Police Department News
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Police Department News |
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Following the April 26, 2010 meeting of the Citation Review Board, we are pleased to announce the names of award recipients for the police department for 2009.
Award recipients are as follows:
COMMAND OFFICER OF THE YEAR Sgt. Christopher Annetta
OFFICER OF THE YEAR Officer Richard Chipman
DETECTIVE OF THE YEAR Detective Keith Spencer
PSA OF THE YEAR PSA Regina Chandler
CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Kathleen McNulty
MERITORIOUS SERVICE Officer James Stehlin
MERITORIOUS SERVICE
CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION Officer Michael Stajich
CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION
CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION Officer Jacob Theisen
CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION
LETTER OF RECOGNITION Officer Lucas Fisher Officer Karyn Risch PSA Ivy PSA Lane PSA Dutra
LETTER OF RECOGNITION
LETTER OF RECOGNITION
Police Civilian of the Year Award Kathie McNulty was received the Civilian Employee of the Year award. Kathie transferred to the Records and Identification Bureau in June of 2007 but has worked for the City of Royal Oak for the last 14 years. Since Kathie has been with Records, she has taken on each new task with a willingness to learn and a positive attitude.
Daily, Kathie organizes the paper attachments for case reports making sure all are scanned into our Records Management System. Kathie also prepares the monthly LCC and Motel synopsis, and prepares copies of the case reports requested by the City Attorneys office. She acts as the backup Freedom of Information Coordinator and is able to fill in for any of the Records Clerks when the need arises. She is responsible for fingerprinting citizens, processing gun permits and registering weapons for our local gun dealers.
In addition to her strong work ethic, Kathie always displays a professional and courteous demeanor when interacting with the public. Customer service is extremely important and Kathie’s exemplary attitude toward her job and the public earned her the privilege of Civilian Employee of the Year.
Police Service Aid of the year- PSA Regina Chandler PSA Chandler is a loyal dependable employee of the Royal Oak Police Department. PSA Chandler needs little supervision and goes about her daily tasks with little fanfare but with a quiet resolve and meticulous work ethic. PSA Chandler has always put the shift above her own personal desires and is truly an asset to the Afternoon Shift and is a rock of stability within the dispatch center. PSA Chandler embodies the mission statement of the Police Department in that she is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure community by providing high quality police and public safety service to all persons within our borders. PSA Chandler is the type of employee that employers say "I wish we had 100 just like her."
Officer of the Year- Officer Richard Chipman Officer Chipman is an asset to the day shift and the police department as a whole. He consistently performs his job at a high level and is an excellent example for other officers to emulate. Officer Chipman regularly devotes his personal time to cleaning and maintaining the police department gym. He has a personal interest in physical fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and requested to be trained to teach others in the department how to properly exercise and diet. Since he received this certification, in health and wellness, he has developed a program to educate and train department personnel on how to lead a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. I have personally observed him training other officers on his own time. He is a dedicated member of this police department who understands the goals of the agency at his level and strives to achieve them. He has an excellent work ethic and constantly strives to improve himself both professionally and personally. For these reasons Officer Chipman earned the honor of being Police Officer of the year. Detective of the Year- Detective Keith Spencer In 2009, Detective Spencer has energetically and meticulously investigated several high profile and complex cases. There are two cases that stand out which demonstrate his tenacity. The first case is a $300,000 Ponzi scheme complaint involving many possible suspects. The complaint is still open and being investigated due in part to Detective Spencer’s thoroughness and never give up attitude. This case crossed many jurisdictional lines at the State and Federal level which highlighted his abilities to build positive relationships with outside agencies to further his case. The second case is a $160,000 embezzlement complaint. Because of Detective Spencer’s relentless investigation, a three count Embezzlement warrant was obtained in this case. Recently, the defendant plead no contest to the charges. Sentencing will be in May. In addition, Detective Spencer successfully investigated a number of cases that involved young victims of crime. The results of Detective Spencer’s thorough and relentless investigations not only positively represented him but the whole department as well. Detective Spencer has demonstrated a commitment to this department and the citizens of Royal Oak. Command Officer of the year- Sgt. Christopher Annetta During 2009, Sergeant Annetta successfully managed a number of large projects for the Police Department. These included the installation of new MDC terminals in the patrol cars along with the implementation, installation, and employee training of the CLEMIS Citation system, and CLEMIS Crash reporting system. Sergeant Annetta also coordinated and managed the implementation and training for the Police Department’s new 911 telephone system. Sergeant Annetta also oversaw a complete renovation of the second floor of the Police Department. Late in 2009 Sergeant Annetta coordinated an audit of the Department’s LEIN use and had the responsibility of bringing the Police Department into compliance. Sergeant Annetta successfully managed all of these projects while continuing to handle his many other assignments and his regular duties as a supervisor in the Criminal Investigation Division.
POLICE UPDATE Royal Oak Police Department-Lt. Gordon Young 248-246-3521 ARMED ROBBER CAPTURED!
On April 26, 2010 (Monday) at 9:25 pm, an armed robbery (R/A) occurred at the Serv Rite Liquor Store located at 4304 Rochester, Royal Oak. The gunman escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. This gunman is similar to the Mobil Gas Station (12/Campbell, Royal Oak) robber that struck on April 20th.
On April 27, 2010 (today) at 2:23 am, an armed robbery occurred at the BP Gas Station located at Woodward/Lincoln, Royal Oak. The gunman escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Midnight shift officers immediately set up a perimeter around the BP Gas Station. Officers spotted a suspicious person within their perimeter. This person was stopped and questioned. During the questioning, officers recovered an undisclosed amount of cash which was hidden inside the suspect’s hat. This suspect matched the description of the above mentioned R/A’s. He was subsequently taken into custody.
Royal Oak officers and area departments searched the area for the handgun and face mask that was used in all three robberies. In the early daylight hours, a Lt. from Huntington Woods located the handgun, face mask, gloves, sweater, sunglasses and a pair of pants near the Chase Bank on Woodward (Huntington Woods).
Again, it is believed that this gunman was the same gunman in the Serv Rite Liquor Store and Mobil Gas Station R/A’s.
Corrigan O’Donohue 248-246-3527
The City of Royal Oak has received numerous inquires regarding an incident involving a vicious dog. Many of the inquires are in response to information obtained from a website posting from Paws for Life Rescue. There is a significant amount of misleading and false information being put forward regarding this incident. This press release is an attempt to clarify what occurred.
On 10/25/09, at approximately 1:00PM, we received a 911 call from Wagner Park regarding a vicious dog.
The owner of an 80-90 lbs mix breed Pit Bull named “Rocky” was jogging with the dog on Rochester Road. Rocky pulled away from the owner, ran across Rochester Road, and attacked a smaller dog, a 29 lbs Boston Terrier mix breed named “Max,” in the dog run area of Wagner Park. The dog’s owner and friend tried to save the smaller dog and they were both bitten by Rocky. Both victims are certain that Rocky bit them and both stated they are certain that if they did not intervene, Max would have been killed. The owner’s friend was severely bitten; the tip of his finger was bitten off and he required hand surgery. Max was also seriously injured. See attached photos.
When officers arrived, Rocky’s owner and the other dog’s owner were holding Rocky down.
Rocky’s owner adopted the dog in August. Rocky’s was not licensed and the owner could not provide proof of vaccinations. Because of the severity of the injuries and also because Rocky was not licensed, the officers who responded took Rocky to the Royal Oak Animal Shelter.
Max was up to date on vaccinations and licensed in Royal Oak.
The following day, the animal control officer followed up on the incident. With any dog attack, that results in serious injury, the animal control officer will attempt to have the dog euthanized.
This can happen in two ways,
1) The owner signs a release for the dog and the dog is euthanized and tested for rabies.
2) The owner refuses to turn over the dog, in which case the dog is quarantined for 10 days and the animal control officer will attempt to obtain a court order to have the dog euthanized. The owner of the dog is responsible for boarding fees while this matter is resolved.
During her follow up, the animal control officer spoke with Rocky’s owner. She was issued violations for dog at large, injury to person, and no license. The animal control officer requested that Rocky be turned over to her and advised the owner that Rocky would be euthanized. Initially, the owner did not want to turn the dog over; however, when she found out she would be responsible for boarding the dog for at least 10 days and that the animal control officer would require a court order to release the dog, the owner agreed to sign over the dog. Rocky was euthanized later that day.
Dogs that require rabies testing are shipped on Tuesdays by the Oakland County Animal Shelter. One of the victims, an out-of-state resident, had surgery schedule for his injured hand. The animal control officer was able to get the results of the rabies testing on Wednesday, 10/28/09, before the surgery.
A representative from Paws for Life Rescue is claiming that they are the owners of the dog, not the woman who adopted the dog, has had possession of the dog since August, and indicated to the victims, police, and animal control officer that she was the owner.
It appears the Rocky’s owner may have signed a contract indicating that she would only turn the dog over to Paws for Life Rescue if she were to ever give the dog up. This, quite frankly, is a civil matter and does not indicate ownership.
The bottom line is this is a very unfortunate incident. However, as with any animal, the owner has an obligation to keep their pets under control. When a pet injures another person it becomes a police matter.
Pit Bull mix breed dogs account for approximately 35% of all dog bites in Royal Oak, even though only 5% of licensed dogs are Pit Bull mix breeds.
The main issue is the seriousness of the bite. Pit Bull’s have extremely powerful jaws, so when they bite the injuries are usually severe. If these same circumstances occurred with a Border Collie or Beagle, our response would have been the same.
Furthermore, this was one of two dog attacks on that day. A second dog, (a mix breed with some Pit)attacked a guest of the dog’s owner early Sunday morning. The Police were notified of the attack on Monday. In this case the victim suffered serious injuries to his face. This dog’s owner also signed off to have the dog euthanized.
Additionally, early this week, the animal control officer responded to a bite involving a German Sheppard mix. In this case, the dog had bitten a relative (a young child) in the face, but the owner did not report the incident, a few days later the same dog bit a neighbor. Once we became aware of the incident this case was handled similarly to the two incidents listed above.
I hope this clarifies any misunderstandings.
If anyone has any further questions, concerns, or comments please contact Deputy Chief O’Donohue at 248-246-3527
NOTE:
The press release was accompanied by a
couple of pictures which I have chosen not to
publish. -- FJV
May 2009: Awards & Recognition
Mike Fowler, Civilian Employee of the Year- Mike is an extremely valuable employee of the records divisions. Mike has consistently sought out new responsibilities and performs his tasks with enthusiasm. Mike was instrumental in preparing the property room for an audit last January, and regularly assists the property officer with impounds. Mike is always courteous to the public and is well respected by his coworkers.
Pat Stanton, Detective of the Year- Pat has successfully investigated several high profile cases include an arson at the Chipotle Grill in which the suspect had fled to Iowa, and a Kidnapping/ Stolen property/ Drug investigation on 12 mile. During this investigation Stanton processed a tremendous amount of stolen property and was able to return most of it to the owners. Stanton has continually demonstrated a commitment to the department and citizens of Royal Oak.
Bob Reilly, Command Officer of the Year- During 2008, Sgt. Reilly’s responsibilities included reviewing reports, making case assignments, and supervising Detectives. Sgt. Reilly took it upon himself to resolve many cases without making an assignment. This allowed the detectives the time to properly investigate the cases they were assigned. Sgt. Reilly, as a former detective, is also a valuable resource to the detectives and regularly assists in investigations. Sgt. Reilly’s leadership is largely responsible for the success of the CID.
Brett Nelson, Officer of the Year- Despite only 3 ½ years of experience, Officer Nelson is a leader on afternoon shift. Nelson continually leads the shift in arrests and is thought of as the ultimate tam player. Nelson has also built relationships with several business owners and has used those relationships to identify existing or potential problems and deal with those problems in a proactive manner. Nelson was also recognized for risking his own life to save a person attempting to kill himself by standing in front of an oncoming train.
Joseph Ivy, Police Service Aide of the Year- PSA Ivy was hired in August of 2006, and in that short time he has developed into one of the most proficient and capable Police Service Aides. There have been several instances where PSA Ivy has been the only dispatcher working the Police and Fire console. This can be very difficult and stressful position when several different situations are happening at the same time as the dispatcher has to keep up and maintain communication of each situation as well as navigate multiple computer systems and programs documenting and keeping track of emergency and high priority calls. PSA Ivy has proven time and time again that he is a\ble to perform well under extreme pressure.
Bravery – Officer Bret Nelson For exceptional bravery on November 29, 2008, while rescuing a vagrant standing in front of an oncoming Amtrak train trying to commit suicide. Without regard to personal safety, Officer Nelson ran to the man, pushed him to the ground then dragged him from the oncoming train’s path seconds before it passed.
Lifesaving Award – Officers Richard Chipman, James Wern & Brian Zelakiewicz The Royal Oak Police Department commends Officers Chipman, Wern and Zelakiewicz for an extraordinary act of duty performed on February 21, 2008. Upon arriving at a dispatched call of a suicide attempt, officers found a young male juvenile hanging from a rafter from an extension cord in the home*s basement. Officers Chipman and Zelakiewicz grabbed the boy around his torso and held him up while Officer Wern used his knife to cut the extension cord from the rafter. Upon laying him down and removing the cord they found a pulse; however, he was not breathing. Upon repositioning his head, he began breathing and his skin color began changing from blue gray to red. The Officers* quick and decisive actions saved the life of this 16 year old boy.
Distinguished Service – Theodore Quisenberry (Retired Police Chief) During his tenure, Chief Quisenberry demonstrated exemplary efforts toward establishing the goals of the department. In doing so he encouraged teamwork and innovation within the ranks. During his tenure as Chief, he established many initiatives including participation in the Drug Enforcement Agency, a multijurisdictional SWAT Team, and Police Mountain Bike unit, Chaplain, Honor Guard and School Liaison Officer programs and second Police K-9. As Chief, he believed in empowering those closest to the problem to make decisions on how to solve these issues. In doing so, he developed his staff to run more efficiently and effectively at all levels.
Distinguished Service – Sergeant Donald Morris For consistently performing above and beyond the requirements of his position, recognizing and identifying potential problems and taking an active role in implementing and maintaining the goals of the agency. Sergeant Morris is extremely knowledgeable in his work; his actions have greatly contributed to the consistent performance of the shift.
Sgt Morris is known to devote a significant amount of personal time and effort to ensure programs he is responsible for are handled properly as evidenced with the 2008 WDC multijurisdictional motor unit planning and coordination and the FTO and Auxiliary Police programs of which he is coordinator. He is always accessible, both on duty and off, to officers, sergeants and command staff. His dedication to the agency and conscientiousness is clearly evident and he is most deserving of this award.
Meritorious Service – Officer Zachary Nottle For meritorious conduct, brave actions and resourcefulness while apprehending two kidnappers on March 16, 2008, preventing further harm to the victim and insuring the safety of his family members.
Unit Citation –
The Royal Oak Police Department commends the officers of the Criminal Investigation Division for their outstanding teamwork and dedication to providing a high level of service while demonstrating thoroughness and professionalism to the Citizens of Royal Oak during 2008. The entire CID, the Sergeants, Detectives, SLO/CPO, NET and DEA Officer have demonstrated not only confidence in their individual assignments, but also a level of esprit de corps that has ensured the success of the Bureau.
Jahnke adds:
About priorities: CITCOM continues to demand "prioritization" lists from the Administration. During the budget meeting devoted to the Police Department, Facilitator Brett Tillander turned the tables by asking the mayor and commissioners to state their priorities for the department. All of which makes me wonder what has happened to City Hall's institutional memory. How many times must we re-invent the wheel?
In December of 2004, the appointed Police Service
Delivery Committee delivered a report which
addressed priorities and staffing -- with no
reference to budget, as mandated by the committee's
formal charge. The idea was to have citizens study
the police department then make recommendations
about which services must be maintained and which
might be reduced or eliminated or outsourced.
I observed that Jay Dunstan, who chaired that committee, brought copies of its 2004 report to the 19 August 2008 budget meeting and distributed them to other citizens and press who attended. Asked if he had provided copies to CITCOM, Dunstan said, "They all have received copies of this in the past---most recently when the Directed Patrol Unit issue was last raised. I thought it would have been redundant to pass them out again though I had copies with me in case I was asked."
In 2004, "The report was given to the budget
committee as a whole and pieces were included in
the final budget report
submitted by Tom Hoover. Commissioners on the
budget committee at the time we submitted this
report were
Ellison, Drinkwine, and Capello."
Is the 2004 Police Service Delivery Committee report still meaningful? "It was the product of close and sometimes intense conversations and meetings with all tiers of the ROPD. Budget constraints were purposely ignored when writing the report making the organizational chart. The point was to illustrate what an ideal police department might look like. Though I haven't discussed this with the Chief lately I would imagine most of what we found in the winter of 2004-05 would still hold true today."
Why does VersagiVoice mention this now?
Because there were several other ad hoc
committees which submitted reports about
assigned departments, and I wonder if it's
wise to devote more than minimal time to
rediscovering the obvious as this year's
special budget meetings continue.
-- 28 Aug 08
Here is the report. POLICE SERVICE DELIVERY COMMITTEESYNOPSIS
December 21st, 2004
During the past four months the Police Service Delivery Committee has spent much time dissecting the inner workings of The Royal Oak Police Department (ROPD). We’ve explored all functions within the agency from Public Service Aides, to Parking Enforcement Officers, and on up to the top administration. What we learned has at times been comforting, alarming, or both. Our findings are based upon many hours at the table and many discussions—mostly amicable though there was the occasional emotional exchange. In the end we came to a consensus taking into account a number of factors.
Although the committee recognizes the budget shortfall facing the city, our charge was not to simply recommend budget cuts, with respect to police services or in any other department. We have been requested to review police services, the need for them, identify the optimum means of providing them, and to set priorities among those services.
The committee also recognizes that compensation for officers, command officers, other personnel, retirement contributions, health care costs and other fringe benefits represent the bulk of the expenses for police services. Again, in view of the committee’s charge and the existence of contractual obligations, we disregarded these factors in this report, but recognize that these items will have to be addressed in determining the level of service the City of Royal Oak will be able to provide in the future.
The department is staffed well below both the levels of three years ago and below what is provided for in the current budget. This is due primarily to attrition through retirements and personnel leaving the department for employment elsewhere without the open positions being filled. Complicating our analysis is that many cuts or changes made within the department translate into a compromise in police services. With this in mind we were careful to explore any domino effect that might be the result of any of our recommendations. Even further complicating our review is that the cost of some services are set off or even exceeded by revenue generated in the course of enforcement, parking being the primary example.
Most if not all of the services supplied to the city via the ROPD are essential services. Priorities were set but without those comparisons translating into meaning the lower rated service was not essential. It also has to be understood that some services are support services, such as the records section, and that primary services cannot be provided without the support services.
There was unanimity that the Animal Shelter should be the lowest priority for the police department at this time. The trade off between protection of people, and the protection of animals, especially when alternate means of animal protection are available, makes a hard decision clear. Oakland County and The Michigan Humane Society offer the same services without burdening the Royal Oak taxpayers. Surrounding communities no longer offer animal shelter services. It is believed many animals turned in to the Shelter come from outside of the city. The fact that we may be offering animal shelter services to those not paying Royal Oak taxes is significant. We recommend keeping our agreement with The City of Berkley for an Animal Control Officer. The animal shelter and an animal control officer are separate functions.
While the responsibility for school crossing guards could be shared with the school district, state law mandates local law enforcement agencies to be responsible for this function. Perhaps the school district could pick up some of these costs though we understand that this is not a matter for this committee.
Community Policing is a very important part of the department’s puzzle, yet not at the same level as the core services. The absence of a Community Policing officer reduces the communication and relationship with students, and makes the Detective Bureau responsible for investigations involving juveniles, adding responsibilities for an already understaffed unit.
The Directed Patrol Unit (DPU) also fell beneath core police services. However, the DPU serves a vital function in undercover work and has a track record of addressing specific law enforcement problems and resolving serial crimes. The DPU has already been disbanded due to manpower shortages but we recommend its resurrection if and when manpower and budgets permit.
Narcotics Enforcement Team (NET) is listed as a second tier item. NET is a countywide, shared entity that is funded locally by forfeiture funds. Not having Royal Oak Police represented on NET doesn’t necessarily save budget dollars though it does free staff for “in-town” services.
Lastly, the K-9 Unit was opined to be a second tier service. However, as with NET, the dog is funded through forfeiture funds. In addition, the K-9 officers are included with the regular officer shifts. Accordingly, eliminating this service would eliminate the unique capabilities of the K-9 Unit, but would not save money. Therefore, this is not a reasonable option.
The Traffic Safety Division narrowly missed the primary tier as well. The committee felt that traffic safety was essential yet patrolling neighborhoods and businesses was the higher priority. In a perfect world we would not consider traffic safety as anything but top priority, but given our task it fell beneath other basic services.
Parking Enforcement lies in the top tier due to its role as a revenue producer. The revenue from parking tickets is far beyond the cost of a Parking Enforcement Officer. If there were a way to enhance enforcement without irritating both retailers and residents alike, the city would benefit greatly.
Police Dispatch, Uniform Patrol, Crime Investigation and Administration all fall into the top tier. These services are indispensable. Cuts in any of these categories could mean dire consequences to the community. The same applies to the Records Division, evidence storage, and equipment. Training might be low on the totem pole though we see a direct correlation between the amount of training within the department and job performance as a whole as compared to several years ago. A great deal of the training that now takes place is also mandated by law.
Considering the type of city Royal Oak has become we consider service levels within the department to be precariously low at best. With four downtown establishments within the top 50 statewide in sales of alcoholic beverages, our population swells each night and weekend putting added stress on our police services. The Zoo, Dream Cruise, and sport celebrations all contribute as well. An increasing downtown permanent population grows these concerns even more.
There is currently some consolidation of services, such as the animal control officer shared with the City of Berkley, and the Narcotics Enforcement Team. While more can be done, in-sourcing or out-sourcing are difficult due to the complications in getting agreements with multiple communities, employee groups, and citizens concerned about the effect of such changes on their communities. Contractual agreements are also at work here. Consolidation can and should be explored over the long run, but little budget relief can realistically be expected in the short term.
This committee looks forward to the day when we can have all the aforementioned services fully staffed. Supposing some of these areas are slashed they will be very difficult to reinstate, possibly contributing to the subsidence of our community as a whole. The ROPD is currently operating at a less than optimum level. In order to provide adequate services increased rather than reduced staffing is required.
We would acknowledge the complete cooperation of the staff members of this committee. Chief Quisenberry, Deputy Chief Wightman, Detective Szlezyngier, Sergeants O’Donohue and Gale, and Patrol Officer Barry Bean were all more than willing and forthcoming. They made it easier for us to grasp the workings of the Royal Oak Police Department.
We understand that in each case the police department staff assisting the committee both support and are focused on the work they, and the employee groups they are a part of, do. The committee, however, has come to its own conclusions based upon the knowledge and experience of its members used to evaluate the information and background provided by members of the police department.
The guidance of Commissioner Mike Andrzejak was also greatly appreciated. We would also like to thank Deputy Clerk Melanie Rauvala for helping with logistics.
Respectfully Submitted,
The Police Service Delivery Committee
Jay Dunstan—Chairperson David Richards Karen Anderson Craig Mangold Brett Tillander |
May 2009
Awards
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