2017 Annual Report by Fargo Police Department

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

fargopolice.com

COMMON PURPOSE

We provide services that are driven by genuine care forÂ ourÂ community, each other and the laws we are trusted to uphold.

CONTENTS

COMMON PURPOSE

CRIME IN FARGO

OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

FIELD SERVICES DIVISION

WELCOME and thank you for your interest in the operations of the Fargo Police Department. We have a lot of exciting growth happening at the Fargo Police Department along with some significant projects we are in the midst of accomplishing. We are halfway into the project of moving into a new police headquarters, which is the Border States Electric building at 105 25th St. N. We have moved our Field Services Division, which comprises approximately 130 full-time employees into half of the building and they are operational out of that location. We are in the midst of working with an architect for the up-fit of the rest of the building and anticipate moving the Investigations Division and the Administrative Division into the new location in 2019. Our Part 1 crimes have remained fairly stable, but we have continued to see a rise in Part 2 crimes especially in crimes related to quality of life in our community and drugs. While our arrests have continued to climb, we find we are dealing with the same criminals (who are career criminals) time after time. Most of these crimes fall within the misdemeanor to class C felony category and seem to get very little in terms of sentencing. I fear this recidivism will increase the likelihood of victimization and may start to affect quality of life in our community. Thanks to the support of our city commission, the Fargo Police Department has been able to add staff in order to keep up with a rapidly growing community. Currently the Fargo Police Department is authorized to staff 178 sworn officers and approximately 24 nonsworn staff. As the community has grown, so have the challenges associated with protecting and serving our community. I am incredibly proud of the men and women at the Fargo Police Department and I know what an honor it is to be the chief of their organization.

I hope you enjoy our 2017 Annual Report. DAVID E. TODD Chief of Police

Patrol Community Trust Officers Cultural Liaison Officer Downtown Resource Officers School Resource Officers K9 Police Explorers Post 359 SWAT

INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES DIVISION Criminal Investigations Unit Narcotics Unit Street Crimes Unit

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIVISION Finance Crime Prevention Fun Facts New Headquarters Awards A Year in Photos

C R I M E

I N

F A R G O

The statistics below meet the requirements of the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI compiles and publishes crime data for the nation regularly. The Uniform Crime Reports are divided into Part I and Part II crimes. Part I offenses are considered more serious and include violent crimes. Other less serious offenses are classified asÂ Part II crimes. Â Fargo's crime rate is approximately 35 Part I crimes per 1,000 people, based on the U.S. Census Bureau 2016 population estimate for Fargo of 120,762.

Offenses Reported

*data subject to change

OFFICE

PROFESSIONAL

SERGEANT JARED CRANE

STANDARDS

The Fargo Police Department's Office of Professional Standards was established to ensure the quality and integrity of police services to the community.

Personnel Complaints The Office of Professional Standards investigated 14 personnel complaints in 2017 involving 14 officers. Four complaints involved vehicle crashes, and all four were sustained. There were six complaints for rules of conduct violations including two failure to report for duty for court; one failure to follow a supervisor's directive; one conduct unbecoming; one domestic assault arrest, and one discarding contraband. All complaints were sustained.

Incident Reviews In 2017, 92 incidents were reviewed, involving 112 officers. The reviews involved response-to-resistance, officer involved crashes, and motor vehicle pursuits. In 58 incidents, Fargo Officers used force to overcome resistance, of those incidents, 57 were determined to have been within policy. There were 33 officer involved crashes reviewed, and 24 were determined to have been preventable. One motor vehicle pursuit was reviewed and is still pending investigation.

SAFETY

How Fargo

District 1: Beats 11, 12, and 13 District 2: Beats 21, 22, and 23 District 3: Beats 31, 32, and 33 District 4: Beats 41, 42, and 43

is Patrolled

F I E L D P

S E R V I C E S

District 1 LT. CHRIS HELMICK

D I V I S I O N DEPUTY CHIEF ROSS RENNER

In 2017, District 1 saw a reduction in crime for the second year in a row. District officers worked extremely hard to reduce the occurrence of burglaries, stolen vehicles and thefts from motor vehicles. The district saw a slight increase in property crimes and a reduction in assaults, robberies, and domestic assaults. Traffic crashes in the district were down 14 percent! District officers increased their presence in the downtown area by conducting frequent foot patrols, and issued citations to address panhandling, disorderly behavior, and alcohol issues. The Downtown Resource Officers also continued to work with several organizations regarding downtown issues and strengthened existing relationships with the downtown community. Extra officers were allocated to the Roosevelt neighborhood at key times during the year to address underage drinking, littering, and loud party concerns. The district saw a high concentration of crime around rental properties near the Northport area. District officers spent extra time patrolling those properties and worked with property managers to deal with problem tenants.

In 2017, the Field Services Division focused on reducing crime in the City of Fargo through focused patrols and concentrating on the individuals who were driving the crime numbers. Even though the department saw a slight increase in crime, we did see a decrease in property crimes such as vehicle theft and theft from vehicles.

District officers provided extra patrol, placed a speed wagon, and speed counters in the area. These pieces of technology gathered data that showed traffic speed in the area was below the speed limit, and there was no need to install further engineering to the road.

District 3 LT. GEORGE VINSON

In 2017, District 3 supervisors and officers primary focus was to reduce the occurrence of burglary and unlawful vehicle entries. The supervisors utilized social media outlets to distribute crime trend and crime prevention information, while officers focused on intelligence led patrol.

District 2 LT. TRAVIS STEFONOWICZ

In 2017, District 2 was significantly impacted by one individual who was identified and arrested for 49 cases which included thefts, gas drive offs, and domestic calls for service. A lot of great collaborated work went into tracking and arresting this suspect without any of our officers getting hurt. Burglary, theft prevention, and apprehension were the district's primary focuses for the year. Officers on the day shift made approximately 230 arrests in relation to warrant patrols and intelligence lead policing. One of the biggest accomplishments district officers made in 2017, was addressing loud party complaints around the NDSU campus area. Officers took a zero tolerance approach by issuing citations and making arrests when appropriate. Officers also partnered with NDSU campus police to help address these complaints, and by the end of the year we received less complaints. The district received several complaints regarding speed violations in the 800 block of South University Drive.

Throughout the year, officers came into contact with individuals during their patrol duties, and through their investigations were able to determine the individuals were responsible for multiple criminal offenses. Due to of these arrests, the district saw a 15 percent decrease of burglaries, and 22 percent decrease of unlawful vehicle entries.

District 4 LT. WILLIAM AHLFELDT

In 2017, District 4 experienced an increase of crime in beat 43, the southernmost beat of the district. The area saw property crime sprees that included slashed tires and garage burglaries. District officers worked hard to identify the individuals who were committing these crimes and allocated extra patrols in an effort to deter further crime. In a majority of these cases, suspects were identified and arrested. In an effort to reduce the occurrences of garage burglaries, district supervisors and officers initiated conversations with several apartment management companies to encourage them to change their garage door locking mechanisms that had been easily defeated by burglars. Other crimes that affected the district were thefts which largely occurred in the district's retail areas along the 13th Ave. S. corridor. Officers worked with business management to find ways to work together to reduce crime within and around their property.

COMMUNITY TRUST OFFICERS OFFICERS MATTHEW NIEMEYER + MICHAEL BLOOM In 2017, the Community Trust Officers (CTO), Michael Bloom and Matt Niemeyer, continued their mission to use community engagement as a foundation for building relationships and trust between the Fargo Police Department and the people of Fargo by participating in multiple outreach events and community activities. In the spring, they partnered with Barbot Boxing and Fitness to help mentor five youth. The officers worked with five families to have their kids attend the practices at least once per week. They believed that boxing could be an outlet for the kids to release stress and anger. They also knew that a lot of discipline goes into the sport of boxing which could be beneficial for the kids in the future. During the summer, they partnered with CHARISM to co-host the C4 (community,

the other half. Calvary United Methodist Church generously donated daily snacks and funding for karate lessons with Dakota Dragon Defense and TNT Kid’s Fitness field trips.

Photo Credit: Fargo Monthly

character, cops, and CHARISM) at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School. Fifty boys and girls were selected from Carl Ben Eielson Middles School , Jefferson Elementary School, Ed Clapp Elementary School, Lewis and Clark Elementary School, and Lincoln Elementary School. Staffing was provided by CHARISM, Boys and Girls Club, Fargo Public Schools, three Fargo Officers, and an Intern from Concordia College. Bell Bank generously donated funding for project materials and half of the cost for hip-hop dance lessons by the Fargo South High School Dance Team, while The Arts Partnership donated

During the summer, they learned about a young male who was unable to participate in the FM Athletics football league due to financial issues. The young male was having a lot of issues outside of the home and getting into trouble with the police, so they helped the young male get a scholarship to participate. After completing the season, the head coach advised them that the young male was one of the best players on the team and did very well with the other kids on the team. In the fall, they partnered with Fargo First Assembly of God Church, Life Church and hip hop recording artist DPB to host the second annual Fargo United events. The first set of events were held at

Photo Credit: Urban Toad Media

The CTO officers sat on the Juvenile Drug Court Board in 2017 seeking to help the students in Drug Court improve in their sobriety. During the winter, they held a Citizens Academy for these students where they focused on improving transparency between the students and law enforcement, along with helping the students realize their full potential. The academy consisted of classroom discussion, job shadows with employers in the city, ride-alongs and live scenarios where the students took on the role of law enforcement officers.

Davies High School and Fargo South High School during the lunch time hour. DPB performed during all of the lunch periods and created a fun and exciting atmosphere. The students at both schools participated in dance-offs along with the teachers and the schools SRO. In September, Fargo United was hosted in Willow Park and Spider Park. During these events DPB performed a variety of songs, creating a fun and engaging atmosphere to dance, sing, and have fun as a community in whole. Throughout the year, the CTO's visited Luther Hall. In February, they took a group of kids from Luther Hall to see the band Skillet at the Fargo Civic Center. They were able to take the entire group of residents backstage to meet the band before the show.

During the fall, they collaborated with hip hop artist DPB to write the song "UNITY" and created a music video as a tool to engage with our local youth, and show them our police officers are approachable and trustworthy. The song also encourages our community to come together as one, no matter what background you come from. The music video was premiered at the Fargo Theater to celebrate the youth from Jefferson Elementary School and Fargo South High School who starred in the video, and raise awareness of the CTO program. The Badges of Unity Fund, through the Impact Foundation, was also created to raise funds which will be used to support local youth who are unable to participate in programming and activities in our community due to financial hardship.

CULTURAL LIAISON OFFICER OFFICER VINCE KEMPF In 2017, Cultural Liaison Officer Vince Kempf continued to work on building stronger relationships between the police department and the various cultural communities in our city. In February 2017, a Fargo Police Officer misunderstood what was a sweat lodge in Fargo and made an arrest causing disruption between the department, our community, and the Native American community. Afterwards, Officer Kempf worked to train all officers regarding the customs of Native American sweat lodges, where the Native American Commission Sweat Lodge is located in Fargo, and how to handle calls for service involving the sweat lodge.

In November, during district training, Officer Kempf taught officers about how many refugees came into North Dakota over the past year, and which countries they were from.

Photo Credit: Urban Toad Media

Officer Kempf highlighted some of the many challenges new refugees face, and provided some background on the Bhutanese and Congolese communities so officers could understand how they became refugees and the struggles they had in their former countries. Officer Kempf spoke about the option of using interpreters during calls for service and investigations to better understand and communicate with those who are unable to speak english. As refugees settled in Fargo, Officer Kempf spoke with each group during their initial orientation. He spent two to four hours with each group explaining certain laws and how law enforcement may be very different from what they are familiar with in their home countries. He also talked about the importance of parenting children, and has partnered with a Lutheran Social Services Strengthening Specialist to better explain parenting requirements with New American parents. Officer Kempf worked with the Adult Learning Center to start a program to provide additional educational information during the New American initial orientation.

Each month, he presents to all English language classes at the Adult Learning Center covering topics such as emergency vehicles and traffic stops, domestic violence, and any other topics brought to his attention by students or issues he sees happening in the community.

Officer Kempf continued to expand and network with other regional law enforcement Cultural Liaison Officers to help build relationships between all cultures and law enforcement agencies.

Some of the top issues Officer Kempf dealt with in 2017 included: the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline in western North Dakota; the Fargo City Commission request for costs pertaining to refugees; the North Dakota House Bill 1427 that tracks refugees and money spent providing services to them; the US travel bans for individuals from certain countries, an incident in a Walmart parking lot between a Caucasian woman and two females with ethnic background that quickly went viral; and the murder of Savanna Greywind. Officer Kempf met with individuals who organized rallies and protests, attended and monitored the protests, and worked with the Fargo Human Relations Commission to address questions the commissioners had regarding refugees.

Photo Credit: Urban Toad Media

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS

SERGEANT KEVIN PALLAS

New SROs

SRO Facebook

Discovery Middle School SRO Amy Kingzett developed a Facebook page to share positive student-officer interactions and activities. This page allows parents to see these interactions throughout the school year, and be aware of concerns and trends among the youth in the school.

Cocoa With a Cop

Fargo South SRO Cristie Jacobsen hosted Cocoa With a Cop during the lunch hours to encourage positive engagement with students.

The School Resource program welcomed Officer Derek Johnson at Davies High School and Officer Jason Abel at North High School. School Resource Officers serve a five year assignment. Once their assignment is up, the position is opened up to provide professional growth and opportunity to other officers in the department. Several great candidates applied for the two new positions and Officers Johnson and Abel were chosen to serve and partner with Fargo Public Schools.

S C H O O L

R E S O U R C E

O F F I C E R S

Safety Town

Each summer our school resource officers help put on Safety Town, along with the Fargo Optimist Club. This program helps children learn safety procedures through involvement in both classroom and outdoor instruction. Discovery Middle School SRO Amy Kingzett helped children learn about pedestrian and bike safety as well as stranger danger and traffic signs. UNITY in the School

Fargo South SRO Cristie Jacobsen and Davies SRO Derek Johnson coordinated with the Community Trust Officers to host a lunch hour of UNITY. This event brought the students together with music and inspirational dialogue to promote unity between the students and law enforcement.

Basketball Program

Criminal Justice Club

Fargo South SRO Cristie Jacobsen hosted her second year of the Criminal Justice Club by inviting a variety of speakers to come in and educate her students about the various specialty positions within the police department. The topics included crime scene investigation, the bomb squad, traffic and accident reconstruction, and the K9 Unit.

Woodrow Wilson SRO Kyle Ness started an after school basketball program that occurs one day each week to engage in positive conversations with youth outside the classroom and hallways.

D O W N T O W N

R E S O U R C E

O F F I C E R S

Officers Jesseca White and Scott Normandin continued their work with local businesses and community organizations to provide enhanced police services to the downtown area, working towards a revitalized, safe and vibrant downtown. The Downtown Resource Officers were involved with several presentations with the FM Homeless Coalition and Homeless Outreach to discuss issues with the homeless population, common misconceptions and how to better engage with the population as downtown stakeholders. The Downtown Resource Officers also continued to be visibly present in downtown through foot patrol and routine checks of downtown businesses. Officer White helped 14 individuals complete the Downtown Community Work Program to help stop the"revolving door." As of December 31, 2017, $18,830 in fines had been worked off, equaling 1,830 hours of work.

K9 UNIT LT. GEORGE VINSON In 2017, the Fargo Police K9 Unit continued its successes through assisting patrol, our Narcotics unit, the Metro Street Crimes Unit, and surrounding police agencies in tracking, apprehending criminals, and locating illegal drugs. The K9 Unit deployed more than 394 times and completed several public demonstrations. The K9 Unit added a new member to their team in May. Blue is a Belgian Malinois with a high drive. Blue got his name through a participation post on the department's Facebook page prior to his selection. The department solicited names from their followers and then narrowed the names down to three. From there, the department again solicited a vote as to which of the three names the new K9 should be called, and "Blue" won by a landslide.

K9 FALCO K9 Falco has been with the department since 2012, and has become the unit's go-to-dog due to his drive, knowledge, and experience. In 2017, K9 Falco was deployed 33 times for Patrol and 147 times for our Narcotics Unit, for a total of 180 times. K9 Falco had some memorable experiences in 2017. He helped West Fargo PD apprehend a suspect that had been involved in a pursuit in a stolen vehicle. K9 Falco located the suspect hiding behind a concrete culvert. K9 Falco helped Clay and Cass County Deputies locate suspects involved in a felony vehicle pursuit hiding in a heavily wooded area. He located one suspect in tall grass under some guardrails, and the other in a ravine under some dead trees. During the 2017 National Police Canine Association trials, K9 Falco won second place overall in narcotics detection, and third place overall in patrol work.

K9 BLUE In 2017, K9 Blue was deployed nine times for Patrol and 84 times for the Narcotic Unit, for a total of 93 deployments.

K9 EARL In June, K9 Earl retired as the most successful K9 in department history. During his 10 years of service, he was deployed 1,937 times, seized over $550,000 in narcotics, and over $1 million dollars from drug dealers. Sadly, shortly after retirement, K9 Earl suffered an injury and subsequently was euthanized.

Blue hit the ground running, and alerted on a vehicle that was believed to be involved in narcotics trafficking where he located two ounces of methamphetamine. In a separate incident, Blue alerted on a door sniff that led to the recovery of several stolen firearms tied to local burglaries. K9 Blue helped out at the US Postal Service with a suspicious package at the downtown sorting facility. Blue alerted to the package and a search warrant was obtained, resulting in the seizure of three quarters of a pound of cocaine.

ry o m e In M K9 Earl E.O.W.Â June 18, 2017

F A R G O

P O L I C E

E X P L O R E R S

P O S T

# 3 5 9

The Fargo Police Department started up the Police Explorers post in October to provide opportunities to mentor young men and women who are interested in a career in law enforcement and related fields. The program has nine mentors under the leadership of Lieutenant George Vinson, and 15 explorers. in 2017, the explorers learned about arrest and search procedures, use of force, room clearing, firearms and firearm safety, crime scene investigations, and took a tour of the Fargo Fire Department. The explorers are also given opportunities to serve the public through service oriented projects.

The Red River Valley SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Team is a highly trained group of law enforcement officers. Their purpose is to respond to high risk incidents in our region. The team is made up of a Tactical Unit, which includes tactical medics; a Negotiations Unit, and a Bomb Unit. The Team is made up of officers, deputies, and medics from the Fargo Police Department, West Fargo Police Department, NDSU Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Moorhead Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, FM Ambulance, and Sanford Lifeflight. The Tactical Unit is utilized for high risk search warrant service, barricaded individuals who have threatened or may pose a risk to the public or law enforcement, hostage rescue situations, and many other situations that are viewed as extremely dangerous in nature. The Tactical Unit is made up of three smaller teams that perform specific functions during different operations.

IN 2017, THE RED RIVER VALLEY SWAT TEAM WAS UTILIZED 9 TIMES The Breacher Team is utilized to gain entry into secured or barricaded structures and rooms within those structures. The Less Lethal/Gas Deployment Team is utilized to deliver chemical agents if necessary, and also to deploy less lethal means to uncooperative individuals when needed. The Sniper Team is utilized to observe and report real time information of the incident to the rest of the team as well as to provide precision lethal fire to protect innocent civilians, and fellow law enforcement officers when necessary. The Tactical Unit has one commander, one assistant commander, 18 tactical operators, four snipers, and six tactical medics.

MORTON COUNTY, ND The year began with a request for assistance from Morton County related to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. A group of four Red River Valley SWAT Team members responded to the protest site to act as a quick response team to assist with protest activities that turned violent. The team members acted in that capacity for a week, but were not needed to take any action during that time.

U.S. CAPITOL POLICE The SWAT Team was utilized in January to assist the U.S. Capitol Police in serving a high risk search warrant at a home in Fargo of an individual that had made death threats against Senator Heidi Heitkamp. The Negotiations Unit was able to make contact with the suspect over the phone and was successful in devising a plan with them to peacefully surrender to law enforcement. The suspect was arrested without incident and the situation ended peacefully. Once the scene was secure and the suspect was in custody, the scene was turned over to the U.S. Capitol Police and Fargo Police Department investigators.

MORTON COUNTY, ND In February, the SWAT Team was requested to return to Morton County again to assist with the pipeline protests. The SWAT Team was utilized to assist clearing out the Oceti Sakowin camp, along with law enforcement from many other agencies. During this operation, the SWAT Team only had to deal with one resistive individual who would not comply with lawful commands and once he was arrested it was discovered that he was concealing a flare gun. The conditions in the camp during this operation were extremely unsanitary and dangerous, but the SWAT Team conducted themselves in a safe and professional manner which led to the successful clearing of the camp without any violence.

SWAT CONTINUED

ROBBERY SUSPECT In July, the Team was used to serve a search warrant at a local hotel to attempt to locate robbery suspects that had allegedly robbed another nearby hotel the night before, and were possibly in one of the rooms. The Team served the search warrant on the room without incident and no suspects were located.

BARRICADED SUSPECT In August, the SWAT Team was used to assist in serving a search warrant at a residence of a wanted individual in Fargo. The Fargo Police Department had attempted to arrest the individual, and when they tried to take him into custody, the suspect barricaded himself in a room and a loud bang was heard which sounded like a gunshot. The SWAT Team responded and the Negotiations Unit tried to make contact with the suspect to attempt to negotiate a peaceful surrender. Attempts to contact the suspect were unsuccessful. Announcements were made into the house requesting the suspect to come out, which they eventually did. The suspect was taken into custody and arrested without incident.

SUICIDAL INDIVIDUALS Throughout the year the team was used on two incidents involving suicidal individuals that had potentially created a risk to law enforcement and citizens. Both of these incidents were brought to a peaceful resolution without anyone being injured.

The Tactical Unit prides itself on training hard and staying proficient in their tactics and firearms skills. The Tactical Unit trains twice each month. The first part of the month is dedicated to tactics and scenario based training. The second part of the month is dedicated to firearms training on the shooting range, where tactics are also worked in. In April, the Red River Valley SWAT Team presented a tactical debrief at the Special Operations Training Association conference in St. Cloud, MN about the incident in which Officer Jason Moszer was killed. The Team was then asked to present the debrief at the National Tactical Officers Association conference in Phoenix, AZ in September. The Sniper Team participated in the Superior Sniper Competition in Superior, WI to compete against SWAT Snipers from all over the country and did very well. In May of every year, the Red River Valley SWAT Team teaches a week long SWAT Basic course to train new operators on the Team and from other teams around the region.

SWAT CONTINUED

The Bomb Unit is utilized in assisting the community and local law enforcement agencies in the education, location, and disposal of all energetic materials. The Bomb Unit is often utilized with the Tactical Unit and Negotiations Unit on large scale events where there could be a potential for dangerous materials or explosives. The Bomb Unit has different types of technology that can assist the other units to include x-ray machines and bomb robots, capable of sending real time video and audio to the rest of the Team. The Bomb Unit has one team leader and eight bomb technicians.

ENERGETIC MATERIALS In 2017, The Red River Valley Regional Bomb Squad responded to 32 calls regarding energetic materials and other Bomb Squad responsibilities. Many of these calls were recoveries of explosives, powders and chemicals. We responded to two suspicious packages and two threat/hoax calls. The wide variety of calls and the potential dangers they possess, show the Bomb Squad’s versatility and capabilities.

DISPOSAL OF CHEMICALS In February, we were called to assist with the disposal of crystallized tetrahydrofuran for NDSU. In December, we assisted NDSU in the disposal of picric acid, potentially as old as the 1940’s. Both chemicals were disposed of by explosive detonation. In May, the squad was called to a residence and took custody of numerous pounds of 1.3 grade fireworks and flash powder. Those powders were disposed of throughout the summer.

The Negotiations Unit is utilized in conjunction with the Tactical Team to try and bring peaceful resolutions to high risk/critical incidents. The Negotiators are highly trained in effective communication and listening techniques. The law enforcement officers on the Team pride themselves on their professionalism and compassion for the individuals they deal with. The job of a SWAT Negotiator can be extremely stressful as the negotiators are tasked with bringing a sense of calm and understanding to often very chaotic situations. The Negotiations Unit was utilized five times in 2017. The Negotiations Unit assisted the Tactical Team on several calls related to search warrants and suicidal individuals. On a few of the calls, contact with the suspect was unsuccessful as they refused to answer their phones or respond to attempts to get them to speak with negotiators. The Negotiations Unit is a valuable asset to the SWAT Team as they often are able to calm extremely tense situations to bring them to a peaceful resolution. The Negotiations Unit trains together every month on different topics to include active listening, intelligence gathering, and researching new tactics to assist them in the art of negotiating. Members from the Negotiations Unit attended the Special Operations Training Association Conference in 2017.

In November, the squad recovered old military ordinance designed for booty traps. These devices were at least 40 years old and unstable. The product was turned over to the military for disposal.

COMMANDER LT.WILLIAM AHLFELDT

COURTESY

DEPUTY CHIEF TODD OSMUNDSON

Criminal Investigations Unit LT. JASON NELSON

In 2017, the Investigative Services Division split the Adult Violent Crimes and Crimes against Children into two units by adding one sergeant to the division. We currently have three sergeants overseeing these three areas (Adult Violent Crimes, Property Crimes, and Crimes against Children/Sex Offenders), and 17 detective positions within these units. This year we also assigned detectives to geographical areas of the city, with each detective assigned to a district. This has helped with a team approach in addressing crime issues within districts. Detectives are working with patrol officers, sergeants, and lieutenants to identify and address issues together. Having the entire Investigative Services Division working together in the same location has been an attribute to our success this year. Since we are working in close proximity, detectives are consistently working with each other to solve crime issues within our community. In 2017, detectives investigated:

310

893

377

328

PERSONAL CRIMES

PROPERTY CRIMES

960 REPORTS

CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN

Suspected child abuse reports, or 960 reports, are generated by many outside agencies and they are sent to us from Cass County Social Services.

CASE HIGHLIGHTS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT

GREYWIND HOMICIDE

MISSING PERSON

The highest profile case in 2017, both locally and nationally, was the Savanna Greywind case. The entire Division, including Street Crimes, Narcotics, and the Intel Unit, put everything else aside and worked on this case from the start. Hard work and dedication brought a conclusion to this tragic incident. One suspect has pled guilty and has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The other suspect is expected to go to trial later in 2018.

Rodolfo Romo, a popular restaurant owner in Fargo, went missing in the middle of the year. It appeared he just vanished which caused considerable concern for his family, friends, and employees. Many of them feared the worst for Romo, because his disappearance was very much out of his character. A detective traced his last few days and spoke to everyone who was associated to Romo including business partners, bankers, and his accountant. We still could not determine what had happened to him. Over time we were able to locate him in another state. Romo decided he wanted to leave and start over in a new location. Due to the hard work of the detective we were able to bring closure to this case and calm fears anyone else may have had.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING Our Crimes Against Children Unit ran four human trafficking operations this year. Two operations targeted those wanting to engage in sexual relations with minors and the other two operations targeted possible victims of human trafficking. Both types of operations require a large amount of resources to run safely and smoothly. When doing these operations we partner with other law enforcement agencies and victim resource groups. In one outreach operation we had a victim of human trafficking come forward to utilize services offered, and she was relocated to her home state with family.

"FRAUD TALK" Our financial detective had a very busy year investigating counterfeit money, employee embezzlement, and many other financial crimes within our community. At the end of the year he started doing a radio segment called “Fraud Talk” on KFGO. This started with a once-a-day segment for a week to get people interested and make them aware of the different types of frauds occurring in our community. He now does this show every few weeks on KFGO.

MANSLAUGHTER Detectives also investigated an assault which turned into a manslaughter case when one of the victims died in the hospital due to his injuries. This assault occurred outside a popular downtown bar which made the investigation difficult due to the many intoxicated witnesses. The case is set for trial in early 2018.

AIRPORT FATALITY This summer, detectives were called to investigate a death that occurred on the runway of Hector International Airport. A contract employee working on the runway was struck by a vehicle driven by an airport employee at a high rate of speed. This investigation is now in the hands of the Cass County States Attorney for review and consideration of prosecution.

PROPERTY CRIMES Property crime detectives had a very busy year. Overall, this unit has a very high clearance rate compared to the national average, due their hard work and determination. One detective was assigned a large number of cases which had approximately 50 victims of criminal mischief and theft. With little to go on this detective was able to solve them and forward the cases to Juvenile Court for charges involving five suspects. Another property detective was assigned multiple burglary cases and was able to link one suspect to over a dozen business burglaries. The suspect was arrested and eventually pled guilty. Unfortunately, he was out on bond and fled the area. There are currently warrants issued for his arrest on these cases.

NARCOTICS UNIT SERGEANT MATT CHRISTENSEN

In 2017, the Narcotics Unit saw a decrease in the amount of reported overdoses compared to 2016. The Fargo Police Department responded to 40 incidents of reported overdoses which involved 41 victims. Two of those incidents involved the same person overdosing for a second time during the year. Of the reported cases, 20 people died as a result of the overdose. The number of deaths is up from 2016; however, the number of opiate related deaths were down. In 2017, 10 of the 20 deaths were related to opiates which is down from 14 opiate related deaths in 2016. Of the other 20 deaths: 10 were related to opiate use (5 had multiple drugs in their system) 6 were related to methamphetamine use 2 were related to cocaine use 2 were a combination of several drugs (not including opiates)

The decline in opiate related deaths is certainly a positive change, but shows there is still work to do. The increase in deaths related to other drugs is very concerning. Even one death is too many.

but with the opiate epidemic in 2016, much of our time and effort was put towards those cases.

The Narcotics Unit was successful in prosecuting several individuals involved in opiate trafficking cases from 2016 which were brought to a resolution in 2017, at both the state and federal level. The Narcotics Unit worked closely with the Cass County Drug Task Force, the Moorhead Police Department, and the DEA in Fargo to work on many of these cases.

In January of 2017, the Narcotics Unit developed information on a Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) bringing methamphetamine to the Fargo-Moorhead area from Mexico. As a result of this investigation, several search warrants were conducted at local hotels which resulted in the seizure of 12 ¾ pounds of methamphetamine and over $17,000 in cash.

This team approach continued into 2017, and as the number of opiate related overdose calls decreased, we noticed more instances of methamphetamine trafficking, and started to see some deaths related to methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine has remained a constant problem in our area,

In August of 2017, the Narcotics Unit developed information on an individual trafficking methamphetamine in the FargoMoorhead area. Through this investigation, information was developed to secure search warrants for the suspect’s residence which revealed

NARCOTICS UNIT CONTINUED 9 ¾ pounds of methamphetamine and $3,000 in cash. Several vehicles were also seized as a result of this investigation. These are just two examples of the work the Narcotics Unit did to combat the ever present issue of dangerous drug use and abuse in our community. The focus of the Narcotics Unit continues to be identifying and stopping the individuals who traffic these dangerous drugs into our community, who take advantage of addicts by supplying them drugs, and who perpetuate their cycle of addiction.

The Narcotics Unit also provides informational presentations related to drug use and abuse in our area. In 2017, the Narcotics Unit provided training to several different rental property companies, schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations. The Narcotics Unit also participated in a Facebook Live event to discuss the opiate epidemic and dispel some rumors related to the North Dakota Overdose Immunity Law. They also participated in a panel discussion at NDSU, where the film “Chasing the Dragon” was shown which discusses addiction and the opiate problem.

The Narcotics Unit works tirelessly to investigate leads provided from our patrol officers and citizen tips, as well as, information developed from within the unit learned from other investigations. They also work closely with the other local narcotics detectives to develop a team approach to drug investigations as many of them span several jurisdictions.

24.6 lbs seized methamphetamine OVER

1,500 ILLEGALLY POSSESSED PRESCRIPTION PILLS

10.5 gms seized heroin

119

$66,901

271

search warrants

cash seized

cases (8 federal)

meth shipped in coffee grounds

12 3/4 lbs meth seized in Jan.

9 3/4 lbs meth seized in Aug.

Metro Area Street

Crimes Unit

The Metro Area Street Crimes Unit is composed of officers from the Cass and Clay County Sheriff’s Offices, Moorhead, Fargo and West Fargo Police Departments. Its primary purpose is to address gang related crimes but also assists local agencies with apprehension and investigations into serious or recurring criminal incidents.

Lieutenant Shannon Ruziska

In 2017, the Metro Area Street Crimes Unit classified 71 new gang members in our community. They arrested 394 people, 110 of which were classified gang members. In November of 2017, the Metro Area Street Crimes Unit partnered with the US Marshall Service High Plains Fugitive Task Force in Operation Deja Vu. This operation ran for 30 days and targeted persons with felony warrants that involved a gun offense or were gang related. The operation was a huge success with 80 persons fitting this criteria being arrested and several new cases being opened. The Metro Area Street crimes Unit and US Marshall's Office have developed a close relationship with daily communication to coordinate our joint mission to make our community safe.

In addition to enforcement, the Metro Area Street Crimes Unit made numerous presentations to business groups, school staff and students, and community groups to inform the community of the impact gang related crimes have on our region.

EMPATHY

A D M I N I S T R A T I V E

S E R V I C E S

D I V I S I O N

DEPUTY CHIEF JOE ANDERSON

The Administrative Services Division provides a support function to the Field Services and Investigative Services Divisions. The Administrative Services Division is responsible for the department's yearly budget, public affairs and information, the Records Unit, policy management, department training, evidence storage and management, quartermaster function (uniforms and equipment), crime prevention, and the crime free housing program. The division consists of six sworn personnel, and 16 civilian personnel.Â

Finance LT. MAT SANDERS

The department's budget for 2017 was $19,509,950. $18,981,646 was expended, leaving a surplus of $497,469 at the end of the year. The department's expenditures were 2.55% below our fiscal year budget.Â

In 2017, the department was awarded the following grants: Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (used for overtime): $49, 833 North Dakota Department of Transportation Distracted Driving Grant: $6,200 North Dakota Department of Transportation Checkpoint and DUI Saturation Patrol Grant: $26,000 North Dakota Department of Transportation Seat Belt Enforcement Grant: $10,200 North Dakota Department of Transportation Underage Drinking Enforcement Grant: $10,000

North Dakota Department of Justice 2015 COPS Hiring Program Grant (two officers partially funded for three years): $250,000 North Dakota Department of Justice 2017 COPS Hiring Program Grant (one officer partially funded for three years): $125,000 North Dakota Department of Emergency Services State Homeland Security Program Grant: $79,344 Walmart Community Grant: $2,500

CRIME PREVENTION

Jessica Schindeldecker Crime Prevention Officer

In 2017, Crime Prevention Officer Jessica Schindeldecker focused on preventing crime through community engagement by utilizing social media and other media platforms to promote campaigns on property crime (Lock It or Lose It), driving under the influence, substance abuse (A Dose of Reality), and domestic violence. Social media has grown to be one of the most influential communication channels for law enforcement to prevent crime, investigate crimes, and connect with the public we are sworn to serve. In 2017, the department reached over 44K Facebook followers and 5.8K Twitter followers. Our followers shared our crime alerts and prevention tips over hundreds of times, reaching hundreds of thousands of people. The department connected with 25% (up from 8% in 2016) of the City of Fargo residents through Nextdoor by sending out neighborhood specific crime alerts, sex offender notifications, and crime prevention and safety tips. Officer Schindeldecker conducted several Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) evaluations for local business and schools. CPTED is a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design. The strategy relies upon the ability to influence offender decisions prior to criminal acts. These evaluations provided them with suggested approaches to reduce or deter the probability of crime on their property. Throughout the year, Officer Schindeldecker worked with several agencies throughout the community to deliver presentations regarding burglary prevention, personal safety, driver safety, and robbery prevention. Officer Schindeldecker organized department community events such as Cocoa with a Cop, the Fargo Police Community Picnic, and Coffee with a Cop in an effort to build trusting relationships with the community we serve in a relaxing environment. In the fall, Officer Schindeldecker partnered with the NDSU Police Department to host a back to school event at the Memorial Union. Together they educated students about quality of life issues around the campus area, the laws pertaining to those issues, and the possible consequences of violating those laws. Over 20 local businesses in the campus area graciously donated gift cards and prizes that were given to students who participated in the event. An estimated 150 students participated in the event, and common feedback was, "I never knew that!" Overall, the event was a great way to connect with students while teaching them how to be good neighbors.

Donuts

instead of Ticket s

utDay nalDon #Natio

You and 44k people liked this.

FUN FACTS

Officers Hired

From the year

Retirement Crime alerts were pushed through social media platforms such as Nextdoor, Facebook and Twitter.

Department

Training

Hours

Officers drove 1.3 MILLION miles

114,391 GALLONS of gas used

2,571 criminal background checks completed 9,314 pieces of evidence + property were logged for 3,151 cases.

56 Felony Friday Felons Captured

Our instructors provided the department with 1,316 hours of firearms training, 1,168 hours of defensive tactics training, 80 hours of active shooter training, seven hours of law update training, one and a half hours of diversity training, one hour of new american training and one and a half hours of local gang trend training.

2,615 fingerprints were completed

Under the Underage Drinking Enforcement grant, 248 hours were worked, 68 minor in possession and consumption cites were issued. Under the Distracted Driving Grant, 64 cites were issued for distracted driving, a total of 161 citations were issued, and 48 warnings issued.

Under the DUI Enforcement Grant, 96 DUI arrests were made, a total of 454 citations issued, and 283 warnings issued.

Under the Seat belt Enforcement Grant, 145 cites were issued for safety belt violations, a total of 361 citations issued,and 118 warni ngs issued.

ABOVE THE LINE

A New Headquarters

Last briefing at 222 4 St. N.

In February, the city commission voted to approve the leasing and renovating of the Border States Electric building at 105 25 St. N, which will eventually be acquired and used as the new Fargo Police Station Headquarters in late 2019. This facility is an opportunity that will allow for the growth of our department over the next 30 years. It will be more accessible to the public, and allow for quicker response throughout the city as compared to being located downtown. Throughout 2017, our department worked closely with an architect and contractors to see through the renovation of the newly leased space, and we were finally able to move the Field Services Division in at the beginning of December.Â

First briefing at 105 25 St. N.

A w a r d s

Lauren Cammack

Officer Patrick Thomas

Sergeant Shane Aberle

CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR

POLICE OFFICER OF THE YEAR

SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR

Lt. Jason Nelson

D.C. Todd Osmundson

Officer Michael Bloom

CHIEF'S MEDAL

Officer Michael Haderlie

Officer Nicholas Janttie

Officer Jonathan Bair

COMBAT CROSS MEDAL

SILVER STAR

A w a r d s

Alicia Lovejoy

Officer Michael Lovejoy

Officer Tom Salmen (former)

COMMENDABLE SERVICE AWARD

Officer Tyler Nord

Officer David Boe

Officer Michael Clower

COMMENDABLE SERVICE AWARD

Officer David Cochran

Officer Justin Harken

Officer Dean Jordheim

COMMENDABLE SERVICE AWARD

A w a r d s

Officer Connie Nichtern

Officer Matthew Niemeyer

Officer Mark Voigtschild

COMMENDABLE SERVICE AWARD

Sergeant Mark Lykken

Sergeant Travis Moser

Sergeant Troy Hannig

COMMENDABLE SERVICE AWARD

POLICE SERVICE AWARD

Deputy Chief Joseph Anderson

Officer Dane Hjelden

Sergeant Tom Morris

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

A w a r d s

Lt. Michael Mitchell (former)

Sergeant Chris Nichtern

Sergeant Kevin Pallas

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Deputy Chief Ross Renner

Officer Adam Melquist

Officer Brady Sazama

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

LIFE SAVING AWARD

Officer Adam O'Brien

OfficerÂ Adam Schock

Officer Alex Bollman

LIFE SAVING AWARD

A w a r d s

Officer Jennifer Gustafson

Officer Andrea Noll

Officer Cody Gease

LIFE SAVING AWARD

Sergeant Collin Gnoinsky

Officer Tyrell Fauske

Officer Justin Valenti

LIFE SAVING AWARD

LIFE SAVING AWARD (2)

LIFE SAVING AWARD

Officer Kim Santangelo

Officer Lucas Mock

LIFE SAVING AWARD

A w a r d s

The following individuals were awarded the Emergency Service Unit Citation for their participation in the department's response in Morton County, ND for the DAPL protest: Officer Jason Abel, Sgt. Shane Aberle, Lt. William Ahlfeldt, Officer Michael Anderson, Officer Brad Baer, Officer Travis Berger, Sgt. Mike Bernier, Officer Alex Bollman, Officer Tyler Bouma, Officer David Carlson, Officer Toby Carlsson, Officer Brad Cernik, Sgt. Matt Christensen, Officer David Cochran, Officer Ryan Dietrich, Officer Terresa Durr, Officer Tammy Ehresman, Sgt. Mike Erbes, Sgt. Joel Erickson, Officer Rob Essler, Officer Cody Gease, Sgt. Collin Gnoinsky, Officer Aldin Golos, Officer Adam Gossen, Officer Sam Grandbois, Officer Sara Gunther, Officer Jennifer Gustafson, Officer Mike Haderlie, Sgt. Troy Hannig, Officer Justin Harken, Officer Josh Heller, Officer Jesse Helm, Lt. Chris Helmick, Officer Josh Horner, Officer Paul Iverson, Officer Kris Jacobs, Officer Nicholas Janttie, Officer Dean Jordheim, Officer Sarah Joyce, Officer Grant Kendall, Officer Brandon Kerr, Officer Nick Kjonaas, Sgt. Junell Krabbenhoft, Sgt. James Kringlie, Officer Josh Loos, Sgt. Mark Lykken, Officer Jacob Maahs, Officer Adam Melquist, Officer Zach Messmer, Officer Lucas Mock, Officer Matthew Moon, Sgt. Travis Moser, Officer Nathan Nieman, Officer Matt Niemeyer, Officer Andrea Noll, Officer Tyler Nord, Officer Adam O'Brien, Officer Ryan O'Donnell, D.C. Ross Renner, Officer Chris Roach, Officer Dane Ronning, Sgt. Mike Sanden, Lt. Mat Sanders, Officer Taylor Savageau, Officer Adam Schock, Officer Kyle Seehusen, Sgt. Tom Shaw, Officer John Smykowski, Lt. Travis Stefonowicz, Officer Dirk Thiedeman, Officer Patrick Thomas, Chief David Todd, Officer Justin Valenti, Sgt. James VanLith, Lt. George Vinson, Sgt. Jerrod Wagner, Sgt. Matt Ysteboe,Â and Officer Brad Zieska

Salute to Law Enforcement

Each month, AM 1100 The Flag and Luther Family Ford recognizes and honors officers in our community for their service to the community. Officer Caleb Korb was recognized in February 2017, Sergeant Junell Krabbenhoft in August 2017, and Detective Troy Hanson in December 2017!

Memorial

Week

2017

A special THANK YOU to Gate City Bank + the Swionteks for making this trip possible!

WASHINGTON D.C.

FARGO

POLICE

COMMUNITY

PICNIC

ISLAND PARK

JUNE 27, 2017Â

COCOA

WITH

COP

MARCH AND DECEMBER 2017

FARGO

UNITED

SEPTEMBER 9 + 10 ,Â 2017

No Shave

November

Fargo Police staff raised over $12k during No Shave November for former Officer Fred LassondeÂ

UNITY

THE

MUSIC

VIDEO

PREMIER

**click to watch**

FARGO THEATRE

DECEMBER 1, 2017 Â

Chief's + Sheriff's Annual Burger Cook Off

winner!

law enforcement day SALVATION ARMY

B l u e

D a y s

#NationalDonutDay

C O M M U N I T Y

E N G A G E M E N T

TRUST