Sheriff's Office Newsletter - October 2022
Volume 8, Issue 10
October 2022 Newsletter (Volume 8, Issue 10)
To view each of the different stories in the newsletter, please click on the title below.
5th Annual Battle of the Badges
Team Law Enforcement won the "5th Annual Battle of the Badges" blood donation challenge!
Team Law Enforcement, which included our Office and Rochester MN Police Department, won with 277 blood donations. Collectively Olmsted County first responders provided 678 blood donations over the past three months.
Thank you to everyone who participated! Special thanks to Pasquale’s Neighborhood Pizzeria for donating pizza to encourage donors to attend blood drives and those who donated on the behalf of Team Law Enforcement.
While the challenge may be over for this year, need is always there—please schedule a time to donate blood or learn more about the Blood Donor Program - Mayo Clinic.
Overdose Deaths Continue to Rise
Captain Mike Bromberg
Overdose deaths....... continue to rise but investigating these deaths is difficult. There are certain things that a medical facility must notify law enforcement on, like gunshot injuries but medical facilities in Minnesota don’t have to report suspected overdose deaths. Yes, you read that correctly, someone can drive into the Emergency Room and drop off a lifeless human and no one notifies law enforcement. Some will say it’s a victimless crime as the drug user chose to use illegal substances, but that now deceased user leaves behind a family. A family that has probably tried for years to get their loved one “clean” and sober. Addiction is difficult to understand if you haven’t had an experience with it. Usually, addicts have a host of problems that lead to the addiction, fixing all of those issues takes years sometimes.
A grieving family member will contact law enforcement weeks after death to inquire about finding out who sold the drugs that killed their loved one. Over this time a majority of the evidence of the sale disappears. At this point, there isn’t a crime scene to scour for evidence. The victims' clothes and property have been disposed of. Witnesses have moved on or were also using drugs and their memory isn’t clear to the sequence of events of the death.
So what are we doing to help the issue? First, the State Sheriff’s Association has drafted language to change the statute so medical facilities have to report suspected overdose deaths. Hopefully, in the 2023 legislative session, we will see progress on this bill. Secondly, we have partnered with the DEA in a Task Force on counterfeit pills; lastly, we investigate all overdose deaths presented to us and present our cases to the County Attorney’s Office.
The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office has a permanent Prescription Drug Collection Box; the collection box is located in the vestibule of the Adult Detention Center and is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you have narcotics in your home, you can turn them in any time at the Sheriff’s Office Prescription Drug Take-Back box.
Are you pursuing a career in Law Enforcement?
The Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association (MSA) has established a scholar- ship fund to award twenty $2,000 scholarships to Minnesota Law Enforcement Students this year. These scholarships are due to the coordinated efforts of the 87 Sheriffs of the State of Minnesota and the MSA's Exhibitor Sustaining Scholarship Members. The Minnesota
Sheriffs' Association Scholarship and Awards Committee will be awarding the scholarships by December 29, 2022.
Please note that applications must be submitted to your Minnesota County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff by November 19, 2022. For Olmsted County Residents, mail or drop off your completed application to:
Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office
Attention: Sheriff Torgerson
101 4th Street SE
Rochester MN 55904-3718
Scholarships are available to students currently enrolled in one of the following three categories:
1. Mandated POST skills program
2. In the second year of a two-year law enforcement program
3. In the third or fourth year of a four-year college criminal justice course
Deputies and Local Officers Complete EVOC Training at the Regional Public Safety Training Center
EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course) was developed to train law enforcement, and other first responders, in techniques necessary to successfully complete their missions in a safe and efficient manner.
This course is designed to certify attendees in emergency vehicle operations as required by the MN Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. Deputies complete a digital presentation and then must pass a written examination of material learned in the presentation prior to attending the practical portion of the training.
During the practical driving portion, students refresh their driving skills on a challenging emergency vehicle operations course at speeds and in conditions that they would utilize in on-duty situations. The course concludes with a comprehensive exercise designed to put all the skills students learn to use in a controlled environment.
Institute for Credible Leadership (ICLD)
Detention Deputy Tiffany Howlett recently completed the Institute for Credible Leadership (ICLD) series.
ICLD is a four-phase, online, leadership learning system offered through the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association. The ICLD is a series of 46 college-level leader- ship development courses. There are four phases within ICLD, each consisting of lectures, discussions, and books to read amounting to 180 hours of learning.
Monthly Snapshot - Fatal Overdose Data
Captain Mike Bromberg
Olmsted County Fatal Overdose Data
2019 - 18
2020 - 29
2021 - 47 (none published)
2022 - 30 (January through June, unofficial)
Non-Fatal Overdose Emergency Room Visits
2016 - 156
2017 - 196
2018 - 135
2019 - 124
2020 - 145
Minnesota Department of Health, Trends in Drug Overdose Deaths: Southeast Region 2011-2019
Minnesota Department of Health Drug Overdose Prevention Resources
Dates of Interest
October 3
Oronoco Township Meeting Pleasant Grove Township Meeting Quincy Township Meeting Rochester City Council Meeting
October 4
Elmira Township Meeting High Forest Township Meeting Olmsted County Board Meeting
October 5
Salem Township Meeting
October 6
Dover City Council Meeting
October 10
Cascade Township Meeting Chatfield City Council Meeting Orion Township Meeting Rock Dell Township Meeting
October 11
Byron City Council Meeting Marion Township Meeting New Haven Township Meeting Stewartville City Council Meeting
October 13
Eyota City Council Meeting Rochester Township Meeting
October 17
Eyota Township Meeting Kalmar Township Meeting Rochester City Council Meeting
October 18
Farmington Township Meeting Oronoco City Council Meeting Pine Island City Council Meeting Olmsted County Board Meeting
October 19
Haverhill Township Meeting
October 24
Chatfield City Council Meeting Dover Township Meeting Viola Township Meeting
October 25
Byron City Council Meeting Stewartville City Council Meeting
October 27
Eyota City Council Meeting
Olmsted County Fire Meeting Olmsted County Township Association Meeting
Senior Administration
Sheriff
Kevin Torgerson
Chief Deputy—ADC
Brian Howard
Captains
David Adams
Samantha Reps
Macey Tesmer
Chief Deputy—LEC
Terry Waletzki
Captains
Mike Bromberg
Jon Jacobson
Tim Parkin
James Schueller
Chris Wallace
Executive Assistant
Laura Collins