Sheriff's Office Newsletter - March 2023

March 2023 Newsletter (Volume 9, Issue 3)

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

Polar Plunge 2023

Sergeant Mark Chambers

February 11 was the annual The Polar Plunge! The Polar Plunge is biggest fundraiser for Special Olympics
Minnesota. All funds raised by Plungers help Special Olympics Minnesota provide year-round training and services
to thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities across the state. The Polar Plunge is presented by the Law
Enforcement Torch Run, a movement of volunteers dedicated to increasing awareness and funds for Special
Olympics Minnesota athletes across the state.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) team did not disappoint again this year! 21 members of the OCSO participated in the event from 3 different teams. Two members of the OCSO raised money and jumped with the joint Olmsted County/Rochester Police Department Emergency Response Team (SWAT). Sheriff Torgerson and Captain Tesmer participated with the local Special Olympics Team the Rochester Flyers and also jumped with the OCSO Team. Captain Tesmer again participated as a Super Plunger and made 24 jumps into the frigid water in 24 hours! The OCSO team raised over $7,000 for MN Special Olympics! This made the OCSO the winner of the local Law Enforcement challenge and placed the OCSO at 7th overall in the state of MN in the Law Enforcement category. This was accomplished without adding Sheriff Torgerson’s raised $3,331,30 and Captain Tesmer’s $4,735.62! A special thank you goes to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriff’s Association (DSA); the DSA generously donated $1,500 to the cause!

The 2023 Rochester Polar Plunge was another great show of community and Law Enforcement working together for a great cause. This year the Rochester Polar Plunge Raised over $286,000 with 950+ participants that showed up to jump in a frozen lake for the Special Olympics athletes across the state!

Chief Deputy Waletzki Retires

Sheriff Kevin Torgerson

Friday, February 24 the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office retired badge number 1612 as Chief Deputy Waletzki became citizen Waletzki and his storied law enforcement career in the great State of Minnesota came to an end.  His career started as a part time reserve deputy with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office in 1988 while attending RCTC Law Enforcement courses, then worked part time for the SE Minnesota towns of Grand Meadow, Leroy, and Adams from 1989-1990 before charming the Mayor of Brownsdale, Minnesota to become their Police Chief from 1990-1991.  Then finally being hired full time by the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office on May 20th, 1991.

Chief Deputy Waletzki’s career followed a path that can be used as an example for all.  With the assortment of divisions and assignments within a Sheriff’s Office it is encouraged to take on assignments to grow throughout one’s career.  Starting as a patrol deputy from 1991 to 1997.   Later he became a patrol sergeant and held that position until 1998 when he moved to the Training Division Sergeant position and initiated the first discussions to build a regional public safety training center.  Next up he was the Civil Warrants Court Security Division Sergeant from 2000-2003, then back to the patrol division for a short stint, followed by joining the investigations division as the sergeant from 2006 to 2007.

When Captain Joe Loftus retired Sergeant Terry Waletzki became Captain Waletzki and immediately began his time as the County’s Emergency Manager from June of 2007 until July 2009.  Waletzki became the first HSEM and FEMA certified Emergency Manager in the Sheriff’s Office.  Which came in very handy when two months after his reassignment to captain at Olmsted County Homeland Security Emergency Management (HSEM), fourteen inches of rain fell across SE Minnesota causing the Rushford Flood and activating the Regional Emergency Managers in full recovery mode.

And there is more!  All of the specialty assignments throughout his career included the ERU/SWAT Team, warrant sweeps, Training Division’s long hours, the FEMA Disaster declaration, Presidential and other dignitary visits, even Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour last year on his wedding anniversary date, thank you Anna, which kept him from retiring a year ago.  Like all law enforcement families his family has been his greatest supporters.

In July of 2009 he was transferred back to patrol division as captain until January of 2015 when he became the Director of Law Enforcement Services and Sheriff Kevin Torgerson’s LEC Chief Deputy.

The last eight years have been monumental to say the least!  There are many notable accomplishments as Chief Deputy but leading the way was making offers to hire sixty-eight full time licensed deputy sheriffs and fifteen support staff, both unprecedented numbers in the history of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office. Overseeing the next phase of the Regional Training Center design and now on track to complete the next building phase in the fall of 2024.

In addition, the last eight years saw a revamping of the LEC promotional processes, hiring processes now being a model for other agencies, new wellness check-ins for all OCSO staff as one of the first law enforcement agencies in the state to do so, body camera contracts, new utility deputy positions, restructuring of the LEC side of the Office, COVID-19, police reform, and much more! Finally, the work to negotiate the purchase of a new Emergency Rescue Vehicle to be shared with the Rochester Police Department.

With that we saw a huge amount of institutional knowledge and experience go out the door on Friday, February 24th as he looks to enjoy a lot more time in a boat and on the golf course.  Thank you, sir, for nearly 35 years of service to several communities and 33 years with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.  We wish you well in retirement.

Rochester Flyers Special Olympics Athletes of the Year

Sheriff Kevin Torgerson

Erikka Giere and Josh Jewell have been chosen as the Rochester Flyers Special Olympics Athletes of the Year.

Erikka Giere has be involved with Special Olympics for 28 years all with the Rochester Flyers.  She has participated in several sports activities including swimming, full court basketball, bowling, bocce, track & field, golf, and softball.   She has also volunteered for several years at the Rochester Polar Plunge as an athlete representative and greeter to the thousands of plungers year after year.  She has also been seen volunteering at local Tip A Cop fundraisers.  Erikka says, “Special Olympics has opened their doors.  It is a privilege and to be very honored to compete with other athletes from the Rochester Flyers team.  Special Olympics and Olmsted County law enforcement give her the strength to be a stronger person and an athlete to represent the state of Minnesota.”

Congratulations Erikka!

Josh Jewell has been in Special Olympics for forty years, starting when he was just six years old! Josh has participated in golf and bowling and basketball, also track and field, bocce, and swimming. Josh has volunteered at Law Enforcement Torch Run events also at the Polar Plunge and Tip A Cop events. Josh says that Special Olympics allows him time to be with his friends and having fun learning new sports and being good at them. My coaches are nice, and I learn a lot from them. I support my friends and they support me. That’s good sportsmanship!”

Congratulations Josh!

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