Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office Newsletter - January 2021
Volume 7, Issue 1
To view each of the different stories in the January 2021 newsletter, please click on the tabs below.
Thank you!
As we begin the New Year, we want to thank all of you that have reached out with treats, cards, and kind words over the last year—it’s been a challenge for all of us, but we will persevere! Happy New Year!
Happy Retirement to Captain Vince Scheckel
Happy Retirement to Captain Vince Scheckel
Chief Deputy Terry Waletzki
Captain Vincent Scheckel has announced his retirement after 30+ years with the Sheriff’s Office. He keeps reminding us that his last day on January 8, 2021, is a special day. It’s Elvis’s birthday, oh and Sally’s (his better half).
Vince started serving his country when he joined the United States Army in 1985 with a specialty in Military Police. We thank him for his military service as well.
In 1990, he was hired in our Detention Center and became a Field Training Officer (FTO) and Use of Force Instructor. Always wanting to get hired as a licensed deputy, Vince attended skills in Edina and was hired in 1993 as a Patrol Deputy. Vince and I worked on the same shift when he started and every day was interesting—-if you know Vince at all, you know what I’m talking about. One thing that hasn’t changed with Vince over the last 25 years is his….well, let’s just say he’s interesting.
In the Patrol Division, Vince became a DARE instructor and eventually the Junior High DARE Youth Services Deputy. He spent time on the Emergency Response Unit (ERU), Narcotics Investigator, Firearm/TASER instructor, and Glock Armorer.
Vince was promoted to Sergeant in 2006 where he supervised a Patrol Platoon and then the Civil/Warrants Division. He was promoted to Captain in 2015 and assigned as the Commander of the Southeast MN Violent Crimes Enforcement Team (SEMVCET).
I, as well as others, could tell a lot of stories about Captain Scheckel. We will miss his humor, quirkiness, and interesting comments, but his dedication to his country and the citizens of Olmsted County can only be applauded.
On behalf of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and citizens of Olmsted County, thank you Vince for your dedicated service. Best wishes on your future endeavors.
Transition, transition, transition
Transition, transition, transition
Captain Scott Behrns
Throughout the lifetime of an organization, people come, people go, and people transition into new, learning roles. That is what can be said about the Investigations and Security Services Divisions of the OCSO. The first obvious change is the new name of the Security Services Division for the OCSO. With the creation of the new Administrative Captain, we needed to change the title to reduce confusion. So, with little to no fanfare or even a democratic vote, our divisions became the Investigations and Security Services Division. The Security Services Division includes the Government Center Security Division, Civil-Warrants Division, and the Transport Division. The job has remained the same, but the title is new.
Our divisions have undergone a substantial transition in The Year of our Discontent, also known as 2020. These changes are a reflection of our changing organization. Some of us are maturing to retirement age and meaning the younger generation is learning new roles. We are fortunate to have a good crew of up and coming talent to learn new roles. So, to make it easy to follow, I will simply lay out who is in charge of whom, and who is really doing the work that needs to be done.
Here we go:
Captain Scott C. Behrns Investigations and Security Services
Sergeant Malinda Hanson - Civil-Warrants
Utility Division Deputies Heather Johns, Taylor Schoenfelder, Ryan Mangan, and Avi Torkelson. We still need to fill one Civil Deputy vacancy and three (3) newly created Utility Deputy positions.
Support Staff includes Becky Goedken, Diane Woodward, and Dana Briggs. We need to fill one Support Staff position with the retirement of the irreplaceable Mary Blegen. Congrats to Mary!
Sergeant Lee Rossman - Government Center Security-Transport Division
Deputies Joe Wendt, Chris Anderson, Jordan Anderson, and Corry Retzer make up the GCS Division along with everyone’s favorite deputy, K9 Mikey.
Deputies Greg Wood and Galen Loomis are the stalwarts of the Transport Division along with Transport Coordinator Linda Stevens. Linda is currently working remotely and we all know she loves it.
Sergeant James Schueller - Investigations Division
Detectives Mike Ranfranz, Chad Winters, Dan Johnson, Steve Loomis, and Brad Green are the promoted members of the Investigations Division while Investigator Jon Strum and newly appointed Investigator James McCormick complete the division.
Intelligence Analyst and Towards Zero Deaths (TZD) Coordinator Michelle Ness transitioned into a new and long-sought role of intelligence gathering for the OCSO. Michelle has proven the worth of this role in a homicide investigation and the recent civil unrest across this nation.
The Investigations Division is supported by Michelle Jacobson who stays more than busy working with our body cameras and keeping the Investigations Division in line which is a job in itself. So, there are the changes that have occurred in 2020 and I don’t expect 2021 to really be any different. The one consistent thing that I do know is that I am blessed with a great crew of people to work with and they are dedicated to keeping our citizens safe through a variety of roles. Each member of the divisions listed above has chosen to make a difference and they do so daily.
Happy holidays to all and please be safe out there.
Eric Berndt presented Letter of Recognition
Eric Berndt presented Letter of Recognition
On November 25, 2020, Eric Berndt from Valor Mechanical was presented with a letter of recognition from the Sheriff’s Office. This award was for his commitment to the office and the community by making every effort to shorten the length of a large project that greatly impacted the ADC. His efforts saved the county a significant amount of money and helped the ADC return to normal operations a month in advance of the projected completion date. The work Eric and his team put forth were greatly appreciated. Eric was nominated and presented this award by Operations Captain Macey Tesmer of the ADC.
Institute for Credible Leadership Graduates
Institute for Credible Leadership Graduates
Congratulations to Captain Chris Wallace and Deputy Adam Hennen who recently completed the Institute for Credible Leadership certification through the MN Sheriff’s Association.
Monthly Snapshot
Monthly Snapshot
Investigations and Security Services 2020 highlights
- 231 investigations assigned to the Investigations Division
- 223 trips made by the Transport Team
- 11 extraditions completed by the Warrants Division
- 21,057 people screened at the screening station
- 23,207 bags screened at the screening station
- 2,354 civil paper cases taken in, with 2,581 papers served (some cases have multiple papers to be served)
Dates of interest
Dates of interest
Note — these are regular dates — please verify these meetings are taking place as well as the forum they’ll be held in.
January 1
Dover City Council Meeting
January 5
Elmira Township Meeting
High Forest Township Meeting
Olmsted County Board Meeting
January 7
Eyota City Council Meeting
Rochester Township Meeting
January 11
Chatfield City Council Meeting
Orion Township Meeting
Rock Dell Township Meeting
January 12
Byron City Council Meeting
Marion Township Meeting
New Haven Township Meeting
Stewartville City Council Meeting
January 14
Eyota City Council Meeting
Rochester Township Meeting
January 18
Eyota Township Meeting
Kalmar Township Meeting
Oronoco City Council Meeting
Rochester City Council Meeting
January 19
Farmington Township Meeting
Olmsted County Board Meeting
Pine Island City Council Meeting
January 20
Haverhill Township Meeting
January 25
Chatfield City Council Meeting
Viola Township Meeting
January 26
Byron City Council Meeting
Stewartville City Council Meeting
January 28
Dover Township Meeting
Eyota City Council Meeting
Olmsted County Fire Meeting
Olmsted County Township Association Meeting
Senior Administration
Senior Administration
Sheriff
Kevin Torgerson
Chief Deputy of Law Enforcement Center
Terry Waletzki
Captains
Scott Behrns
Mike Bromberg
Jon Jacobson
Tim Parkin
Vince Scheckel
Chris Wallace
Executive Assistant
Laura Collins
Chief Deputy of Adult Detention Center
Brian Howard
Captains
David Adams
Macey Tesmer