On January 11, 2010, a female victim was walking on Dr. Martin Luther King at Blackstone to the 5300 block of Minerva when she accepted a ride from a unknown male occupying a grey or “blue-ish” vehicle.  The male subsequently sodomized, raped and robbed her at knifepoint inside his vehicle which he had parked in the alley near Union and Wells.  Officers Frichtl and Murphy initiated the investigation and obtained valuable suspect and vehicle descriptors before relinquishing the investigation to the Sex Crimes Division.

The next evening, January 12, 2010 the Officers spoke to several people walking on Dr. Martin Luther King between Kingshighway and Blackstone and theorized that the suspect may be operating in that geographic region.  The Officers focused their attention mainly in that area when not busy handling radio assignments.  Their prudence paid off when they observed a vehicle being occupied by an unknown male with similar plates as described by the victim.  The Officers stopped the vehicle after it was discovered the plates to have been stolen and observed the male occupant to be in possession of a knife and cell phone, which was later determined to have been stolen from the victim the previous evening.  Sex Crimes Division was notified and resumed the investigaiton.

On December 12, 2009, Officer Lawrence Kreisman, stopped several people inside Barrett Brothers Park and inquired if a subject matching the description that the dispatcher had broadcast for a robbery had run through the park.  He was able to advise other officers that the subject had just ran south through the park.  Officer Kreisman continued on patrol and observed the subject at 5660 Kennerly.  Upon seeing the officer, the subject began running, at which time Officer Kreisman gave chase.  Officer Kreisman pursued the subject, despite falling twice, and maintained visual contact, broadcasting the route of travel on the radio.

Based on the broadcast description and route of travel, 7^th District Detectives responding to the area were able to take the subject into custody.  The victim positively identified the subject who had committed the robbery.

Officer Kreisman showed excellent initiative by listening to a description of the subject that was broadcasted by the dispatcher and pursuing it further by asking subjects in the park if they have seen the subject.

Officer Kreisman’s investigative skills and commitment to duty reflect highly on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Officer Ryan Barone performed his functions with exceptional consistency in all areas of his assigned duties.  He made numerous arrests and led his platoon in traffic tickets and parking tags issued.  Here are few examples of Officer Barone’s exceptional work in the areas of self-initiated activity and radio calls.

On October 26, 2009, Officer Barone observed a vehicle traveling in front of him with expired license plates.  The officer contacted the dispatcher and conducted a further investigation into the license plates, which revealed the vehicle was reported stolen.  The operator of the vehicle pulled to the curb and ran from his vehicle, at which time Officer Barone exited his marked police vehicle and began a foot pursuit. Officer Barone and the suspect became engaged in a struggle, but he was able to subdue the suspect until assistance arrived.  The suspect was placed under arrest for Tampering 1^st.

On November 4, 2009, Officer Barone responded to assist an 8^th District Officer attempting to locate two suspects wanted for robbery.  Officer Barone located two suspects in a vacant house located 5023 Maple.  The suspects were not the suspects of the robbery but they were arrested for trespassing.

On November 7, 2009, while investigating a vehicle accident, Officer Barone’s thoroughness led to a female offender being found in possession of drug paraphernalia and her father’s narcotic medication that she was trying to conceal.

Officer Barone is respected among his peers and always has a professional appearance.  He is an excellent example of teamwork, hard work, diligence and dedication to his community and this Department.

Like I said earlier, it’s not just a single arrest; it’s about consistency and continually fighting the good fight.

On October 21, 2009, Officers Mitchel Simpher and Aaron Gaddis received a call for “Burglars in the Building” at 5149 Lexington.  The officers were nearby and quickly arrived and were able to apprehend two suspects and recover several times, including a 42” flat panel television, a Nintendo Wii, jewelry, video games, DVD’s and CD’s totaling nearly $2,000.00 in value.

These officers have displayed this type of work in the past.  On August 30, 2009, they were two blocks away from another “Burglars in the Building” call and again apprehended the suspect and recovered several pieces of property valued over $1,000.00.

In addition to their self-initiated work, these officers have diligently handled their radio assignments and affected 9 arrests with 52 total charges in the month of October alone.  These Officers have worked as a team in helping to reduce crime in the Seventh District and should be recognized as such.

The Missouri Department of Probation and Parole and the Department have committed to working together in a partnership/supervision strategy to help probationers, parolees and their families address their needs and assist in successfully completing their terms of supervision.

Officer Andre Jackson works for the D Platoon and serves as the Department representative.  As part of his duties, he and a representative of Probation & Parole, conduct twice-a-week home visits (during the evening and weekend) with approximately  35 “at risk” offenders living within the Seventh District.  These visits are conducted at homes, places of employment and schools on random days at odd hours..

The success of this program has lead to a second program, The St. Louis Juvenile Project, which was molded after the St. Louis Project, but is collaboration between the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and St. Louis Family Courts.  Officer Jackson also represents the Department in this program. As part of his duties, he provides intervention and accountability to high risk juvenile offenders to increase the likelihood of  successfully completing supervision.

Officer Jackson has a strong relationship with the officers and the offenders, which has made an impact on the community. He has helped to bridge the path for the offenders and family member’s success on and after supervision.  Officer Jackson’s commitment and dedication to ensuring the success of these programs is noteworthy and sets an example for other officers in the Seventh District.

Earlier I talked about consistency and continually fighting the good fight.  Officer Michael Butler, Officer of the Month for July, is that guy.  Officer Butler is one of the hardest working police officers in the Seventh District.  His proficiency and knowledge of Problem Properties within the District is invaluable and almost never mentioned.  He is truly the man behind the scenes.  Every day he follows up with officers to make their jobs easier by bringing to bear the full weight of all the City’s resources upon the property owners.  Each time he is approached or given him information regarding a residence which has become a nuisance, Officer Butler will say, “Don’t worry, I’m already on it”.  Officer Butler takes care of the matter in a fast and proficient manner.

I strongly feel his hard work and diligence to his job, always giving above and beyond what his job entails, makes him very deserving of this recognition.  Officer Butler is a huge asset to the Seventh District and one reason why crime was down 13% in the District.  That means last year 583 fewer people were victimized in the District.

On April 24, 2009, Officer Joseph Buehler received a radio assignment for a “Burglary” at 5342 Ridge.  In the course of his investigation, Officer Buehler collected information about the incident and obtained detailed descriptions of the suspects involved.  The officer found out that the suspects had been seen in the area earlier that evening in a red GMC pickup truck, which was now parked across the street from the incident address.  Instead of leaving the area after the assignment, Officer Buehler remained to search for possible suspects.  Shortly thereafter, he located an individual matching a description of one of the suspects involved in the burglary.  This person was now working under the hood of a red GMC pickup, so Officer Buehler stopped and conversed with him.  He subsequently performed a computer check, which revealed the individual had an active warrant for “Resisting Arrest”.  Officer Buehler placed him under arrest for the charge.  The victims of the burglary positively identified him as one of the suspects who burglarized the residence.

Due to the excellent investigative and observation skills of Officer Buehler and his attention to gathering information, a 27-year-old criminal with an extensive arrest history — including 15 felony arrests (3 convictions), and 6 misdemeanor arrests (1 conviction) –was taken off of the street.

On March 3, 2009, Officers Brooks Lindhorst and Brad Ellis received a call for a fight at Union and Lexington behind the Gateway Bank.  On arrival, the officers observed two suspects armed with handguns trying to flee.  They apprehended one of the suspects at 5426 Palm and recovered a Titan .380 handgun, fully loaded.  Case was issued by the Circuit Attorney’s Office.

On March 3, 2009, these two officers were on patrol in the 5100-5200 blocks of Terry — an area known for drug activity.  Seeing the officers, the suspect immediately tried to elude them..  After a foot pursuit, the suspect was apprehended at 5208 St. Louis in possession of a Taurus .40 caliber handgun, fully loaded, and 25 capsules of Heroin.  Case was issued by the Circuit Attorney’s Office.

In addition to these two outstanding arrests, the officers have handled radio calls and affected 12 other arrests with 48 total charges in the month of March alone.

These officers have worked as a team in the month of March by helping to reduce crime in the Seventh District and should be recognized as such for their good work.

On February 25, 2009, Officer Kathleen Suarez received an assignment for a “Domestic Disturbance” at a local business.  Upon arrival, she observed a suspect matching the description provided by the Dispatcher.  As the officer entered the store, she observed the suspect had his hands in his coat pockets.  Officer Suarez commanded the suspect to slowly remove his hands and put them on the counter near him, with which he complied.

As the suspect turned away, he suddenly reached back into his coat pocket and removed a .38 cal. revolver.  Officer Suarez immediately grabbed the weapon and a struggle ensued.  Officer Suarez took control of the weapon and forced the suspect against the counter and tried to handcuff him.  At this point he was able to break free and ran out of the store.  After making sure the victim was all right, Officer Suarez pursued the suspect who escaped..

With a long history between the suspect and the victim, there is no doubt that the actions of Officer Suarez saved the victim and other bystanders from serious physical harm.  Her display of selflessness and bravery is to be commended.