Moses Lake Police Department 2013 End of Year Report

Moses Lake Police Department 2013 End of Year Report

MOSES LAKE POLICE DEPARTMENT MISSION We, the members of the Moses Lake Police Department, are dedicated to preserving our citizens integrity and safety by providing timely, professional and effective police service. We recognize this mission can only be accomplished by working in partnership with our citizens to problem solve with innovative solutions. VISION We are dedicated to creating an organization based on trust, respect, and teamwork. Our employees are the heart of the organization. With our core values to guide us; we envision a future where we provide the highest quality police service to the community. VALUES Professionalism Integrity Compassion Service

Moses Lake Police Department Chaplains Mike Alvarado Jim Seaman Andy Grenier Kent Copley Police Department Personnel Years of Service as of December 31, 2013 25+ Years of Service Dave Ruffin, Chief 27 years Jimmy Reyna, CSO 27 years Steve Miers, Sergeant 26 years Dean Gaddis, Detective 26 years Craig Scott, Police Officer 25 years 20+ Years of Service Juan Loera, Corporal 23 years Dave Sands, Captain 21 years 15+ Years of Service Mike Williams, Sergeant 18 years Joe Frey, Police Officer 18 years Marcy Maslen, Clerical Supervisor 16 years Jeff Sursely, Detective 16 years Ray Lopez, Police Officer 16 years Brian Jones, Sergeant 15 years Virginia Kennedy-Noack, Clerk 15 years 10+ Years of Service Teri Oliver, Department Secretary 12 years Juan Rodriguez, Detective 11 years Beau Montgomery, Police Officer 10 years Tom Tufte, Corporal 10 years 5+ Years of Service Alan Barrowman, Detective 9 years Kyle McCain, Police Officer 8 years Richard Francis, Detective 7 years Matt Fulbright, Police Officer 7 years Aaron Hintz, Corporal 7 years Christina Jewell, Clerk 6 years Kao Vang, Police Officer 6 years Scott Ent, Police Officer 5 years Juan Serrato, Police Officer 5 years Randy Loyd, Police Officer /SRO 5 years Robert Carpenter, Police Specialist 5 years Sharon Pace, Clerk 5 years Lucky Atkins, CSO 5 years Under 5 Years of Service Lucky Atkins, CSO 5 years Matt Harum, Police Officer 4 years Paul Ouimette, Police Officer 4 years Adam Munro, Police Officer 3 year Curt Ledeboer, Police Officer 3 year Tye Sheats, Police Officer 2 year Brandon Bernard, Police Officer 2 year Kevin Hake, Police Officer 2 year Kohl St.Peter, Police Officer 1 year New Hires Olivia Martinez, Police Specialist 10 months Caleb Welsh, Police officer 10 months

Chief s Message: Chief Dave Ruffin The Moses Lake Police Department is an accredited law enforcement agency which is dedicated to providing professional policing services to our community. The strength of the organization is the men and women who work here, and I am proud to be affiliated with such and outstanding team. As we look forward and begin planning for next year; the Moses Lake Police Department is honored to present our 2013 Annual Report. This report is a comprehensive document which outlines our activities, services, and some of the accomplishments achieved by members of this organization. While 2013 was a challenging year for the police department, I am pleased to announce that the organization met those challenges and performed exceptionally well. To begin with, the department met all of its goals that were established at the beginning of last year. Organizational goals are important as they allow the department to identify their intentions, objectives, and priorities so that they can be turned into measurable performance. Also during this last year, the agency was reaccredited by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Law enforcement agency accreditation is a means to professionalize the law enforcement industry through a review process in which agencies are certified as operating under the industry s best business practices and standards. Accreditation can help increase public confidence and credibility in the agency. While it broadens the perspectives and intensifies the administrative and operational effectiveness of the agency; it also increases agency morale and pride. Finally, accreditation strengthens understanding of agency policies and procedures, while decreasing susceptibility to civil litigation. Many organizational members worked on last year s accreditation process and this accomplishment could not have been possible without the hard work and dedication from those members. As alluded to previously, some of the challenges the department faced were the result of personnel who retired or left the department. Sergeant Paul Harder retired after 27 years of outstanding service. Sergeant Harder s leadership and exceptional character will be sorely missed. Officer Brandon Bernard resigned from the department during 2013. Officer Bernard left the department after only 2 years of service to pursue other interests. Officer Bernard will remain affiliated with the department as a reserve police officer. These two personnel losses, in addition to not replacing Dean Mitchell s position from the bottom of the organization, have had an impact on patrol operations. Additionally, the department has still not been able to promote a captain to replace the vacated command position which occurred in March of last year. Despite the personnel challenges, the department had a very good year. The organization has made some significant changes this last year that have helped to improve services and make the department more effective. Most of these changes have been philosophical; geared at transforming the organization to become values based. In this process, the department has changed its vision and mission statement to be more aligned with this transformation.

The department continued to work with its valued partnerships; believing that a collaborative effort is an effective way to solve problems. Some of these partnerships include Block Watch, Shop with a Cop, Chaplain s Program, Central Basin Traffic Safety Task Force, National Night Out, and the Street Crimes Unit. New to the Organization Olivia Martinez joined the Moses Lake Police Department in 2013. Olivia is from Othello, Washington, and was hired to replace Bob Carpenter, who retired from service. Olivia is a graduate from the University of Washington and is currently assigned as the department s Police Specialist. Olivia s primary duty is to oversee the evidence and property function of the department; however, she also coordinates the department s crime prevention efforts. Caleb Welsh is from Wenatchee, Washington and was hired as a police officer in 2013. Caleb is currently assigned to the swing shift where he works patrol. Caleb has a 2 year college degree and has been a great addition to the department Block Watch The Block Watch program has been a very successful partnership between the community and our department. Block Watch helps create a bond between neighborhood residents, business owners and employees, and law enforcement. Block Watch brings the police and the community together to solve problems. Simply stated, This program works. In 2012, there were several positive outcomes that were made possible only because good community people got involved and reported suspicious behavior. The Block Watch program is a commitment to be concerned about you and your neighbor; and to notify law enforcement so that we can intervene. Community members watching out for each other is a great way to deter crime. The Moses Lake Police Department would like to help you get involved. Starting a block watch program is easy. If citizens are interested please contact Olivia Martinez at 509-764-3887. Shop with a Cop Last year, Moses Lake Officers worked together with the Wal Mart Corporation to provide an opportunity for underprivileged children to Shop with a Cop during the Christmas season. Wal Mart was generous enough to provide money for selected children to go shopping with Moses Lake Police officers. The program was very successful and served as an outreach which helped strengthen relations between the community and law enforcement. The Moses Lake Police Department looks forward to working with Wal Mart again next year.

"Shop with a Cop" Chaplain s Program The Moses Lake Police Department s Chaplain Program was formed to bring various Christian faith-based leaders together with law enforcement. The department currently has 3 chaplains assigned to assist officers and citizens of Moses Lake. The chaplains provide a valuable service and routinely ride with the officers providing emotional, social, and spiritual assistance. The chaplains have made themselves available through an on call basis. Presently, the chaplains for the department are Mike Alvarado (El Sendero), Andy Grenier (First Baptist), and Kent Copley (Moses Lake Alliance). National Night Out This last year, represented the 4 th annual National Night Out event. I am proud to say that each year this event has continued to grow which is a tribute to the Moses Lake community and our police department. National Night Out is a community-police event which raises awareness for the importance of crime prevention and sends a message to criminals that this community is organized and fighting back against crime. The event continues to be held on the first Tuesday in August at Sinkiuse Square. It is an excellent opportunity for the community to bring down their families and meet their police department. While the event centers around increasing awareness about police programs in the community, it also has many fun things for people of all ages to engage in.

Operations: Captain Dave Sands The Operations Division is the larger of the two divisions in the Moses Lake Police Department. This division is comprised of all the commissioned personnel in the department and is further split into two sections; Patrol and Investigations. Patrol In 2013 there were 22 officers assigned to patrol shifts for the City of Moses Lake. This section is the most visible to the public as all officers assigned are in uniform and drive marked patrol cars. Officers in the Patrol section are assigned to one of three shifts and work nine hours during those shifts. Officers assigned to patrol handle the most calls for service from our customers, as well as self generating calls through proactive activities. In 2013 patrol officers responded to 14,000 calls for service, out of the 16,739 total calls received or generated by the officers themselves. The remaining calls were handled by School Resource Officers, Community Service Officers, Detectives, and Street Crimes Officers. In addition to responding to calls from the community, officers conducted 5,130 traffic stops, issued 2,036 traffic tickets, and booked 1,239 adults into the Grant County Jail for various offenses. Some other tasks conducted by patrol officers in 2013 included business security checks, walk throughs at local drinking establishments to deter alcohol related issues, field contacts in problem areas, underage drinking enforcement through the Moses Lake Community Prevention Coalition, provide traffic control for community events such as the Family Fun Runs and Triathalon, and speaking to various groups such as boy Scouts, schools, or advocacy programs.

Below is a breakdown of officers by shift: Day Shift Swing Shift Graveyard Shift Sergeant Paul Harder Sergeant Brian Jones Sergeant Steve Miers Corporal Tom Tufte Corporal Aaron Hintz Corporal Juan Loera Ofc. Joe Frey Ofc. Scott Ent Ofc. Craig Scott Ofc. Ray Lopez Ofc. Paul Ouimette Ofc. Juan Rodriguez Ofc. Kyle McCain Ofc. Curt Ledeboer Ofc. Juan Serrato Ofc. Kao Vang Ofc. Brandon Bernard Ofc. Adam Munro Ofc. Matt Harum Ofc. Kohl St. Peter Ofc. Tye Sheats Ofc. Tim Welsh As the busiest shift in the Department, Swing Shift was assigned one more officer than the other shifts. In 2013 officers on Swing Shift responded to, or self generated, just over 6,000 calls.

Investigations The Investigations Unit is tasked with investigating major crimes that will take either a considerable time to fully investigate, or requires expertise outside what a regular patrol officer has. Some examples of these types of crimes are major Frauds, Arson, Sex Offenses, and the case involving the attempted Murder of two parents earlier in the year. In 2013 the officers assigned to Investigations handled 192 cases. This is down from 2012, however, there was a significant amount of time where there were only two detectives assigned to this unit, down from the three normally assigned. The following officers were assigned to Investigations in 2013: Sergeant Mike Williams (Sergeant Williams ended his tour in Investigations in November and was replaced by Sergeant Brian Jones) Detective Matt Fulbright Detective Jeff Sursely (Detective Sursely was promoted to Sergeant in December of 2013 and assigned to patrol)

Street Crimes Unit In 2013 the Street Crimes Unit remained under the operational control of the Investigations Sergeant, however, the two officers assigned worked varying shifts based on the needs of our community. This two person team is responsible for targeted patrols for crimes that are either traditionally problematic, such as burglaries, or those issues that may spike for no apparent reason, such as the thefts or gang issues. In 2013 Street Crimes Officers responded to 500 calls for service, either self generated proactive calls, or to assist patrol officers. In 2013, one of the Street Crimes Officers, Officer Rich Francis, was tasked with assisting with community programs to assist in deterring crime, or increase the reporting of incidents from citizens. Officer Francis also collected statistical data/intelligence to assist patrol officers in determining where to best direct their efforts. In addition to their other assigned duties, SCU officers are both members of the US Marshal s Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force based out of Spokane. Officer Dean Gaddis has spearheaded the US Marshal s efforts within the City of Moses Lake. This assignment allowed for additional outside resources to assist Moses Lake officers in tracking and arresting felony suspects. In return, Officer Gaddis is given authority to track and arrest felony suspects in other areas as well.

Reserve Officer Program The Moses Lake Police Department s Reserve program is supervised by Sergeant Steve Miers, and consists of eight volunteer officers. These officers have attended a training academy similar to what fully commissioned officers attend, although it is spread out over longer period. In 2013 these officers donated 3,465 hours of their time to augment patrol shifts or work special details, such as the concerts in the park. Two officers, Tyler St. Onge and Doug Diaz, had the most hours donated for the year, 923 and 783 respectively. These volunteer officers are an invaluable asset to the Department. In the past we have found it necessary to call in these officers to bolster our patrol shifts. This was in addition to the time they made available to the Department. In 2013, there was at least one incident where we called in every Reserve Officer available. Without question each responded and stayed for the duration, even though they all have regular jobs as well. Reserve Officers in 2013: Officer Rich Cole Officer Tyler St. Onge Officer Doug Diaz Officer Dirk Palmer Officer Brandon Root Officer Rick Rodriguez Officer Matt Davis Officer Don Huffman School Resource Officers The Moses Lake Police Department and the Moses Lake School District have had an agreement in place to provide the District with School Resource Officer(s) since the late 1990s. In the beginning only one officer was assigned to the District. In the mid 2000s, an additional officer was added. With that addition one officer was assigned to the high school and the other covered the rest of the district. In 2013 the MLSD requested both officers be assigned to the high school and respond to the rest of the district from there. These officers are supervised by the Day Shift Sergeant. The School Resource Officers, or SRO s, handle a vast majority of calls for service at the area schools. Most of what these officers investigated were cases involving drugs, assaults or disturbances of some kind, malicious mischief, thefts, and other juvenile issues. In 2013 SRO s handled 617 calls or cases on MLSD property, which includes all schools whether inside the Moses Lake city limits or not.

The School Resource Officers in 2013 were: Officer Beau Montgomery Officer Randy Loyd Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team (TRT) In 1999, the Moses Lake Police Department recognized the need for a team of officers specially trained to deal with the most dangerous types of law enforcement calls, including high risk search warrants, hostage situations, and barricaded criminals. With this focus, a regional team was formed utilizing officers from the Moses Lake Police Department, Othello Police Department, Grant County Sheriff s Office, and the Adams County Sheriff s Office. Over the last fifteen years, officers from the Quincy and Ephrata Police Departments have been added, as well as an EMT from the Moses Lake Fire Department. In all there are currently 15 members on the Tactical Response Team. In 2013 the TRT responded to 19 incidents, an all-time high number. Every incident involved firearms used by at least one suspect. Of the 19 incidents, 7 were pre-planned, and the remaining 12 involved felons who had barricaded themselves. Some of the significant cases were: A search warrant service on a suspect just outside the Moses Lake City limits who had made threats to shoot law enforcement officers, and in fact had leveled a high powered rifle at a vehicle he believed was occupied by officers. Another warrant service for a suspect in Quincy wanted for attempted murder with a firearm. This suspect surrendered when he observed TRT members arrive on scene. The team responded to a barricaded suspect case where the suspect ran from Moses Lake PD officers and broke into an innocent party s residence. After the TRT deployed, Crisis Negotiators talked the suspect into surrendering himself. While inside the residence the suspect did thousands of dollars of damage.

Members of the TRT receive monthly training in special tactics, and receive over 200 hours of training to remain proficient. In 2013 members from this team shared some of this extra training and knowledge to officers from the Moses Lake Police Department, Grant County Sheriff s Office, and other agencies by putting on training in high risk patrol tactics. Central Basin Investigation Team (CBIT) The Moses Lake Police Department is a member agency in the Central Basin Investigation Team. Since 2009 this team has been tasked with investigating major officer involved incidents, such as officer involved shootings (OIS), uses of force with significant injury, and collisions involving significant injury. This team is also available to assist with other major crimes, specifically, homicides. Other member agencies include the Washington State Patrol, Washington Fish and Wildlife, Ephrata PD, Quincy PD, Othello PD, Grant County Sheriff s Office, Adams County Sheriff s Office, and the Grant County Prosecutor s Office. In 2013, CBIT responded to two incidents. The first was to assist the Adams County Sheriff s Office with a homicide that took place outside of Othello. A suspect was developed and arrested in that case. The second incident was a fatal OIS incident involving Moses Lake police officers. In that case several officers responded to a disturbance call and were confronted by a subject with a combat knife. As the subject advanced it was unfortunately necessary for the officer to fire his sidearm. Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (INET) The Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team is comprised of detectives from the Moses Lake Police Department, Quincy Police Department, Grant County Sheriff s Office, and Washington State Patrol. In the past there were also officers from two other agencies, however, due to manpower issues they found it necessary to pull back their detectives. This loss has been offset by the assignment of a GCSO supervisor and an additional GCSO deputy who splits his time between gang issues and narcotics. In 2013 INET investigated 69 narcotics cases throughout Grant and Adams Counties. Through these cases a total of 238 grams of Methamphetamine was recovered as well as 94 grams of Cocaine. Other drugs recovered included Heroin, Morphine, and 8,200 illegal Marijuana plants. In addition to the drugs seized or destroyed, INET seized over $54,000 in cash and seized 19 vehicles. Moses Lake Police Department detective assigned to INET: Det. Alan Barrowman

Support Services: Captain Dave Sands The Support Services Section is the smaller of the two divisions within the Moses Lake Police Department. As the name suggests, this section provides support to the Operations Section. There are three separate units under this section; Records, Community Service Officers, and Police Specialist. Records The Records unit is staffed by three Police Clerks and a Clerical Supervisor. The employees working in this area are responsible for routing and maintaining all the reports and other paperwork for the cases being worked by officers. They also track all NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting System) data, are responsible for any other paperwork that comes into the Department, process requests for concealed weapons and other licenses issued through the City requiring police approval, and for ensuring the Department adheres to Washington State laws regarding Public Records Requests. The Records unit continues to face challenges related to staffing and workload. In an effort to alleviate some of this stress, a dedicated volunteer staff is managed through this area as well. Volunteers assist with case work tracking and filing, as well as fingerprinting for background checks and concealed weapons licenses. As with our Reserve Officer Program, these volunteers donate hundreds of hours to the City of Moses Lake. Without their dedication the Records unit would face a significant backlog of work. The Moses Lake Police Department Records employees: Clerical Supervisor Marcy Maslen Police Clerk Virginia Kennedy-Noak Police Clerk Sharon Hampton Police Clerk Tina Jewell Volunteers: Kelli Serven Ed Allen Doris Conahan Rosenda Henley Mary Kile

Community Service Officers (CSO) The Moses Lake Police Department s CSO program supports the patrol shifts by handling a variety of issues that do not always require a fully commissioned officer. The CSO s are responsible to respond to animal control issues, such as animal bites, strays, deceased animals, barking dogs, or other animal nuisance issues. In addition to the enforcement action they can take regarding animals, these officers also patrol for parking violations, monitor the Redflex camera violations, and assist officers with traffic control. To better serve our customers, these officers work different shifts with different days off. One CSO is assigned to Day Shift, and the other is assigned to Swing Shift. The CSO s are supervised by the shift sergeants. In 2013 CSO s handled 1,236 calls for service. Community Service Officers: CSO Jim Reyna CSO Lucky Atkins Police Specialist The Police Specialist position is another multi faceted position within the Department. The Police Specialist is in charge of all the evidence, approximately 25,000 items, for the entire Moses Lake Police Department. In addition to tracking evidence, sending items to the lab for analysis, and ensuring officers adhere to the best evidence practices as well as Washington State laws for evidence handling, entry and storage, the Police Specialist also organizes Block Watch programs and the annual National Night Out event in August. This event is dedicated to raising awareness for crime prevention and anti crime programs. This is also an opportunity for the community and police to come together to strengthen partnerships to make neighborhoods safe. Moses Lake Police Department Police Specialist: Olivia Martinez

Employee Recognition and Awards The employees of the Moses Lake Police Department are all dedicated to providing the best service to our customers, the citizens of Moses Lake. Throughout the 2013, employees were recognized for outstanding service. Employees of the Year Detective Matt Fulbright-Operations Section Police Specialist Olivia Martinez-Support Services Section Reserve Officer Tyler St. Onge-Volunteer of the Year Masonic Temple Emergency Service Employee of the Year 2013: Officer Paul Ouimette Chief s Letters of Commendation for Outstanding Service: Sergeant Steve Miers Corporal Juan Loera Officer Randy Loyd Officer Kevin Hake Officer Juan Rodriguez Officer Ray Lopez Officer Rick Francis Captain s Letters of Commendation: Officer Kevin Hake Officer Curt Ledeboer (Received two in 2013) Officer Paul Ouimette Officer Kohl St. Peter Officer Brandon Bernard Street Crimes Officer Dean Gaddis Sergeant Paul Harder Sergeant s Letters of Commendation: Officer Scott Ent Corporal Juan Loera Officer Kevin Hake Officer Beau Montgomery Officer Jay Petersen (retired) Corporal Aaron Hintz Detective Matt Fulbright

Major Crimes Crime Rate 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Arson 6 4 2 11 4 Assault 40 44 34 54 54 Burglary 287 303 264 290 289 Mal Mis 804 537 517 778* 615* Rape 15 12 9 19 16 Robbery 21 18 19 27 25 Theft 1151 1134 1086 1129 1135 Vehicle Theft 103 87 68 109 92 *This includes reportable and non-reportable Mal Mis calls. There were 341 reportable Mal Mis and 274 non-reportable