2022-2023 Mid-Year Awards & Recognitions Report

2022-2023 MID-YEAR

TABLE OF CONTENTS Vision, Mission and Values .............................................................................................................1 Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................................2 Greeting from Chief Zibolski........................................................................................................... 3 About the Fargo Police Department .............................................................................................. 5 Organizational Chart....................................................................................................................... 6 Recognitions................................................................................................................................... 7 Awards............................................................................................................................................ 9 Going Forward................................................................................................................................10

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GREETING FROM CHIEF ZIBOLSKI

Dear Fargo Community, I am pleased to share with you the Fargo Police Department’s 2022–2023 Mid-Year Awards and Recognitions Report. This report highlights the outstanding work of all of our department personnel, and in turn, the impact it has on our community. Together we form a strong partnership, shared commitment to carry out our mission, and we strive to create a safe and unified community built on trust, accountability and inclusion.

Our entire department worked vigorously to accomplish a number of strategic plan goals, the most important of which was our focus on recruitment, retention and wellness. Through concerted effort, collaboration and creative thinking our department hired 41 new officers between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. This is by far the largest hiring group in department history and demonstrates the commitment of our personnel to ensure a fully staffed and functional department. This was accomplished by creating a new entry-level position of Recruit Officer, which allowed for the hiring of police recruits who upon completion of The Fargo Police Department Academy became police officers. In 2023, and for the first time ever, the Department ran two academy classes in one year.

The Department requested additional sworn positions in the 2024 budget and applied for a COPS hiring grant commensurate with our strategic plan.

In terms of wellness, our department has built upon the successes of 2021 and early 2022 in a number of significant ways. In partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), our department trainers provided VALOR Resiliency Training to every member, sworn and civilian. The Fargo Police Department was one of only a few departments to accomplish this task.

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As a result, department representatives were invited to present our program and its results as part of a panel at the IACP Officer Safety and Wellness Conference in March of 2023. In addition, an enhanced heart screening process was added to the annual physicals all sworn personnel receive.

This new screening better identifies members who have or may be susceptible to significant heart disease or cardiac arrest. This new process was brought forward through collaborations with national partners and integrated into the City of Fargo’s Employee Health Program and was also provided to our regional partners. The new screening process began in March of 2023 and has already had potential lifesaving effect. A deficiency in North Dakota state law was identified as a result of this process and in partnership with our regional partners and the Chiefs of Police Association of North Dakota, our department provided testimony in support of HB 1279, which illuminated the gap in coverage for catastrophic health events for officers with less than five years of service time. This bill passed into law prior to the end of the legislative session.

I am extremely proud of this department and the efforts and commitment of our personnel who model our values and faithfully serve our community on a daily basis. We are also appreciative of the outstanding community support and participation that we regularly benefit from. Together we are making Fargo a safe and prosperous city. I hope you enjoy this report and as always, thank you for your support!

David B. Zibolski Chief of Police

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ABOUT THE FARGO POLICE DEPARTMENT Established in 1875, the Fargo Police Department is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in North Dakota. The department utilizes “Intelligence-Led Policing," which facilitates the use of data and intelligence information to assess when and where department resources are deployed, thus making the most effective and efficient use of those resources. The Fargo Police Department is divided into three operational divisions, each of which is commanded by a Captain.

The Neighborhood Services Division Patrol Unit consists of four patrol shifts responding to calls, enforcing traffic, and serving the Fargo community on a 24/7/365 basis. The Specialized Services Unit consists of the Truck Regulatory Officer, Municipal Court Bailiff, Airport Officers, School Resource Officers, Community Engagement Team and Community Service Officers. The City of Fargo is divided into five distinctive patrol beats Officers are assigned in each area and are supervised by a police sergeant. A lieutenant is designated as the Shift Commander who is responsible for police operations during their respective shift.

The Criminal Investigations Division consists of the Investigations Unit which includes the Adult Violent Crimes Unit, Property Crimes Unit, Crimes Against Children Unit and the Evidence and Property Unit. The Narcotics and Intelligence Unit includes the Narcotics Unit, Street Crimes Unit and Intelligence and Analysis Unit.

The Professional Standards Division consists of the Professional Accountability Unit, Training and Development Unit, Quartermaster and the Records Unit.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

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RECOGNITIONS 2022 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARDS Any supervisor, sworn officer or non-sworn employee, regardless of rank or assignment, is eligible to be nominated for the Peace Officer/Civilian Employee of the Year award. This award will be presented to an officer and/or non-sworn employee in recognition for outstanding service, professionalism, and contribution to the department for the preceding year.

SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR Sergeant Cristie Jacobsen, a 16-year veteran of The Fargo Police Department, supervised the Fargo Police Department School Resource Officer Program and Community Engagement Team for several years before transitioning into the Criminal Investigations Division’s Crimes Against Children Unit. Sgt. Jacobsen played a key role in providing valuable context and expertise to the process of creating and implementing The Fargo Police Department’s Police Advisory and Oversight Board. It was evident the relationship which had been built between community partners and herself was strong and built on mutual respect. This respect was hard earned through a very tumultuous time in the region and country and contributed greatly to the initial planning process of this board.

OFFICER OF THE YEAR Since joining The Fargo Police Department in 2018, Officer Joel Vegel established himself as a true professional; he is accountable, competent and character driven in his role to safeguard the community. Ofc. Vegel is constantly raising the bar when it comes to proactive policing, in 2022 alone he responded to over 1,300 calls for service, resulting in 197 cases, 80 arrests and 76 citations. Ofc. Vegel has also conducted 188 traffic stops, 49 field contacts and responded to 241 calls related to suspicious activity. Ofc. Vegel’s willingness to go the extra mile demonstrates his commitment to The Fargo Police Department's mission and core values of Guardianship and Professionalism.

CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR Police Operations Technician Alison Hassell worked extensively in 2022 at enhancing the 3D scanning system for major crime scenes and often gets called in to work on her off hours to includes nights and weekends. She organizes the system and works closely with the vender to stay current on technology updates and new trends. Her work in digital evidence forensics has also been especially noticeable. Ali is often tasked with collecting video and enhancing the evidence or recovering information from the video. She also often needs to convert the video into a usable format for court or other purposes. Ali’s work is utilized in trials during court and has helped lead to the conviction of suspects.

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CHIEF’S MEDAL Sworn officers and civilian employees, who distinguish themselves with an act which significantly benefits the department or the community are eligible to receive the Chief's Medal. Demonstrating outstanding leadership, professionalism, community service or any other act deemed by the Chief of Police to have significantly benefited the department towards the accomplishment of its mission and goals are considerations for this award. The award will consist of a Chief's medal, a Chief's medal certificate and a Chief's medal ribbon to be worn on the police uniform. For civilian employees not in uniform, the award will consist of a Chief's medal and a Chief's medal certificate.

OFFICER DAVID BOE Officer David Boe has been involved with the planning of the Fargo Marathon every year since its inception in 2005. His expertise as a liaison has made the event a success for the last 18 years. In 2014, when the Start Line was moved to Main Avenue, there were significant changes to the route and huge logistical concerns in the downtown area. Officer Boe's traffic planning and troubleshooting greatly minimized the travel disruption to citizens and facilitated the flow of participants in the marathon. In 2022, spring flood waters covered portions of the planned marathon route. Officer Boe worked with the race director, City engineers and EMS personnel to reroute the marathon, and ensured the route was officially certified just days prior to the start of the race. Without Officer Boe's help, the marathon would have been in danger of being cancelled due to a lack of a certified route.

SERGEANT CRISTIE JACOBSON Sergeant Cristie Jacobsen was selected to lead the development efforts of the Advisory and Oversight Board, including the selection process of board members, which was time consuming and involved collaboration with City departments and community members. After members were appointed, Sgt. Jacobsen was selected to be the FPD liaison to the Board. In this role, she was responsible for scheduling board meetings, developing instructional materials and the educating Board Members on Roberts Rules of Order and other City rules. All of these tasks have been accomplished while Sgt. Jacobsen actively supervised the School Resource Officer Program and Community Engagement Team and continued to participate on boards or committees dedicated to juvenile reform and community engagement.

SERGEANT TRAVIS MOSER Sergeant Travis Moser has been an outstanding leader of The Fargo Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit (SCU). He creates an atmosphere of camaraderie, mutual accountability and high energy service within the unit. The FPD recently became involved with the US Department of Justice program Project Safe Neighborhood. As the law enforcement lead on this effort, SCU is a critical team member among the multiple local and federal partners involved. Sgt. Moser has developed relationships and credibility amongst all attendees and as the group has evolved so has its effectiveness. His attention to detail, organizational skills and communication has proved beneficial in ensure the group remains on task with the overall goal of successful prosecution of violent offenders.

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AWARDS COMBAT ACTION AWARD Sworn officers, who have competently performed their duties as a police officer, in a critical incident involving hostile gunfire from a suspect or suspects. Sworn officers may qualify for this award even if no direct fire was taken as long as there was risk of lethal danger.

Jordan Berg Drew Dosch Jonas Duncan Tina Hallada Jesse Helm Joel Hughes Dan Hulbert

Paul Iverson Jonathan Lewis Ben Lien Even Luoma Adam Melquist Paul Nelson Nathan Nieman

Aaron Olson Blake Omberg Sam Otto Paul Reid Trae Schmidt Adam Schock Jerrod Wagner

LIFE SAVING AWARD Sworn officers and non-sworn employees, who distinguish themselves by an act which contributes to the saving of a person's life are eligible to receive the Lifesaving Award.

Jordan Berg Christopher Cassandro Michael DiPalma [x2] Cassandra Werner Timothy Falconnier

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Troy Hanson Adam Mandour Abe Moilan Brady Nerpel Adam O’Brien

Sam Otto Josh Persson Tyler Pool x2 Kim Santangelo Joe Vegel

GOING FORWARD Thank you for reviewing The Fargo Police Department’s 2022-2023 Mid-Year Awards and Recognitions Report. Our Department team has been extremely busy, and our personnel have been working diligently to partner with our community to allow us to provide the highest level of service, enhance our expertise through training, and implement innovative and forward-thinking approaches.

As our Department completes 2023 and moves into 2024, we will continue to follow the goals and objectives outlined in our strategic plan. In fact, as you read this report, we are already actively involved in two major opportunities. Through our partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), our Department will become the operational hub for the Dakotas Gun Crime Intelligence Center. This includes receiving computer technology that will further enhance our violent crime mission as it relates to identifying those involved in firearms incidents and bringing them to justice. Our Department has also begun the initial steps for the first-ever Master Facilities Plan. A local architecture company was awarded a contract to provide a review of internal and external facility needs for all units and divisions within the Department. This includes a review of geographic response as the city continues to grow in both population and area. In addition to our strategic goals and objectives, we will continue to focus on reconstituting a Traffic Safety Unit in response to issues such as dangerous driving and accident prevention, as well as improving and expanding mental health response collaborations in our community.

Our team, working in concert with the community, has done an extraordinary job in terms of keeping Fargo safe as evidenced by the overall drop in crime in calendar year 2022. To that end, we will continue to maintain our relentless response to crime, and we will seek opportunities to utilize new technology and innovations to keep our community safe. Further, the partnership we share and continue to enhance with our community members is vitally important to our success. Our team is committed to positive engagement with our community while improving the existing quality of life throughout Fargo.

Going forward, we will transition to providing the community with a traditional Annual Report in 2024, which will be published in the spring. This report will produce an overview of the many successes and challenges we have experienced over the last year and will allow for us to provide the community with enhanced data analysis. It will showcase how out department continues to grow and improve in a myriad of ways, ensuring we are providing excellent service to the community of Fargo.

I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of our personnel and grateful for the strong community support we enjoy in Fargo. I am sincerely honored to lead this department and look forward to continued success for our community.

David B. Zibolski Chief of Police

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THE FARGO POLICE DEPARTMENT 105 25th Street North Fargo, ND 58102 701.235.4493

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