Sheriff's Office Newsletter - April 2023

Volume 9, Issue 4

April 2023 Newsletter (Volume 9, Issue 4)

Please click on the title below to view each of the different stories in the newsletter.

Sheriff's Office Recruiting

While another career fair is in the books and we enjoy meeting job seekers while discussing opportunities within the Adult Detention and Law Enforcement Centers, we want you to know that if you’re interested in learning more about career opportunities with our Office, you can message our recruitment team.

You can also hear from members of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office on why this is a great place to work —

Join Our Team—Adult Detention Center

Join Our Team—Law Enforcement Center

Sheriff's Office Recruiting at a Career Fair

Promoting to Lead and Work with Our Community

Captain Tim Parkin

Our office is continually encouraging leadership growth amongst our staff. This is especially true for those aspiring for our organization's promotional opportunities. As a result, the Adult Detention Center (ADC) and Law Enforcement Center (LEC) have created promotional testing opportunities for the rank of Detective (LEC), Corporal (ADC), Sergeant (both), and Captain (both). The testing creates an eligibility list allowing the candidates to be ranked based on their testing outcome. What's more is the opportunity for internal and external stakeholders, such as community and business leaders and command staff from other law enforcement entities, to participate in the process.

While promotional testing can create some nervousness or anxiety on behalf of the candidate, it also allows them an opportunity to showcase leadership skills, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to preparing for the process. In addition, as in other occupations, promotional positions in law enforcement can take on non-traditional roles that demand new skills and abilities separate from what the candidate may be used to. Therefore, promotional testing must represent the position a candidate is testing for.

The recent captain's promotional process is an excellent example of asking candidates to participate in a process that may be new to them. Candidates went through a multi-phase testing process. The first phase consisted of two interviews with three-person panels. The interviews were modeled after behavioral-based questioning designed to solicit responses where the candidates provided examples for their answers. In doing so, the interview panel gets an idea of personal traits and leadership skills the candidate possesses or has worked to achieve. The next step asks the candidate to give a presentation. While the candidate could choose their topic, they are given direction that it can be anything relating to "the betterment of the organization." Most of the candidates chose to create a visual presentation, such as with PowerPoint, and narrate it to the panel. Finally, the step provides our administration and a reviewing panel the opportunity to see how the candidate conducts themselves regarding public communication skills. The candidates are evaluated based on their ability to define their position and defend leadership, research, and more as necessary.

Finally, Human Resources adds the candidate's annual evaluation scores and longevity points. Then the Sheriff's Office Civil Service Commission reviews the promotional list and certifies it as valid.

The process allows community members to participate in the promotional process and see the great work and ingenuity our upcoming leaders possess. It enables the candidates to showcase what they have learned throughout their career as well as at leadership training and display how they have implemented the training. It also allows our staff to have a voice in and be engaged in the future direction of our office. This would not be possible without our partners in our community volunteering their time and expertise to be on the panel. And the candidate's hard work and dedication to exemplify their leadership training and the values of our office. To all involved, thank you.

Captain Mike Bromberg to Retire

Sheriff Kevin Torgerson

The passing of the torch in our office continues. This time Captain Mike Bromberg after 30 years in law enforcement is moving on to retirement, and likely to spend more time behind the wheel of a Jeep on a bumpy offroad trail.

Captain Bromberg grew up in Princeton, Minnesota and graduated from there after completing, “all 12 years”! Following college, he served four years in the United States Marine Corp attaining the Good Conduct Medal as a Supply Administrative Specialist. Following his time serving our country he attended Alexandria Technical College to complete a degree in Law Enforcement. And his career was off and running.

City of Baxter Minnesota - November 1992 to December 1992
Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office - December 1992 to November 1993
Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office - December 1993 to April 2023

While in our Office he took to heart the Sheriff’s Office philosophy that lateral movement builds a career.

Joint County/City ERU Team with the city of Rochester - 1998 to 2000
DARE Instructor and Junior High DARE Instructor - 1998 to 2006
Forensics Mapping Unit - 2003 to 2006
Patrol deputy - 1993 to 1998 and 2004
Stewartville COPS deputy - 1998 to 2004
Crime Prevention deputy - 2005 - 2007
Deputy Director of Olmsted County Homeland Security Emergency Management (HSEM) - 2007 to 2015
Captain/Director of Staff Training and Emergency Management Division - 2015 to 2021
Captain/Commander of the SE Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team - 2021 to 2023

Mike has an incredible story to tell. His time in Baxter PD was very brief as a part-timer in training for 8 weeks. While with Mille Lacs County he had ten shifts with a training deputy and was let loose working overnights, where between 2 am and 6 am he was the only officer on duty in the county.

One of his earliest assignments with our Office was in the “1994 Eyota Summer Project” with Deputies Scheckel, Claymon, and Howard. They were directed to keep the juveniles from damaging parks and other things in town.

As the Stewartville COPS Deputy his four-year lateral assignment turned into six years. All the while teaching the DARE program for 6 class periods in one day gave him a new appreciation for full-time teachers. While chaperoning the 2003 Senior Class trip to Chicago, his group was on Michigan Avenue and witnessed protesters face off with Chicago PD. For 30 minutes they were in a store entryway while hundreds of CPD officers arrested the protesters. Later he added a mountain bike to his Stewie patrol. One of his most memorable moments was when he pulled over a semi on Main Street while on the bike. The semi was doing 45-50 when Mike went into the roadway to flag down the semi to stop. I remember hearing about this and the legend of our Stewie COPS deputy was in full legendary mode after that! Mike recalls, “The after effect of my time in Stewie, the number of people who have approached me to say “thanks” for helping them through difficult times in life. One was a welfare check on a local business owner. Unbeknownst to me she had planned on killing herself that day, I spent an hour or two talking to her about her life, lives of others in my career and my own life. From that she realized that her life wasn’t so bad. My time in Stewie proved that you never know the difference you make in people’s lives.” After his COPS deputy time, Mike moved to Crime Prevention and was on the frontend of Project Lifesaver (PLS), learning and understanding Autism and the effects on families. A highlight was getting Air certified for PLS searches from a helicopter.

Captain Bromberg as a deputy was again lateraled into the Deputy Director of HSEM position which was a whole new world and the challenges of helping modernize our county’s disaster preparedness and response. He was instrumental in the complete re-write of the County’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Working with the 2007 flood event and debris management grants for citizens.
Working 30 straight days in 2007 due to potential weather events each day.
The Flood of 2010 - managing the response and clean-up in the Oronoco area with Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD’s). Seeing just how devastating disasters are on those directly affected at the ground level will stick with him forever.

Once promoted to Captain in 2015, he took over the helm and the position of Director of HSEM which later brought the Sheriff’s Office law enforcement Training team under his guidance also, now known as Staff Training and Emergency Management (STEM). Always keen on social media he was instrumental in building our first Social Media Facebook page for Emergency Management mostly for weather and emergency preparedness. Later he pushed to bring a Social Media expert on board to promote both Emergency Management and other Sheriff’s Office activities. And of course, COVID 19, supporting the response with Public Health to the largest pandemic response in modern times. This was a great test to what had been planned for over the years. He took great satisfaction to see that it all worked without many major hurdles.

Lastly, Captain Bromberg was again laterally moved to become the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team (SMVCET) Commander. He stated, “This was a whole new experience and something I really needed after COVID. It was great to watch the team work diligently to build high level cases. It’s disheartening that many of these successes can’t be shared as the web of cases are followed. I’m amazed at the change in the amount of drugs we seize has gone up drastically every year that I’ve been in this position.”

Bromberg said, “In closing, when in the Marine Corps I struggled on what I wanted to do when I got out. I get bored easily and wanted something that was different every day. A ride-a-long while home on leave gave me a look into Law Enforcement. It’s been an amazing career with awesome people, I wouldn’t trade for anything. Looking back, I made the right choice, I feel I’ve made a difference in people’s lives. I’m so grateful for all I’ve experienced over the 30 years. I only wish I’d have written some of it down in a notebook.” Happy trails, Mike!

Senior Administration

Sheriff
Kevin Torgerson

Chief Deputy—LEC
Brian Howard

Captains
Mike Bromberg
Jon Jacobson
Kelly Lee
Tim Parkin
Chris Wallace

Executive Assistant
Laura Collins

Chief Deputy—ADC
James Schueller

Captains
David Adams
Samantha Reps
Macey Tesmer

Dates of Interest

April 3

Oronoco Township Meeting

Pleasant Grove Township Meeting

Quincy Township Meeting

Rochester City Council Meeting

April 4

Elmira Township Meeting

High Forest Township Meeting

Olmsted County Board Meeting

April 5

Salem Township Meeting

April 6

Dover City Council Meeting

April 10

Cascade Township Meeting

Chatfield City Council Meeting

Orion Township Meeting

Rock Dell Township Meeting

April 11

Byron City Council Meeting

Marion Township Meeting

New Haven Township Meeting

Stewartville City Council Meeting

April 13

Eyota City Council Meeting

Rochester Township Meeting

April 17

Eyota Township Meeting

Kalmar Township Meeting

Rochester City Council Meeting

April 18

Farmington Township Meeting

Oronoco City Council Meeting

Pine Island City Council Meeting

Olmsted County Board Meeting

April 19

Haverhill Township Meeting

April 24

Chatfield City Council Meeting

Dover Township Meeting

Viola Township Meeting

April 25

Byron City Council Meeting

Stewartville City Council Meeting

April 27

Eyota City Council Meeting

Olmsted County Fire Meeting

Olmsted County Township Association Meeting

Was this helpful?

Facebook Post	Reach	Engagement
1. Podein’s Theft Suspects (1/24)	83,350	6,437
2. Snowmobile Patrol (2/23)	72,020	4,448
3. OCSO take the Polar Plunge Video (2/10)	45,900	2,569
4. Thank You Snowplow Drivers (1/19)	40,124	1,514
5. Podein’s Theft Polaris RZR Theft (1/23)	39,141	4,432
6. Thank You Snowplow Drivers (2/23)	29,343	1,363
7. Polar Plunge Promo Video (2/3)	27,180	3,286
8. Media Release – Detainee Death (1/17)	22,913	4,351
9. Meet Bruno! Our newest K9 (2/10)	22,210	2,807
10. MessageMonday (2/13)	20,662	1,380