advising the Traffic Commission to devise long-term solutions to ongoing concerns.

In 2021 the traffic unit was asked to put together a comprehensive plan to deal with the significant safety challenge of illegal street racing. These very large groups of outlaw car enthusiasts travel from city to city throughout the metro area, oftentimes creating a significant public safety concern with impromptu illegal racing, exhibitionist driving behavior, illicit drug trafficking, and activity involving firearms. In May, the traffic unit devised a multijurisdictional response protocol that included several neighboring agencies and air support from the State Patrol to hold race attendees accountable and to deter their future activities in Blaine. The operations plan that the traffic unit put together has become the standard by which most metro agencies adopt when confronted with criminal street racing concerns in their cities.

In 2021 the Department of Public Safety – Office of Traffic Safety acquired a fully equipped Ford F-150 to aid in the enforcement of distracted driving violations. This truck is intended to be shared by metro area police departments who are seeking additional creative ways to enforce traffic laws when a fully marked squad car would be impractical. The truck was loaned to our traffic unit in December and was used to make contact with 139 drivers resulting in 97 citations and 118 verbal warnings being issued.

Violation of Minnesota’s Hand Free law made up 85 of the citations and warnings.

At the start of the school year, the traffic unit learned of significant traffic congestion and hazardous crosswalk situations at our schools.

They responded with the assistance of our patrol officers and provided significant coverage of our school zones and crosswalks during

Department of Public Safety—Office of Traffic Safety Ford F-150

22 | 2021 Annual Report

Community Assistance Team

The community assistance team (CAT) was developed in 2018 in response to a growing need to provide additional resources to our more vulnerable residents. The program receives referrals from our patrol staff in the course of responding to calls for service. When a resident of Blaine is found to have mental health or medical concerns that generate repeat calls for service, an assessment is conducted to determine if the resident would benefit from having county resources directed towards them. These resources may include mental health, financial, or housing specialists. The dedicated team of four Blaine police officers work tirelessly to assist the vulnerable population and have had numerous successes providing compassionate care for those who most need it. Since 2018, over 150 referrals have been made to the CAT team.

Reserves

The police reserves unit is comprised of volunteers who donate their time to supplement the patrol division with uniformed patrols of the City and assisting with traffic direction and crowd control at larger city events. Some of the members are simply community members looking to be part of something significant in their community. Others join in order to explore the police profession to find out if it is a good fit for their career endeavors.

The reserves receive in-service training including use-of-force, report writing, patrol tactics, and they attend monthly meetings. They are often asked to assist with non-emergency calls for service such as vehicle lockouts, motorist assists, and animal control calls.

In December, long time police reserve Tim Cyson celebrated 40 years of volunteer service to the City of Blaine and its residents.

He has served the City with dignity, integrity, professionalism, and most of all… enthusiasm.

Reserve Officer Cyson has the distinction of not only being the reserve officer with the most longevity, but the reserve officer who continues to contribute the most volunteer hours year after year, amassing a career with thousands of hours donated to the community.

Reserve officer Cyson was featured in a story by the local community television station. He was also recognized at the City Council meeting in December in front of a large group of his colleagues, family, and friends.

Blaine Police Department | 23

Explorers

The Blaine Police Department established the police explorer post in 1991, with current Blaine police department members Captain Pelkey and Officer Evens being two of the inaugural members.

The mission of the police explorer post is to provide youth ages 14-21 in our community the opportunity to learn about law enforcement through training, volunteering, and hands on experience. The mission is accomplished by attendance at weekly meetings from September to April, volunteering at numerous community events throughout the year, and riding along with officers to see firsthand law enforcement at work.

The dedicated explorer advisors provide the explorers with training to set them up for success in a future career in law enforcement if they so choose. They teach life skills, such as teamwork, leadership, conflict management, and decisive thinking, which are transferable to any career.

Currently, the program has 12 active explorers, who are high school and college students. The program is supervised by Sergeant Wes Villegas and administered by a lead post advisor (Officer Hale) and associate advisors (Officers Stefczak, Klimisch, Brownell, Arnsdorf, Traffie, Sergeant Nordby, and CSOs Ahlers and Johnson), who assist with training, managing finances, planning events, and recruiting.

The explorers are organized with an explorer captain and two explorer sergeants who aid officers in running weekly meetings, staff events, and other administrative work.

There was not a Minnesota Law Enforcement Explorer Association Annual Conference in 2021.

The explorers attended a mini-state competition on June 27, 2021. The competition was similar to the annual conference and put the explorers to the test in 13 competitive scenarios where they are challenged to perform at a very high level.

The event also included a marksmanship competition. We are pleased to report that, once again, our program represented Blaine PD well, earning a total of nine awards in both team and individual competitions!

The explorers also helped again with major City events such as the 3M Open, the Blaine Festival fireworks show and parade, and many other events in Blaine and surrounding communities.

At these events, the explorers play an integral part in event operations and work extremely hard to ensure events are both successful and safe. In 2021, the explorers volunteered a total of 1,229 hours at community events and explorer functions!

The police department is extremely proud of the explorers and all the hard work they put forth, both in training and in volunteering for our community!

24 | 2021 Annual Report

Special Operations

the drug task force.

The special operations division saw a change in leadership with the retirement of Captain Todd Olson in June. Captain Dan Pelkey (pictured) took over and is responsible for investigations, directed operations, administrative investigations, and

Investigations

The investigations unit was led by Sergeant Russ Clark until his promotion to Captain in July, at which time Sergeant Wes Villegas was transferred from the patrol division to the special operations division. He oversees 11 detectives.

A new full-time crime analyst position was added to the division. Rebecca Florhaug was hired in May and she works as part of our investigative team to assist detectives with suspect identification, cell phone forensics, crime pattern analysis, and crime mapping. She also gathers and analyzes statistics to facilitate growth and improvement of various units within the department. Florhaug has taken an active role in tracking catalytic converter thefts as well as developing a camera registry program for the residents of Blaine.

The division investigated 1,042 cases and of those, 499 were cleared by arrest and 297 were suspended. There were 766 permits to purchase backgrounds conducted and 20 employment backgrounds completed.

Notable cases:  Detective Ben Johnson investigated a felony domestic assault where the suspect was barricaded with a four year old child. Numerous officers surrounded the residence and attempted to call the suspect out but the suspect spoke a rare dialect of Thai, making communication difficult. A SWAT response ensued and ultimately the suspect surrendered

with no harm to him or the boy. A Saint Paul PD officer who speaks this dialect of Thai was able to speak to the suspect on our behalf, going above and beyond to resolve the matter peacefully. The trial is pending on charges of felony domestic assault by strangulation, 2nd degree assault, and threats of violence.  Detective Tom Johann investigated a burglary of

a residence where several thousand dollars in property, cars, and cash were reported missing when the victims returned home from being out of town. The investigation led to the suspects who confessed and were charged.

 Retail Detective Paul Estby investigated a black

Friday Best Buy theft that involved several other agencies. Ultimately, eight adults and two juveniles were charged in the case.

 Detective Zach Johnson responded to a gun

pointing incident in the parking lot of Applebee’s. The victim reported the license plate information from the suspect vehicle. The vehicle and the suspect were located within a few hours, along with the gun used in the assault. The suspect was arrested and charged with 2nd degree assault.

 Detective Kelly Jahnke investigated a damage to

property/theft/stolen vehicle. A group of males obtained a stolen truck and hooked a chain onto an ATM machine pulling the face off and attempted to steal the contents. During the investigation it quickly became apparent that a large group of males were traveling around the country stealing vehicles and committing thefts at ATMs. Working together with the BCA, FBI, other agencies, and our crime analyst, some of the suspects were identified.

 Detective Orin Christensen investigated a

criminal vehicular homicide case where a vehicle traveling on 109th Avenue struck an adult pedestrian and fled the scene. The victim died of their injuries. The adult male driver and vehicle were located in a short period of time and the driver was charged with criminal vehicular homicide.

Blaine Police Department | 25

Directed Operations Group (DOG)

The directed operations group (DOG) has two officers assigned to the unit. A full-time dedicated detective was added this year to assist with backgrounds, criminal complaints, and predatory offender compliance. The unit completed the following checks:    

Investigations Stats

99 alcohol compliance checks 50 tobacco compliance checks 140 predatory offender registered (POR) checks 8 massage compliance checks

They also completed 11 total background investigations for alcohol, tobacco, and massage license requests.

Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force

The department has two detectives assigned to the Anoka Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force (AHNVCTF.) During the summer months a school resource officer is also assigned to assist the team.

The detectives investigate large scale narcotics trafficking and sales in Blaine and the surrounding cities. They also assist with fugitive apprehension.

A Blaine detective was assigned the task force K9 Storm, who is trained specifically in narcotics detection.

K9 Storm

Gun Permits Processed

1,392

766 600

2017

491

2018

464

2019

All misdemeanor to felony level crimes are investigated.

2020

2021

26 | 2021 Annual Report

Emergency Management Captain Mark Boerboom (pictured) took over the emergency management division from Captain Dan Pelkey in July. As the emergency management director, Captain Boerboom is in charge of coordinating the emergency preparedness for both the police department and the City of Blaine. As part of those duties and responsibilities, the emergency management division seeks to prepare the community for coordinated and planned special events as well as disasters and emergencies.

The division continued to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic working with city administration to help maintain the safety of all City staff, while resuming many normal functions. Below are some of the divisional highlights from the year:  Installed a new outdoor warning siren at East Lake Park.  Worked with Anoka County Public Health to update the Point of Distribution (POD) site at the

National Sports Center. This site would be used in the event of a public health emergency where a large portion of the population may need to receive medicine or medical supplies quickly. The Anoka County Community Health & Environmental Services Department would be the source for providing medicine and medical supplies to the population of Anoka County.

 Updated the Blaine Continuity of Operation Plan (COOP). A COOP plan describes an organization's

essential functions, associated personnel and resources, and processes for protecting and maintaining those functions, personnel, and resources, during an emergency.

 Mobile Field Force (MFF). A MFF team is a specially organized team of police officers trained to

support anti-riot operations through the use of maneuver tactics aimed at dispersing crowds or extracting agitators and leaders from larger groups. The Blaine Police Department deployed their MFF team to assist with the civil unrest in Brooklyn Center following the Daunte Wright incident.

Approximately 20 MFF officers were sent to Brooklyn Center the night of the incident and another 20 MFF officers were sent to the City of Champlin the following day.

 Liaison to the City Hall remodel project which entailed working closely with the contractors to

identify police department needs.

 Planned and successfully executed a safety plan for the 3M Open PGA tournament.

The Goodyear Blimp made an appearance at the 3M Open PGA Tournament in July

Blaine Police Department | 27

Support Services The records division is under the supervision of the Support Services Manager Wende Ferguson. The team consists of a lead technician and four records technicians. This division is the heart of the police department providing support services to the public, a variety of agencies, and internal personnel.

The division has absorbed additional responsibilities due to staffing changes and operated at or below staff minimums for a majority of the year. The five records technician members continue to utilize technology for moving documents through various systems and agencies making for a more efficient workflow.

Statistical data of reports processed is displayed below. The overall number of incidents processed was lower than previous years; however, the accident reports processed were significantly higher than last year, but still lower than previous years.

Incident Reports Processed 21,481 19,250 20,086 18,580

17,974

Accident Reports Processed

1,573

1,568

1,545

1,203 1,064

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

28 | 2021 Annual Report

Awards Chief’s Compassion Award This award is selected by Chief Podany and awarded to those who have gone particularly above and beyond in showing care and compassion to the citizens they serve.

Officer Gordy Fiske received the Chief’s Compassion Award for his exceptional work on the Community Assistance Team.

Officer Gordy Fiske

Department Commendation Award Selected by the awards committee, this is awarded to a member of the department who distinguishes themselves for an act of achievement that is beyond the normal performance required of that member; or which has a significant impact to the department or community; or which reflects great credit upon the department and the law enforcement profession as a whole.

Captain Mark Boerboom

Captain Mark Boerboom received the Department Commendation Award for the outstanding project management of the police department renovation.

Blaine Police Department | 29

Promotions Sergeant

Captain

Barry Koch

Brad Nordby

Russ Clark

Retirements

Terry Wachtler Records Technician Retired 3/26/2021 3 Years with BPD

Todd Olson Captain Retired 6/25/2021 30 Years with BPD

Mark Farrell Patrol Officer Retired 8/19/2021 27 Years with BPD

30 | 2021 Annual Report

Staff Roster Patrol Officers Administration Brian Podany, Police Chief Dan Szykulski, Deputy Chief Cara Rand, Executive Assistant

Captains

Mark Boerboom, Emergency Mgmt Matt Carlson, Patrol Russ Clark, Administrative Services Dan Pelkey, Special Operations

Sergeants

Ted Berg, Administrative Services Joe Gerhard, Patrol Nate Hatanpa, Patrol Ben H. Johnson Patrol Barry Koch, Patrol Brad Nordby, Patrol Mike Rygg, Patrol Joe Sadler, Patrol Wes Villegas, Special Operations Jeff Warner, Patrol

Investigations

Orin Christensen Paul Estby (retail) Brandon Fettig (AHDTF) Rebecca Florhaug* (Crime Analyst) Karen Hamann Kelly Jahnke (provisional) Tom Johann Ben J. Johnson Zach Johnson (provisional) James Ross (provisional) Mike Sommer (provisional DOG) Josh Sundgaard (AHDTF)

Mark Allen, K9 Alex Arnsdorf Kyle Augustin Trent Bachman, Traffic Dale Bernardy Grant Breems Thomas “TJ” Brownell Frank Caruso Cassandra Ciupik* Jacob Cree* Jason Domino Tim Evens Gordon Fiske Jake Green, Traffic/DWI Kurt Greene* Travis Hale, Traffic Blake Katzenmaier* Samantha Klimisch Haley Larson, SRO Reggie Larson, K9 Caleb Link Joe Matzke Jackie McIntosh Omar Molinos* Alex Moore Pete Noll* Jason Oman, SRO Nathan Peterson Travis Peterson Don Plowman* Justin Pohlman* Joe Ramirez, SRO Laura Rolfes Matt Schlenker, DOG Justin Schweigert Cory Schmidt Dan Stefczak Trent Strandberg, DOG Nick Traffie Tou Vang, SRO David Velasquez* Mike Vollman, Retail Katie Weinberg Savana West* Brian Wiens Valerie Zeman Dan Zimmerman*

Support Services

Wende Ferguson, Manager Jean Andersen Jen Bedell Donna Camp-Madigan* Andrea Jordan Kelly Karas

Evidence

Brooke Jacobson, Supervisor Glory Ann Boland

Community Service Officers Justin Adamski Carly Ahlers Jackson Erickson* Jaden Johnson Zachary Prokosch

Reserves

Andrew Benson Nicholas Bownes Timothy Cyson Jesse Fluey Mackenzie Foster Justin Fournier Cassandra Jordan William Lehman James Michael Cristiano Rosa

*New in 2021

Blaine Police Department | 31

Oath of Office “I do solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States, the Laws of the State of Minnesota, the Charter and Municipal Code of the City of Blaine, and to faithfully discharge the duties as Police Officer of the City of Blaine to the best of my judgment and ability.

I also affirm to uphold the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, the Blaine Police Department Mission Statement, and the Departments Core Values.”

Acknowledgements Mayor Tim Sanders

City Councilmembers Wes Hovland Jason Smith Julie Jeppson Jess Robertson Chris Massoglia Richard Paul

City Manager Michelle Wolfe

City of Blaine 10801 Town Square Drive NE Blaine, MN 55449 763-784-6700 BlaineMN.gov