SROs, POR Compliance

OWATONNA POLICE DEPARTMENT—2018 Annual Report

School Resource Officers

The Owatonna Police Department and the Owatonna Public School District 761 partner in many ways, but none more recognizable as the School Resource Officers assigned to the Owatonna High School and the Owatonna Middle School. Detective Brady Vaith is the SRO primarily assigned to the Owatonna High School, but also covers the ISD 761 Alternative Learning Center. Detective Matt Oeltjenbruns is the SRO primarily assigned to the Owatonna Middle School, but also covers all elementary schools. Both detectives have received specific, formal training and certifications to work as School Resource Officers. School Resource Officers wear many hats such as informal counselor, mentor, educator and law enforcement officer, but their key function is to help provide a friendly, safe learning environment for the students and staff where students can come to learn and grow into future leaders in our community.

Detectives Oeltjenbruns & Vaith work with school district staff to implement new training in active aggression response called ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter & Evacuate).

Predatory Offender Registry

In April, Detectives Oeltjenbruns, Vaith, Berg and Evidence Technician Dub worked with students at the Owatonna Middle School during forensics classes on crime scene processing. Detective Christian Berg currently oversees the Owatonna Police Department’s Predatory Offender Program. Historically, the City of Owatonna fluctuates between 70 and 80 offenders who reside within the city. Predatory offenders are broken down into four risk levels. In 2018, there were (4) level 3 PORs living in the city, which is considered the highest risk level. Beyond that there were (15) level 2 PORs and (11) level 1 PORs. There were additional offenders who do not have an assigned risk level. Detective Berg engages the community through means of notifications when level 3 offenders move into the community and / or change their primary residence. Our agency also addresses concerns and answers questions that community members may have through notification meetings held at the Law Enforcement Center.

The Owatonna Police Department prides itself through our working relationships with other state, local and federal law enforcement and probation / parole agencies who frequently assist with home, office and unannounced visits of clients. In 2018, Detective Berg was assigned to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force where he works on both proactive and reactive investigations into human trafficking and sexual exploitation cases.