Flatonia Police Chief Reports on January Activity, Training

City of Flatonia Police Chief Lee Dick reports there were 423 calls for service for the department during the month of January.

Offense/Incident Report

On Jan. 20, Officer W. Kalina responded to a two-vehicle accident within Flatonia. Upon arrival Officer Kalina immediately began to ensure the wellbeing of the occupants involved in the collision. Reportedly there were no injuries and Officer Kalina conducted his investigation of the accident. Kalina safely got occupants and the motor vehicles from the roadway, allowing traffic to proceed.

On Jan. 23, Officer T. Amos conducted a traffic stop due to a moving traffic violation. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted. During the search, Chief L. Dick and Sergeant T. Tunis assisted. Officer Amos found one of the occupants to be in possession of a controlled substance and in possession of marijuana. The individual was placed in custody and transported to Fayette County Jail.

On Jan. 23, Officer T. Roggenkamp conducted a traffic stop due to a vehicle violation. Officer Roggenkamp contacted the driver of the vehicle. It was determined that the driver of the vehicle had an active warrant for their arrest. Officer Roggenkamp placed the individual in custody and was transported to Fayette County Jail.

On Jan. 26, Chief L. Dick observed a vehicle with its hazards activated. Chief Dick approached the vehicle and found the occupant of the vehicle to be in severe distress. The occupant was on the phone with a local 911 operator and Chief Dick was able to communicate an exact location and medical updates to responding EMS. Before EMS arrived Chief Dick monitored and provided medical attention to the individual. During the interaction, it was discovered that the driver was actually the subject of a welfare concern that had been reported to another local agency. The welfare concern and current medical situation were both cleared by transport to a medical facility for additional evaluation.

On Jan. 30, Segreant T. Tunis assisted with a motor vehicle and semi-truck collision. As the first responder on scene, Sgt. Tunis ensured that there were no injuries to the occupants and the vehicle and provided an exact location for responding EMS, Fire Department, and other law enforcement. Sgt. Tunis maintained and managed the scene of the accident, while also providing traffic control while an investigation was conducted.

On Jan. 17, Officer T. Roggenkamp and Chief L. Dick responded to 911 call about a semi-truck driver who was ‘hearing voices’ while driving the 18-wheeler on Westbound I-10. The driver was requesting assistance and knew that he was not able to continue driving safely. Fayette County EMS was also dispatched. The driver refused medical transport but agreed that he should not be operating an 18-wheeler. The driver was escorted to a local hotel and Chief Dick spoke to the owner of the trucking company about the situation. The driver stayed in the hotel while his company sent another driver to get him and the truck safely home.

On Jan. 26, Officer T. Roggenkamp responded to an alarm call at a local business in the late hours of the night. Officer Roggenkamp conducted security checks of the building and immediate surrounding areas and observed no sign of entry. However, as Officer Roggenkamp continued to search the area near the business, he observed an individual walking from the area. He contacted the individual and found the individual had an active warrant for their arrest. A search of the person was conducted, and a firearm was found. After further identifying the person, they were found to be a previously convicted felon. The individual was taken into custody for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and the warrant and transported to Fayette County Jail.

On four separate occasions during the month of January, the Flatonia Police Department responded to reports of runaway juveniles. Responding officers included Chief L. Dick, Sergeant T. Tunis, Officer W. Kalina, and Officer T. Amos. Fayette County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Flatonia Police Department due to the potential risk to the juveniles’ safety and our proximity to the location of the incidents. On all occasions, the juveniles were located and safely returned.

As the month of January comes to a close, the Flatonia Police Department has experienced a significant increase in both incident and offense reports. In the month of January 26 incident and offense reports were taken by officers. In 2022, we did not reach this number until late-March. Incident and Offense Reports are events, such as criminal offenses, which are more significant than a typical call for service.

Arrests and Pending Charges There were five direct custody arrests for the month of January.

In-Service Training:

Chief L. Dick received training from Fayette County EMS. The training focused on the operation and functions of new cardiac monitors that are being adopted by Fayette County EMS. The new monitors incorporate several new features, and this training will allow Chief Dick to be more familiar with the new equipment to better assist EMS and the citizens of Flatonia during medical emergencies.

Officer T. Amos received certification as a Field Training Officer. This 24-hour course teaches the officer the history and purpose of field training programs, training practices and techniques, counseling, the evaluation process throughout the field training process, and the importance of documentation. Other aspects of the course included training in instructional techniques, coaching and evaluation, remedial training and record keeping. This will allow Officer Amos to utilize her knowledge and experience to train new officers.

Officer T. Lynn completed the course Interdiction for the Protection of Children. This two-day course is designed to make officers aware of the variety of resources that are available to assist children who may be missing, exploited, or at risk. During this course Officer T. Lynn also learned to identify behavioral patterns of victims and suspects, articulate and support findings with research and studies, and the course of action necessary during an investigation or incident.

Officer W. Kalina completed Anti-Bias Training, which focuses on teaching officers to identify, and thereby avoid, any personal bias(es) they may have, whether they are aware of the bias or not. This type of training is vital to the fair and consistent delivery of police service in every situation.

Flatonia Police Department officers continuously strive to participate in different training provided every month. Continuous training is vital because of the influence it has on the officer’s everyday performance and for professional development.