Police Chief Chat

This past week the Rolla Police Department handled 738 calls for service. Of these calls there were: 31 arrests, 28 accidents, 56 traffic complaints, 93 traffic stops, 11 suspicious nature calls, 7 recovered property reports, 16 loud noise complaints, 31 assists of other agencies, 8 fingerprint requests, 6 mental health calls, 5 prowler calls, 34 animal calls, 9 alarms and 3 trespassing calls. This call total is up 45 calls from last week. Another busy week!

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest volunteer to the Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) program. Jeanne Jenks came on board this past week and has been assisting our Records Division with various assignments. Jeanne come to us after a lengthy career in the medical field. She learned of the program through her husband, Rolla Mayor Bill Jenks. Welcome aboard Jeanne!

Last Sunday, August 22, 2010, Pizza Inn of Rolla played host to a Behind the Badge (BTB) fundraiser where BTB members and Rolla Police officers bussed tables, took orders and served food to family and friends from the Rolla community. Not only was the fundraiser a success, but we had a lot of fun visiting with all of you throughout the evening. Thanks to Bob and Jo Campbell and staff of Pizza Inn for the opportunity, and special thanks to those of you who came out and helped support out cause!

We are gearing up for our 3rd Annual Operation Clean-Up which will be held on Friday, October 1st, in conjunction with the City of Rolla’s Fall Clean-up scheduled for the following Saturday. Operation Clean-up began in 2008 when the Rolla Police Department teamed with the Rolla Area Ministerial Alliance to provide clean-up and beautification services to the residents in parts of the city where the property owners were unable to perform these duties themselves. The operation was designed to enhance the neighborhood’s sense of community and increase property values. The clean-up effort will involve tree trimming, hedge trimming and the removal of brush piles, household items and trash. Also supporting the operation will be Rolla Sanitation, Rolla Municipal Utilities, Rolla Parks and Recreation, Rolla Street Department and CenturyLink. In addition we also rely on hundreds of volunteers from area churches, businesses and the community to complete the operation. This year’s target area will be selected in the next week or so and announced through the local media. If you would like to participate in this year’s Operation Clean-Up contact S/Sgt. Rick Williams at 308-1213.

This past week, Lt. Doug James began preparations for this year’s Citizen’s Police Academy. The Citizens Police Academy is a program of instruction by police officers for interested citizens as part of the Department’s community policing philosophy. The goals are to increase awareness of the functions of the Police Department and to increase police/community rapport by sharing concerns through an educative process. Classes meet for four hours, once a week for twelve weeks. All sessions are held in the evening, at the Rolla Police Department, with the exception of one Saturday session which is held at the firing range. Participants are also invited to ride along with a police officer to see firsthand what happens on the street. Citizens will learn of Internal Affairs and Polygraph Operation, Complaints and Reports, Criminal and Crime Scene Investigation, School Resource Officer program, Police Explorer Post program, DWI Detection, Narcotics Investigation, Emergency Operations and Community Policing, Animal Control, Defense Tactics, Officer Survival, SWAT Team Operations, Fire Arms Training, Central Communications, Traffic Accident Investigation, Traffic Stops, Radar Detection, Arrest and Booking Procedures and Volunteers in Police Services. If you would like to attend the Citizen’s Police Academy, contact Lt. Doug James at 308-1213.

In closing, I would like to commend several citizens in our community who have initiated or taken part in the introduction of the Neighborhood Watch program in their neighborhoods. In the past couple months we have received a re-newed interest in this valuable program from several different areas of the community. This re-newed interest comes on the heels of 3 city-wide Neighborhood Watch Zone meetings we held earlier in the summer. The Neighborhood Watch program is a citizen-involvement program developed in 1983 to encourage citizens to protect their own neighborhoods by watching out for each other and reporting any suspicious activity to the Police Department. After receiving general guidelines by Rolla Police Officers, Block Captains are responsible for organizing their own meetings and other activities for residents in their neighborhood. We are always looking for new neighborhoods to get involved in the Neighborhood Watch Program. If you would like to learn more about the program or see the program started in your neighborhood, contact S/Sgt. Rick Williams at 308-1213.

Have a great week!

Chief Mark Kearse