BECKER POLICE

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BECKER POLICE DEPARTMENT
Brent J. Baloun, Chief of Police
2008 ANNUAL REPORT
Life can only be understood backwards but it
must be lived forwards. Soren Koerkegaard
http//www.ci.becker.mn.us
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BECKER POLICE DEPARTMENT 2008 Annual Report
Submitted By Brent J. Baloun Chief of
Police Becker Police Department 12060
Sherburne Ave, PO Box 250 Becker, MN
55308 Phone [phone] Fax
763.261.5344 Cover photo The Becker Police
Department shoulder patch was redesigned and
approved for use in May 2008. Special thanks to
the Becker High School, teacher Joni Svaren and
student Alex Crapser for their assistance in this
redesign.
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Table of contents Table of Contents 2 Chiefs
Message 3 Mission Statement 4 Core
Values 5 Organizational Chart/Personnel 7
2008 Budget 8 Programs Safe and
Sober 12 NightCap 13 Alcohol/Tobacco
Compliance 14 Training 15 Statistical
Information Calls for Service by Time of
Day 16 Calls for Service by Day of
Week 17 Calls for Service by Month 18 Part I
Offenses 19 Part II Offenses 20 Miscellane
ous Statistical Information 21 Records and
Administration 22 Volunteer Police
Reserves 23 2008 Department Highlights 24 Ac
knowledgements 26
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Chiefs Message
April 2009 To the Becker City Council and
Citizens of Becker The Becker Police Department
proudly submits this 2008 Annual Police
Department Report for your review. As identified
in last years Annual Report, our Police
Department stands proudly behind the work and
accomplishments of its staff. We are
continually challenged with the decisions that
effect both our department and our citizens. We
continue to be prudent in our spending and
continue to work toward efficiencies that make
the work we do better and more meaningful to the
citizens of Becker. This past year did not see
any major increases in any particular area of
crime within our City. Minor thefts rose
somewhat, but the increase was not overly
significant. In fact, the Becker Police
Department saw a reduction in calls for service
over previous years. There are many theories
related to this, but we feel the state of the
economy is likely a large contributor to this and
the fact that we are spending more productive
time following up on crime and investigating
other criminal activity. Rest assured that
because there are less calls for service, our
police officers are still working toward being
visible, investigating crimes, and initiating
activity that is in the best interest of keeping
our community as safe as possible. The Becker
Police Department staff is thankful for the
support that we receive on a daily basis from our
City Council and the residents of our great City.
With that, we thank you! Personally, without the
support and commitment of the men and women of
the Becker Police Department, the services and
philosophies outlined in this Annual Report
would not be possible. For that, I extend my
gratitude to my officers and staff. Respectfully
submitted, Brent J. Baloun, Chief of Police
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Mission Statement We shall commit ourselves and
the department and all of its available resources
to attend to the needs of the community we serve
and provide the best service possible for the
community. Politics shall not show persuasion
in the course of our duties we shall hold true
to fair and equal treatment of all individuals.
To reach this end, we establish and hold true
this philosophy and these core values for the
Becker Police Department and its employees, now
and into the future. Core Values PRIDE PROFESS
IONALISM RESPECT PARTICIPATION SOLIDARITY INNOVATI
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Core Values Pride Each of us shall take pride
in the duties we perform, take pride in the
department, and the environment we create as
citizens of the community. We shall take pride
in our individual and collective ability to meet
and/or exceed the expectations of our
community. Professionalism Each of us
understands the nobility of the profession we
have chosen. We shall hold ourselves to the
highest of professional standards of police
conduct, by subscribing honorably to the Law
Enforcement Code of Ethics established by the
International Association of Chiefs of
Police. Respect We shall respect and value
human life, basic human rights, human safety and
the preservation of human dignity. We shall
provide a fair and impartial, open minded
attitude toward all persons we may encounter. We
shall embrace diversity and be understanding and
empathetic toward the differences we may
encounter in the course of our duties. Our
co-workers adhere to these same principles and we
shall respect them, support them in their duties
and be flexible in the relationships we enjoy
with them. We shall respect ourselves by
performing our duties to the best of our
abilities by staying mentally, emotionally and
physically healthy and focusing on our duties as
Peace Officers, employees of the Becker Police
Department and important members of the community
we serve.
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Core Values Participation Our participation in
the commitment we have as a department is vital
for the community, the citizens of the community,
and the department as a whole. As individuals we
shall remain open minded, approachable and
flexible to change. Solidarity The Becker
Police Department will function better as a
cohesive unit that emphasizes collaboration and
positive partnerships within the community and
the department itself. We shall operate with
respect to these partnerships to uphold the
solidarity and cohesiveness. Innovation To
achieve an end of providing the best product we
possibly can for our community, we shall continue
to involve ourselves in meaningful training that
advances our knowledge and capabilities as Peace
Officers.
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Becker Police Department - Organization
2008 Personnel Changes Promotion FT Officer
Greg Bratt to Sergeant Nov 2008
Photo from the Nov. 23, 2008, edition of the
Becker Citizen newspaper. Photo reprinted with
permission. (Photographer Bill Morgan). Officer
Greg Bratt being promoted to the rank of Sergeant
in front of the Becker City Council. Officer
Bratt is having his Sergeant badge pinned on him
by Chief Brent Baloun.
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Becker Police Department - Budget
Wages Salaries for Chief, Officers, and
Secretarial staff Capital Capital Expenses,
Revolving Capital Fuel Transportation Fuel
costs for squad cars Training Conferences
Costs associated with attendance at
trainings Contracted Services Legal, Cleaning
Services Personnel PERA, FICA, Workers Comp,
Unemployment General Operating Office
Supplies Other/Misc Repairs, Maintenance,
Safety, Dues, etc.
2005 Budget 534,950 (Budgeted) 562,704
(Actual) 2006 Budget 572,600 (Budgeted)
600,991 (Actual) 2007 Budget 637,600
(Budgeted) 609,755 (Actual) 2008 Budget
693,700 (Budgeted) 667,943 (Actual) The 2008
budget saw a substantial increase due mainly to a
scheduled computer system upgrade with the
Sherburne County Sheriffs Department. Nearly
106,900 was budgeted for capital expenses to
provide for a new squad car, 3 new computers,
computer software and programming upgrades with
the County, and for the 800MHz radio project. We
were fortunate that we were still able to incur
some savings from these projects and come in
under budget by over 25,000.
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Becker Police Department - Budget
The Becker Police Department throughout the year
also collects money to assist with its budgeting
process. Some of the sources of revenue include
the following (numbers may vary based on time of
reporting and when revenues are received)
Source of Revenue Amount of Revenue 2007 200
8 Safe and Sober Grant 4,273.71 4,446.63 Opera
tion NiteCap 1,473.82 2,352.33 Alcohol
Compliance checks 320.00 0.00 Tobacco
Compliance checks 0.00 400.00 Donations 2,7
50.00 3,050.00 State training reimbursement 4,0
19.80 3,604.83 State Police Aid 26,185.00 29
,919.00 Forfeitures 1050.00 367.77 Liquor
Compliance (grant) 250.00 0.00 State
Fines 14,856.93 12,092.94 Administrative
Fines 4,050.00 10,545.00
Footprints observed and photographed as part of
several investigations by Becker Police Officers
in 2008.
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Becker Police Department - Budget

• Upgrades and acquisitions for 2008
• 1 Ford Crown Victoria Squad Car (909) replaced
  squad 906. Squad 906 is used as a spare
  vehicle. (Budgeted 26,000)
• 2 Panasonic Toughbook Laptop computers for squad
  cars, to include updated docking stations.
  (Budgeted 8,400)
• 1 Desktop computer to replace older computer for
  use by Secretary for mobile software. (Budgeted
  2,500)
• Computer system upgrade with the Sherburne
  County Sheriffs Department. (Budgeted 30,000)
• 800 MHz radio project install of radio
  equipment. (Budgeted 20,000)
• Computer interoperability project with the
  Sherburne County Sheriffs Department. (Budgeted
  20,000 project never happened in 2008).
• Transfer to Revolving Capital Account. (20,000)
• Obtained via grant/or other for 2008
• 3 Camera attachments for Tasers and 1 HD Video
  camera (Cost 2,000 and was purchased with funds
  from Eddy Foundation grant).
• 3 Nikon Digital Cameras for each of the squad
  cars (Donation from Xcel Energy, Becker)
• Bullard Thermal Imaging Camera from Department
  of Homeland Security. (Donation is valued at
  19,000)

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Becker Police Department - Programs
1 Hennepin 2 Ramsey 3 Anoka 4 St.Louis 5
Dakota 6Wright 7 Stearns 8 Rice 9 Sherburne 10
Crow Wing 11Washington 12 Blue Earth 13 Itasca
Operation NiteCap (Nighttime Concentrated Alcohol
Patrol) is an impaired driving prevention program
designed to reduce highly preventable
alcohol-related traffic deaths on Minnesotas
highways. The program is funded by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the
Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety. In 2008, law
enforcement agencies within Sherburne County
began participation in a new program called CRASH
Collision Reduction And Safer Highways. This
is a High Visibility Enforcement campaign
designed to locate and arrest ALL impaired
drivers and to remove Sherburne County from being
on the list of the 13 deadliest counties in
Minnesota.
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Becker Police Department - Programs
The Becker Police Department is an active
participant in these alcohol impaired enforcement
programs. The Elk River Police Department is the
fiscal agent for the grant that provides the
Becker Police Department reimbursement funds for
officer time spent within these enforcement
programs.
2008 Safe and Sober Program Totals 2006 2007 2
008 Grant funds used 3,819.56 4,714.68 2,506.0
1 Overtime hours worked 135.5 178 103 Shifts
worked 27 43 23 Miles patrolled 2,436 3,085 182
3 Vehicles Stopped 181 243 127 Custodial arrests
made 10 11 2 DUI Arrests 5 7 1 Under 21 drink
and drive 1 0 0 Warrant arrests 6 4 1 Drug
arrests 1 0 0 DAR/DAS/DAC 7 8 3 Citations
issued 117 (147 Warnings) 110 (235) 57
(111) Speeding citations 56 (87 Warnings) 38
(95) 33 (21) Seatbelt citations 22 (5
Warnings) 27 (7) 6 (0) Equipment citations 12
(21 Warnings) 0 (60) 2 (45) Miscellaneous
citations 27 (0 Warnings) 30 (73) 12 (41) A
change in how statistics are evaluated resulted
in the decrease in numbers for 2008
Front and reverse side of business card handed
out during each traffic stop.
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Becker Police Department - Programs
2008 NiteCap Program Totals 2006 2007 2008 Gra
nt funds reimbursed 1,961.76 1,860.85 2,213.25
Overtime hours worked 78 74 77.5 Miles
patrolled 1,160 1,165 1,582 Shifts
worked 11 11 11 Vehicles stopped 75 73 81 Custo
dial arrests made 6 8 0 DUIs 3 6 4 Warrant
arrests 2 1 0 Drug arrests 3 2 1 DAR/DAS/DAC 3
2 0 Minor Consumption 10 4 2 No
insurance 1 0 0 Open bottle 1 0 0 Citations
issued 23 (58 Warnings) 30 (76) 24
(92) Speeding citations 14 (26 Warnings) 8
(19) 12 (14) Equipment citations 1 (17
Warnings) 0 (36) 1 (44) Miscellaneous
citations 8 (15 Warnings) 9 (21) 5 (32)
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Becker Police Department - Programs
2008 Alcohol and Tobacco compliance
checks January 1, 2008- December 31, 2008 2008
Tobacco Compliance Checks
In August 2008, six (6) businesses within the
City of Becker were checked for compliance
dealing with underage sales of tobacco. Four (4)
businesses were found to be in violation. All
were assessed an administrative penalty of 100
for the violation through City Ordinance 6.20.
2008 Alcohol Compliance Checks
Eight (8) businesses had alcohol compliance
checks within the months of June and in December.
No businesses failed in June while one (1)
business failed a check in December. An
administrative fee of 750 was assessed against
the business for the failure pursuant to City
Ordinance 5.02.
The Becker Police Department will continue to
monitor our tobacco and alcohol license holders
in an effort to reduce the likelihood that these
substances will come into the hands of our youth!
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Becker Police Department - Programs

• TRAINING
• Each year the Officers of the Becker Police
  Department participate in various trainings in an
  effort to stay up on the latest information and
  technology within law enforcement. Additionally,
  Officers are mandated by the Minnesota P.O.S.T.
  (Peace Officer Standards and Training) Board to
  complete 48 continuing education credits every
  three years to remain licensed. For more
  information on the training requirements, you can
  visit the P.O.S.T. Board website at the
  following
• http//www.dps.state.mn.us/newpost/posthome.asp
• The following is a list of trainings completed
  during 2008 by Officers of the Becker Police
  Department
• Firearms Qualification
• 1st Responder refresher
• Use of Force
• Crime Free Multi Housing
• Data Practices HR and Personnel
• Data Practices Criminal Records
• Background Investigations
• Understanding and Planning for School Bomb
  Incidents
• Crisis Communication in Schools
• Toward Zero Death Conference
• Advanced Emergency Driving School

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Becker Police Department Statistical Information
Calls for service by time of day
By the numbers Time 2006 2007 2008 Change 000
0-0259 547 511 382 ?129 0300-0559 342 227 173
?54 0600-0859 378 390 367 ?23 0900-1159 576 62
0 641 ?21 1200-1459 549 535 499 ?36 1500-1759
609 622 604 ?18 1800-2059 641 701 581 ?120 2100-
2359 723 633 637 ?4 TOTAL 4365 4239 3884 ?355
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Becker Police Department Statistical Information
Calls for service by day of the week
By the numbers Day 2006 2007 2008 Change Monda
y 606 619 508 ?111 Tuesday 594 539 535 ?4 Wedn
esday 615 612 539 ?73 Thursday 591 623 540 ?83
Friday 681 659 587 ?72 Saturday 707 637 664 ?
27 Sunday 571 550 511 ?30 TOTAL 4365 4239 3884
?355
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Becker Police Department Statistical Information
Calls for service by month
By the numbers Month 2006 2007 2008 Change Jan
uary 355 362 386 ?24 February 374 301 269 ?32
March 393 330 253 ?77 April 358 344 295 ?49 Ma
y 468 384 328 ?56 June 371 445 330 ?115 July
411 401 354 ?47 August 384 401 352 ?49 Septembe
r 319 324 293 ?31 October 393 373 364 ?9 Novem
ber 320 294 306 ?12 December 361 280 354 ?74 T
OTAL 4365 4239 3884 ?355
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Becker Police Department Statistical Information
PART I OFFENSES REPORTED IN 2008 Part I offenses
reflect information on eight serious crime
classifications, and is generally referred to as
the Crime Index measurement. Each category
may also include various sub-classifications
which are included in the total for each
category. (NOTE Numbers identify reports to the
police department, and may not necessarily
reflect those that have been charged or
prosecuted as such.) 2006 2007 2008 Murder
0 0 0 Rape (Force or attempt) 0 0 1 Robbery
(Armed, Strongarm) 1 0 1 Assault (Gun, Knife,
Hands, Other) 6 2 9 Burglary (Forcible, No
Force, Attempted) 21 15 12 Larceny
(Theft) 129 103 131 Auto Theft 2 3 2 Arson
1 0 1
Discovery Channel film crew working with Officer
Mark Roelike during filming of a segment for
their Discovery Investigations Channel program
titled, 30 Pieces of Silver.
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Becker Police Department Statistical Information
PART II OFFENSES REPORTED IN 2008 Part II
offenses are the less serious identified
crimes. Each category also includes various
sub-classifications which are included in the
total for each category. (NOTE Numbers identify
reports to the police department, and may not
necessarily reflect those that have been charged
or prosecuted as such.) 2006 2007 2008 Other
Assaults 34 22 19 Forgery/Counterfeiting 11 1
0 2 Fraud 10 13 19 Embezzlement 0 0 0 Stolen
Property 0 0 0 Vandalism/Destruction of
Property 79 98 60 Weapons 0 0 0 Prostitution
0 0 0 Other Sex Offenses 5 9 4 Narcotics 38
13 11 Gambling 0 0 0 Family/Children 10 19 3
2 D.U.I. 58 71 34 Liquor Laws 2 25 40 Disord
erly Conduct 10 9 4
Pictures from a burglary scene where blood was
found on a file cabinet. The blood was
ultimately matched with a suspect by the
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
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Becker Police Department Misc. Statistical
Information

• Additional Citations Issued 2007 2008
• Speeding 230 191
• Warnings-Speed 183 151
• Stop Sign Violations 91 67
• Expired License Tabs 44 25
• Parking Violations 33 146
• Seatbelt Violations 31 12
• Driving After Revocation 28 10
• Driving After Suspension 26 10
• Other
• Alarms 348 240
• Vehicle Lockouts 176 189
• Medicals 118 157
• Vehicle Accidents (all) 106 126
• Animals At Large/Missing 96 74
• Other Agency Assist 51 100
• Juvenile Runaway 12 12
• Curfew -- 9

Pictures showing where a drunk driver had driven
through the ditch. An investigation led to the
vehicle that had left these tracks in the grass.
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Becker Police Department Other

• Records and Administration
• As a department, we continue to transition to the
  use of digitized equipment to assist in using our
  time more efficiently. One such way was the
  installation of a digital transcription module in
  the fall of 2006. In some cases, reports are
  still written out however, we are continuing to
  complete reports as much as possible in the
  digital format. It is likely that more will be
  done in the future in this area and paperwork may
  even be scanned reducing the amount of paperwork
  generated.
• Transcriptions completed in 2008
• Statements completed 126
• Reports completed 402
• Average length of time for statements 8.382
  minutes per statement
• Average length of time for reports 7.577
  minutes per report
• Administrative Citations
• Administrative Citations processed 254
• Administrative Citations not paid 17 (state
  citation issued for non-payment)
• Administrative Citations dismissed 3

Law Enforcement agencies represented in Sherburne
County
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Becker Police Department Other
Volunteer Police Reserve Program The Becker
Volunteer Police Reserve Program is made up of
men and women who volunteer their time to assist
the Becker Police Department with various
needs and projects throughout the year. Without
the help of the Reserve Unit, the Department
would likely incur more overtime and be less
responsive to the needs of our citizens and our
community. TOTAL HOURS VOLUNTEERED IN 2008 510
hours 510 hours would equate to nearly 9,500 in
Officer time saved to the City of Becker
Events/opportunities that the Reserve Unit
assisted in and hours volunteered Ride
Along 271 Freedom Days 42.25 State Golf
Tournament 23.5 Safe and Sober 21 Traffic
Schools 21 Training 18 Becker Football
Games 17 All night grad party 13 Security
Checks 13 Relay for Life 12 Safety
Camp 11.5 Meetings 9 Other Schools 8.5 Street
light checks 7 National Night Out 6 Church
functions 5 Shop with a Cop 4 Public Assist/Fire,
etc 3 Mock Crash 2.25 Food Drive 2 Thank you
to our Volunteer Police Reserves for your support
and assistance throughout this past year. Your
help is very much appreciated!
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Becker Police Department Highlights 2008

• January Computers within the Police Department
  and squad cars were upgraded with the Sherburne
  County Sheriffs Department.
• February The Becker Police Department
  Volunteer Police Reserve Unit kicked off its
  recruiting drive.
• March A Becker Police Officer was sent to
  Chicago, IL, as part of a FEMA grant for training
  on the use of a Thermal Imaging Camera obtained
  via federal grant.
• April Officers participated in a mock crash
  incident at the Becker High School.
• April A Becker Police Officer assisted in the
  arrest of a man from Rice, MN after he was found
  in a local park sexually assaulting a 13 year old
  female that he had met on the internet.
• April A Becker Police Officer was invited to
  attend a Crime Scene Survey and Diagramming class
  for 1 week at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA.
  The FBI paid for all expenses.
• May Becker Officers assisted the Discovery
  Channel in filming a segment for a program
  dealing with high profile cases and interviews
  and interrogations. The program later aired on
  the Discover Investigations channel and was
  titled, 30 Pieces of Silver.
• May - The Minnesota Chiefs of Police
  Association donated a free laptop computer to the
  Police Department.
• June Another successful Safety Camp was held
  with 96 participants.
• June Officers also participated in another
  eventful but safe Freedom Days celebration.
• August The Police Department completed a round
  of tobacco compliance checks and found that 4
  local businesses failed by selling tobacco to a
  minor.

HIGHLIGHTS 2008
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Becker Police Department Highlights 2008

• September A Becker Police Officer receives a
  Crime Scene Technician certification from the
  International Association for identification
  making the Becker Police Department the only law
  enforcement agency in Central Minnesota with 2
  certified crime scene analysts.
• September The Police Department receives a
  grant from the Minnesota Department of Public
  Safety Alcohol and Gambling Division to assist in
  providing alcohol compliance checks.
• October The Police Department begins having a
  presence at the Becker Community Center in an
  effort to assist in youth development.
• October The Becker Police Department along
  with other law enforcement agencies within
  Sherburne County begins its involvement in
  CRASH, Collision Reduction And Safer Highways to
  help reduce the number of drunk drivers on our
  roadways and the number of crashes associated
  with the use of alcohol.
• November Officer Greg Bratt is promoted to the
  rank of Sergeant after a lengthy testing
  process.
• November The Police Department purchases Taser
  Cams with a grant from the Eddy Foundation.
  These cameras are attached to Tasers allowing for
  incidents to captured via video.
• December The Police Department conducts Use of
  Force training with the assistance of the
  Brooklyn Center Police Department.
• December 800MHz radios are received by the
  Police Department. These were provided through a
  grant obtained by the Sherburne County Sheriffs
  Department.
• December - 1 local business failed an alcohol
  compliance check and was later given a civil
  penalty by the Becker City Council for 750.

HIGHLIGHTS 2008
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The 2008 Annual Report was prepared by the
following Brent J. Baloun, Chief of Police Greg
Bratt, Sergeant June Hubbard, Administrative
Secretary Special thanks to the men and women of
the Becker Police Department whose devotion and
commitment help make Becker what it is!
INTEGRITY Looking forward to the consequences of
our actions Uprightness of character and
soundness of moral principles includes the
qualities of truthfulness and honesty.
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