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Police Department |
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Divisions |
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Support Services Division
The Support Services Division, under the command of Deputy Chief Fred Wooten, is responsible for providing those services necessary to support the wide variety of functions in the Police Department. The various support services are critical to the efficient operation of the police line functions as well as the overall administration of the Police Department.
Sections under the Support Services Division include:
Administrative Services Lieutenant
Accreditation/Crime Analysis
Records
Training
Police Youth Bureau (PYB)
Crime Prevention/Community Services
Facility Maintenance
LE Domestic Violence Advocate
Police Chaplain
The Division is staffed by 12 sworn officers and 21 non-sworn personnel who perform a wide range of duties.
Administrative Services Lieutenant
Lt. Randy Ziegler is the Administrative Services Lieutenant. He is responsible for recruitment, promotions, personnel files, internal affairs investigations, Accreditation, Crime Analysis and the department's budget function.
Clerical support for the Division Commander, Crime Prevention/Community Services and Training Section is provided by Pam Hoffman. In addition to attending to standard office duties, she coordinates the Concealed Weapon Permit process, the special event duty assignments for which officers volunteer to work, and maintains the training records for Police Department Employees.
Support Services Lieutenant
Lt. Mike Wardzinski is the Support Services Lieutenant. He is responsible for Crime Prvention/Community Services, Training, Evidence and Property and Facility Management.
Crime Prevention/Community Services Section
The Crime Prevention/Community Services Section was created to handle the increased demand by citizens for information. Presentations and public awareness are primary activities.
Programs
Neighborhood Crime Watch:
Neighborhood Crime Watch is a cooperative effort between the Bismarck Police Deaprtment and individual neighborhoods. Neighborhood Crime Watch is simply you and your neighbors watching out for one another. This begins with getting to know each other. Otherwise, how can you tell a neighbor from a stranger?
It is important that citizens become the eyes and ears of the police by reporting suspicious activity that is not a part of the neighborhood's routine. This is explained at an initial Neighborhood Watch meeting along with the minimal criteria for the program:- Active participation of a least 50% of the Watch area residents.
- Partcipation in Operation Identification.
- Meetings at least once a year.
What's in it for the citizens?
- Neighborhood Crime Watch members have a greater awareness of crime and knowledge of home security and personal safety.
- Exposure to crime prevention techniques enhances a citizen's ability to reduce opportunities for criminal acts.
- Enhanced reporting of suspicious activity makes residents more aware of who belongs in their neighborhood and are more inclined to report suspicious persons and activities to the police.
- Neighborhood Crime Watch signs serve as a warning to potential criminals that residents are concerned about crime and will call the police when suspicious activity is observed.
- The program promotes neighborliness by encouraging residents to get to know and interact with their neighbors, including exchanging information concerning vacation plans, vehicles belonging to their household,etc.
- It also encourages people to be observant of their neighborhood and to attend meetings designed to strengthen neighborhood safety and security. People feel safest, or at least more comfortable, in settings in which they are familiar.
- Neighborhood watches are not vigilante organizations. When suspecting criminal activities, members are encouraged not to intervene but to contact authorities.
When someone is interested in Neighborhood Crime Watch, we will provide them the materials to get started, as well as speaking to their group about crime, how to report it, and how to prvent it.
Operation Identification:
This program was designed to create a deterrent effect as well as enhance the recovery of stolen property. When you enroll, you are assigned a unique number, provided with materials and allowed to borrow an engraver. The number you are assigned is recognized in all 50 States, the Canadian Provinces as well as several European countries. Engrave this number onto your valuable property, which will help you record information that should always be kept. Many homeowner insurance companies offer premium reductions to people who enroll.
Security Surveys:
Upon request, a specially trained officer will come to your home or business and make an assessment of your physical security. The officer will then make recommendations, if needed, on areas where it can be improved.
Crime Stoppers:
This program was started in 1987, as another way in which valuable information on crime activity can be obtained. People are offered cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest. The unique feature about the program is that the caller can remain completely anonymous. The phone line is not traced, nor is it recorded. The activities of the program are supervised by a Crime Stoppers Board. This is a group of 15 citizens who volunteer their time to the program.
Presentations
Building Tours:
This is a favorite of grade school teachers, day care supervisors and civic groups. With an appointment, groups are taken on a tour of the Law Enforcement Center. The guide is a police officer, in uniform, who explains the various locations and functions of the center. Children especially like the tours and this is an excellent opportunity for law enforcement to have a favorable effect on them.
911/Stranger Safety:
This offers valuable, simple information to children which helps them utilize 911 services in an emergency and to avoid dangerous situations with strangers.
Drug Education:
This is designed to help children and adults recognize illegal substances, giving them the information needed to make good decisions regarding the temptation to use. Click here for Meth Education information
Personal Safety:
One of the most requested topics we address. The presentation emphasizes preventive measures people can take to avoid conflict, but also deals with confrontation skills. There is no physical contact in the material so injury can be avoided.
Robbery:
We conduct training seminars for business or bank employees dealing with the very serious crime of robbery. Prevention is stressed, along with suggestions for handling these types of situations with safety.
Workplace Violence:
Workplace violence is making headlines. But just how bad is the problem, and more importantly, what can you do to make yourself safer in your workplace? This program teaches how to recognize the upset, angry customer or co-worker, warning signs, examines workplace security, and gives suggestions for calming the situation.
Shoplifting Prevention:
No one knows for sure how much money is lost each year to shoplifters. But that loss is passed on to all consumers. A store's best defense against a shoplifter is an alert, trained employee. This presentation covers North Dakota law concerning shoplifting, teaches various ways shoplifters commit their crimes, how to approach, apprehend and detain a shoplifter, prevention versus apprehension, what to do if you're not sure, and more.
These are the most requested presentations that we currently have. However, if you have a special need that does not fit in with any of these or other prepared topics we have, we can visit with you, find out what the concerns are and then, tailor a program to suit your specific needs. All presentations and programs are currently provided free of charge.
General Information:
To report a crime or suspicious activity, call 223-1212. To report a crime in progress, or an emergency situation, dial 9-1-1. If you have information about a crime, you can deliver the information anonymously through the program. Call 224-TIPS (8477).
Services:
To obtain any of the services or for other information, call the Crime Prevention/Community Services Section at 223-1212. If they cannot answer your question or provide the services requested, you will be directed to the agency that will be able to assist you. The section hours are generally 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, arrangements can be made for presentations at other times, if necessary.
Police Youth Bureau
The Police Youth Bureau (PYB) is one of the nations longest running youth diversion programs. Established in 1975, the program continues to be an integral part of the Juvenile Justice System in Bismarck and Burleigh County.
The Police Youth Bureau works with young people under the age of 18 who have come into conflict with the law and/or are experiencing personal, family or school problems. These youth may come to the attention of the Youth Bureau through a citation, crisis intervention, school education talk or an outreach program.
The Police Youth Bureau is a civilian division staffed by youth workers, with assistance from officers, peer leaders and parent leaders. The Youth Bureau is commanded by Lt. Mike Arnold.
Our Mission
To intervene with youth as early as possible and prevent involvement in the Juvenile Court system. We combine a relational approach with accountability toward victims in our efforts with youth and their families.
Juvenile Diversion
Approximately 37% of all area youth offenders are referred to the Youth Bureau's diversion program by the Juvenile Court. Programs include individual and family counseling, as well as, assessment and referral to other community agencies. The Youth Bureau consistently maintains recidivism rates under 20%.
Crisis Intervention
As part of the Youth Bureau's commitment to early intervention, a youth worker is available 24 hours a day to assist law enforcement, schools, parents and young people in crisis. The Police Youth Bureau responds to approximately 1000 crisis calls per year on a variety of family and law enforcement related issues.
The Police Youth Bureau believes that early intervention during crisis situations is an opportunity for positive change. Whenever possible, placement prevention is a key focus of interventions. youth workers provide immediate counseling and assessment for family conflicts, legal issues, and many related mental health issues that come to the attention of law enforcement. Youth workers make assessments and decisions regarding placements from attendant care to detention.
At present, the Police Youth Bureau is our community's primary responder to many issues involving youth in crisis.
Education Awareness
The Police Youth Bureau is very involved in ongoing training and educational presentations. From 5,000 to 10,000 young people, parents and other adults participate in school and community programs each year.
Topics may include, but not limited to the following:
Police/Youth Relations
Violence Prevention
Shoplifting Prevention
Alcohol/Drug Abuse
Juvenile Justice
Family Communication
Conflict Resolution
Suicide/Depression
Abuse/Neglect
Anger Management
Parent Teen Conflict
School Bullying
Gang Prevention
Restitution
As part of the victim responsibility, youth are asked to make full restitution and apologies to victims. The Youth Bureau averages over 95% collection of monetary damages due to victims.
Community service work is also a key in helping youth be accountable for their behavior. The Youth Bureau assists in having youth return hundreds of hours of work back to the community every year. This is done through park clean-up, graffiti removal and assistance to non-profit agencies and crime victims.
Minor In Possession Program
This is a two part alcohol education program designed to help youth become aware of legal consequences and begin self-evaluation of drug and alcohol usage. The MIP I Class is designed for less experienced and younger offenders. The MIP II Class is designed for more experienced drinkers and to help them understand the laws surrounding alcohol usage
Marijuana Education Program
This is a program designed to help youth become aware of legal consequences and begin evaluation of chemical usage.
Other Diversion Resources
Many youth become involved at the Youth Bureau through parent/teen conflict issues. Mediation as well as brief individual and family counseling is sometimes used. Often initial assessments of other ongoing problems, such as depression, addiction, attention deficit disorder, etc., are an important part of intervening. Appropriate referrals are made as early as possible.
Outreach
Activity based interventions have long been a part of the Youth Bureau's programs. It is our belief that having fun is an important part of health and that adventure based activities often need to be mixed in with counseling efforts in order to be effective with young people. Activities allow for bonding, positive relationships and exposure to healthy forms of excitement in a non-threatening atmosphere. These activities also include law enforcement personnel interacting with youth in a non-adversarial setting.
Wilderness Outings
Canoeing, back packing, horseback riding, camping and mountain biking have all been activities used by the Youth Bureau. Outings are often directed towards youth that are high risk for ongoing legal problems. Wilderness Outings allow for relationships to develop quickly and give youth opportunities to develop confidence, learn skills, and receive recognition for positive leadership.
Cops 'N Kids Fishing Derby
This popular event is held once a year to promote positive relations between officers and youth. Geared for boys and girls ages 9-13, this successful program has been featured on outdoor sport shows in the Midwest and has been a model for similar efforts in many other law enforcement agencies.
Crisis Team
The Police Youth Bureau has played a key role in our area school crisis teams. These teams are developed to assist youth in handling tragic death situations.
Violence and Gang Prevention
The Police Youth Bureau has been an active leader in community efforts to prevent gangs and violence from spreading. It has established a model for proactive response to youth grades 5-8 that are high risk for gang type behaviors.
Special Recognition
The Police Youth Bureau has been nationally recognized by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as one of the longest running juvenile diversion and prevention programs. Recognition has also been received from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the International Law Enforcement Accreditation (ILEA) as an exemplary Police/Youth Program.
For Further Information Contact:
Police Youth Bureau
700 S. 9th St.
Bismarck, ND 58504
701-355-1896
Training Section
Under the direction of Sgt. Dwight Offerman, the Training, Section has the primary task of coordinating training for the Department personnel. The Section is responsible for developing and conducting a comprehensive training program to meet the needs of the Department. In addition, the Section arranges for attendance of Department members at training courses conducted outside the Bismarck area. The training program includes basic recruit training advanced and specialized in-service training, refresher courses, weapon proficiency, weapon certification, physical fitness training and testing and other subject areas designed to broaden the knowledge and capabilities of Department personnel.
In addition to the training function, the Section conducts planning, research and analysis on the effectiveness of equipment, policing methods, techniques and general operating methods and procedures.
Evidence and Property Function
The Support Services Division is responsible for maintaining the inventory and supply of desks, chairs, uniforms, office supplies, forms, and all the other items necessary to assist personnel in completing their assigned tasks. Maintaining serviceability of the various items of equipment and an adequate supply of equipment is very important to insure personnel safety and efficiency.
A commonly asked question is "What does it take and how much does it cost to equip a police officer?". Everything an officer wears, except for underwear and footwear, is provided by the Police Department. These items include: long and short sleeve shirts, trousers, coat, cap, neckties, body armor, belt with weapon and holster, handcuffs and case, taser holster, ammunition magazines and magazine holder, digital recorder, radio, name tag and badges. The cost to provide these items is $8,452.00.
In addition to the aforementioned items, the Division also administers the evidence property function. To solve crimes, the Police Department must identify, collect, and preserve physical evidence at a crime scene. All sworn personnel are trained in evidence collection and once collected, turn the property over to Support Services for inventory and storage. In addition, numerous items of lost or abandoned property are turned in to the Police Department and ultimately to Support Services for storage.
Each year approximately 4,000 individual cases produce items of an evidentiary nature. Individual property items from those cases number in the thousands, each of which has to be inventoried for storage. The storage area itself has higher than average security and can only be accessed by those few persons assigned responsibility for evidence property management.
Items held in evidence have ranged from human skulls to photographs. Each item is retained to support a charge filed in court, aid in the solution of a crime, or in the case of lost property, held for return to a lawful owner. Some items can be disposed of rapidly, while some require storage for many years.
Officers regularly obtain evidence from storage to assist them in presenting the circumstances of an offense in court or to aid them in an investigation. Each transaction involving removal of a piece of evidence from storage must be recorded and is referred to as a record of chain of custody.
Perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of managing the evidence function is being able to return stolen property to the rightful owner. Thousands of dollars of stolen property are recovered each year and when ownership can be determined, it is returned as quickly as possible. Citizens are encouraged to contact their Police Department if they have property lost or stolen in the event it has been turned in. North Dakota Statute requires property for which ownership cannot be determined be sold at public auction.
Records Section
The Records Section is staffed with a records supervisor, Kelly Broeckel and four office assistants. The Records Section performs the centralized records keeping and information retrieval services for the agency. The information gathered is a source to aid in investigations, crime prevention, administrative planning and research, operational supervision and the establishment or review of organizational policies and procedures. The media also has a compelling interest in the inspection of public documents and records to keep the public informed with information dealing with law enforcement activities.
In addition to the gathering, processing and dissemination of reports, the Records Section also conducts background criminal history checks on subjects applying for employment, housing, military service, gaming, taxi, concealed weapon permits and for other needs.
The Records Section is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on all holidays. For copies of reports and other information, you may contact Records by either stopping at the Police Department, by phone at 701-223-1212 or by faxing your request to 701-355-1925.
Guidelines For Concealed Weapon Permits
If you have never applied for a concealed weapon permit before, please follow these guidelines:
- You must be a resident of Bismarck, ND in order for the Bismarck Police Department to process your application.
- The Bismarck Police Department will provide the following:
The application form, two sets of fingerprints and the necessary background checks. There is a $5.00 processing fee which can be paid by cash, check or money order. - We fingerprint and begin the concealed weapon permit process on TUESDAY and THURSDAY between the hours of 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
- A written test is required for new applicants. Test administrators are listed on the North Dakota Attorney General Website at nd.ag.gov. By law they are able to charge $25.00 to administer the test. Please arrange to have your test completed before you return the completed application to the Bismarck Police Department.
- Two, colored, driver's license size photographs are required. You may obtain them at any photo shop in town.
- There is a $45.00 mandated State fee, which is payable by check or money order to the North Dakota Attorney General. The Bismarck Police Department will collect this fee. No cash is accepted as we cannot issue a receipt for State funds.
- After we process the application at the Bismarck Police Department, it is forwarded to the Burleigh County Sheriff's Department and then to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation will issue the actual permit in approximately thirty days.
Renewal Process For Concealed Weapon Permits:- Obtain the renewal application from the Law Enforcement Agency/County in which you reside.
- Complete the form, dating and signing it.
- Submit two, colored, driver license size photographs which are obtainable at any photo shop.
- Submit a check or money order for $45.00 made out to the North Dakota Attorney General.
- Drop the completed application and attachments at the Bismarck Police Department Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
If there are any questions, please contact Pam Hoffman at 355-1878 or a member of the Crime Prevention Section at the Bismarck Police Department.
Police Chaplain
Chaplain Dan Sweeney is the Bismarck Police Department Staff Chaplain. He is assisted by 5 other members of the clergy from the Bismarck area.
The Chaplaincy has been trained to partner with officers and be involved in the community during times of crisis and need. The Chaplaincy is also a resource for the officers as they face stress while performing the job that they are called to do. With six chaplains serving the Department the Chaplaincy can maintain an around-the-clock availability for service. The Chaplaincy has also trained with the Emergency Operations Center to be available should there be a community crisis of monumental proportion.
Law Enforcement Domestic Violence Advocate
Crystal Kraft is LE Domestic Violence Advocate for the Departemnt. The Law Enforcement Domestic Violence Advocacy Program (LEDVA) is a collaborative program between the Bismarck Police Department and the Abused Adult Resource Center (AARC). The goal is to provide a network of services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by bridging the gap between victim services and the criminal justice system.
The LEDVA role is to keep in close contact with the Police Department by receiving reports involving domestic violence and sexual assault offenses. Subsequently, LEDVA makes contact with the victim by mail and/or phone to offer services provided by the AARC. LEDVA is also responsible for training new officers on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.
Bismarck Mounted Police
The Bismarck Mounted Police is an auxiliary unit of the Department that has been in existence since 1966. The members of the Mounted Police are volunteers who share an intense interest in horsemanship as well as a strong desire to provide public service to their community. Members come from all facets of community life; professionals, businesspersons, members of the armed services, skilled tradesmen and laborers. Members of the Mounted Police participate without pay for their services.
You will most likely encounter the Mounted Police in parades or other ceremonies in which they represent their unit and the Bismarck Police Department. They are routinely requested to participate in a wide variety of events throughout North Dakota and sometimes outside the state. They have a well-deserved reputation as skilled riders and performers. The Mounted Police not only participates in public events and ceremonies, but also is available to assist with search and rescue as well as parking and crowd control as requested by the Department. To develop and maintain their skills, the Mounted Police hold a practice session each week at the Walt Neuens horse arena in south Bismarck.
The Department takes great pride in its Mounted Police Unit and is confident it will remain a viable volunteer force assisting in serving the citizens of our community. Anyone having interest in participating in the group should contact the Bismarck Police Department for further information.
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