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2018 Annual Report • Police Department • St. Anthony Village, Minnesota <br /> <br /> <br />12 | P a g e <br /> <br /> V. Investigation Review <br />PREPARED BY CAPTAIN JEFF SPIESS <br />The 2018 year was busy and engaging for the Investigative Unit of the St. Anthony Police <br />Department. Captain Jeff Spiess oversees this unit and has done so since his promotion to <br />Captain in 2016. Detective Tim Briski is the lead investigator and brings over 30 years of <br />experience to the position. Detective Briski began his law enforcement career with the St. <br />Anthony Police Department in 1988, and served as a patrol officer and a Drug Abuse Resistance <br />Education (DARE) Officer prior to his promotion to detective in 1999. His knowledge, contacts, <br />relationships, and experience has been a strong asset to the department and the community of <br />St. Anthony. <br />On a quarterly basis throughout the year, a patrol officer is given the opportunity to bid a <br />rotation to serve as a detective, working with Detective Briski and Captain Spiess. This <br />arrangement has served the department well for several years in many ways. First, the rotation <br />of patrol officers provides an opportunity for new and refreshed perspectives and ideas. <br />Second, the patrol officer gains from this career enriching opportunity through diversity in <br />assignment and learning another aspect of policing that can then be brought back to patrol <br />duties later in the year. Finally, the additional detective is vital to accomplishing our mission, as <br />we work diligently to investigate all crime that occurs in our community. In 2018, Officers <br />Schlingman, Erdman, and Rushton served in this capacity and were instrumental in the <br />successful resolve of many criminal cases, as well as partnering with other agencies to find <br />solutions to issues that were not necessarily criminal in nature. <br />Although we have personnel specifically assigned to the investigative unit, it is imperative that <br />all officers are trained in investigative techniques and are able to successfully navigate a <br />criminal investigation from beginning to end. For example, when an officer receives a call to <br />respond to a crime scene, that officer, regardless of tenure, initially assumes the role of “lead <br />investigator.” As is often the case, the decisions and actions of the first officers on scene, can <br />spell the difference between a solved and unsolved case. The St. Anthony Police Department <br />has long operated under this philosophy and is proud of the skills and techniques that each <br />officer possesses, and their ability to take the necessary steps in the initial stages of all <br />investigations.