Laserfiche WebLink
2017 Annual Report • Police Department • St. Anthony Village, Minnesota <br /> <br /> <br />11 | P a g e <br /> <br /> <br /> VI. Investigation Review <br />PREPARED BY CAPTAIN JEFF SPIESS <br />The St. Anthony Police Department’s Investigative Unit has been hard at work in 2017. Captain <br />Jeff Spiess oversees this unit and has done so since his promotion to Captain in 2016. Tim Briski <br />is the lead detective and brings nearly 20 years of service in his investigative role and 30 years <br />total as a police officer. This continuity and experience has been a valuable asset to the St. <br />Anthony Police Department and our ability to investigate and solve crimes of every degree, and <br />to use our relationships with our partners in and outside of law enforcement to do so effectively <br />and expeditiously. <br />A hallmark of our investigative unit is our commitment to increasing the bandwidth of our <br />team by continuously seeking new perspectives, while also providing for career enrichment and <br />learning opportunities for our patrol staff. One way this is accomplished is through our <br />quarterly rotating investigator position, in which a patrol officer serves a dedicated role as an <br />investigator to assist with criminal investigations. This valuable arrangement has proven key to <br />enhancing and renewing our approach both as patrol officers and investigators. In 2017, <br />Officers Sroga, Moore, South, and Schlingman served a rotation in investigations and were <br />instrumental to solving crimes and bringing fresh ideas to our investigative team. <br />While we have individuals assigned to the investigative unit, we view every officer as <br />investigators. Quite often, crimes are solved according to the early work of the first one or two <br />officers called to a scene. And as a small department, it is even more important that our patrol <br />officer’s not only record information told to them by victims and witnesses, but also take on the <br />role of the lead investigator in the early stages of any crime. If solvability does not appear likely <br />in the infancy stage of an investigation, the investigative unit conducts follow up. We are proud <br />to say that we investigate every level of crime, whether it be a rather minor theft or a very <br />serious felony, as we believe that every victim deserves the very best effort put forth on their <br />behalf. <br />Key to any investigation is the proper collection, transfer, and storage of evidence obtained as a <br />result of a crime. While all of our officers are trained in evidence handling, it is imperative to <br />have staff with specialized training in managing the large volume of property and evidence that