Capitol Beat A Publication of the IACP Capitol Police Section March 2012 Volume 3, Number 1 In This Issue Chair Report It has been awhile since the last Capitol Beat newsletter. It has been a very • Chair Report stressful and demanding year on the Wisconsin Capitol Police. Not to mention all • Midyear – Capitol the other agencies that helped us through the continued collective bargaining Police Section Meeting protests that saw as many 100,000 people on our capitol square. Wisconsin Capitol Police staff worked at least 12 hours shifts, if not longer, for 137 • Highlight Capitol Police continuous days. This took its toll on the employees and their families, and yet Section Member they continue to come in to work and provide excellent service to our department community. I am proud to be a member of such a department. When I look back • IACP Section on the occupation of the Capitol, we were dealing with something that no one Membership else in the country has had to deal with on such a large scale, with no end in sight. I believe that all the law enforcement agencies that worked on the protests helped us set a standard for dealing with protestors in a civil manner while protecting their first amendment rights. It was the most stressful time in my career, the most educational, and the most rewarding; it has also resulted in the delay of development and distribution of the Capitol Beat newsletter. The Capitol Police Section has hosted several e-meetings recently that included discussion and briefings on capitol protests, as well as section business. At our last e-meeting, it was moved and seconded that I continue to serve as Section Helpful Links Chair for an additional term, to which I have agreed. Our General Vice Chair was http://www.theiacp.org to ascend to the General Chair position at the annual conference in Chicago, but IACP Website is unable to make that time commitment at this point; Captain Michael Spochart will remain in the position of General Vice Chair for an additional term. Our http://www.ncsl.org/ Midwest Regional Vice Chair has recently retired and we wish Marc McCune of the National Conference of State Kansas Highway Patrol the best in his retirement. Other Regional Vice Chairs Legislatures have moved on to other positions within their respective organizations. We wish http://www.nga.org/ them the best as they move on in their career. National Governor’s Association Below is the current roster of Capitol Police Section Regional Vice Chair positions, which will help promote, recruit, gather information and collect ideas from members in their region: • Midwest regional vice chair - Vacant. • West regional vice chair - Vacant. • East regional vice chair - Vacant • South Regional vice chair – Virginia Capitol Police, Deputy Chief Randall Contact Us Howard [email protected] We want to thank our board oversight member, General Chair of the Division of Dan Blackdeer Section Chair State and Provincial Police (S&P), Chief John R. Batiste of the Washington State Patrol, for his continued support of the section. We look forward to working with [email protected] the Division of S&P in areas of mutual concern. John Batiste IACP Board Liaison I know that many states have travel restrictions during this tough economic time [email protected] and we will continue to host a mid-year webinar to allow the members to attend Dianne Beer-Maxwell our meetings virtually. We will continue to partner with other divisions, sections, IACP Staff Liaison and committees to meet the needs of the members of the Capitol Police Section and IACP. I look forward to the opportunity to meet and work with each of you. Midyear – Capitol Police Section Meeting The Capitol Police Section Board has set its date and time for its Midyear meeting. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 5th from 1pm to 2:30pm (EST). IACP Capitol Police An agenda will be available prior to the meeting. Please Section Mission: contact Section Chair Dan Blackdeer or Vice Chair Michael Spochart if interested in the midyear webinar. The mission of this section is to allow its members to develop and promote professional relationships among its members and the IACP; and to increase the efficiency and capabilities Member Department – Indiana State Police of each law enforcement In each issue of the Capitol Beat, the section agency that provides highlights one of the member departments. This is service to our state and an opportunity for our members to learn about each nation’s critical assets. others departments and responsibilities. This will be accomplished Highlighted in this issue is the Indiana State Police – by providing educational Indiana Capitol Police. Attached is an article written by Indiana Capitol Police Officer Dustin Papenbrock training, promoting effective leadership, on page 3. sharing information, and Any other member department that would like to contribute an article for the mentoring our future next issue of Capitol Beat should contact Section Chair Daniel Blackdeer. leaders. Next Issues for State Capitols As we look across the country, what are the next Capitol Police Section issues that law enforcement will have to deal Membership: with at our state capitols and Nation’s Capital buildings? Section membership is We have seen what the Occupy groups have open to individuals who done across the country. We watch are now, or have been, demonstrations and protests of how each of our engaged in or governments has taken up controversial issues. responsible for providing We watched as laws were overturned by police services at a referendum and potential recalls of elective national or officials. state/providence State We have seen that there have been arrests in House. Section members the past weeks for a subject planning to be a will promote and develop suicide bomber at US Capitol and an explosive beneficial relationships device was found in a truck at the Kansas State with the private sector Capitol. Is this the next major issue we need to and our individual deal with? communities. Integrity, honor, and ethical Capitol Police can help each other by sharing lessons learned from these events behavior will be the that will make each of us better at providing for the safety and security of our standard for State Capitols. We are always looking for department best practices to highlight professionalism among in our midyear and annual meetings. Please contact Captain Spochart, Dianne our section members. Beer-Maxwell or myself if you have lessons learned to share with the rest of the section or ideas about training brief topics for future section meetings. Indiana State Capitol Police History and Development The Indiana State Police Capitol Police Section was established in 1888, to protect the grounds and elected officials of the State of Indiana. It has grown from a 9 watchman working group to a professional 68 officer section of the Indiana State Police. The Capitol Police Section merged with the Indiana State Police in July 2002. The Capitol Police Office is responsible for a variety of tasks that include: providing protection for state elected officials, visiting VIPs, and protecting thousands of state employees and visitors every day. They are charged with the enforcement of State laws, regulations, and policies. The Capitol Police are responsible for an estimated one billion dollars’ worth of taxpayer's property. Capitol Police officers are empowered to exercise full police authority in the enforcement of traffic and criminal laws within the state. Among the many and varied duties are resource protection, criminal enforcement and public service. A key responsibility for the Capitol Police is staffing the General Headquarters Operations Desk where incoming calls to the Indiana State Police are answered 24 hours a day. Inquiries are answered or calls are forwarded to the appropriate state police posts across Indiana. The Operations Desk area also serves as the dispatch center for the Capitol Police. Daily Operation Indiana State Police Lieutenant Troy McElfresh serves as the Capitol Police Section Commander. Capitol Police Officers serving as Command Staff are Operations/Telecommunications Commander Major Ron Cutter, Field Operations Commander Lieutenant Jane Peoples, Administrative Officer Sergeant Sherri Hartman and Detective Sergeant Scott Alexander. Lt. Peoples is also an International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) Certified instructor who trains the section’s bike patrol team. With protection of life and property at the fore-front of daily activities for the Indiana Capitol Police, the expansion of specialized officers are a tremendous asset in today’s heightened environment. Three highly trained Explosive Ordinance (EOD) K-9 units patrol the complex daily as well as assist with state wide explosive emergency calls. These K-9 units, one corporal and two officers; played a major role in providing support for the Super Bowl that took place in our city this past February. Along with the K-9 units, the Indiana Capitol Police have four special trained officers, which are part of the State Police EOD team. The EOD officers are responsible for inspecting mail received at the government complex; as well as responding to emergency situations that involve a possible explosive threat. (Pictured: Officer John Riggers with K­9 Cazik, Corporal Dave Poynter with K­9 Mela, and Officer Michael Sarchet w/ K­9 Aben; take time out for a picture while working at the Indiana Statehouse.) Additionally, the Capitol Police Section is staffed with eight Squad Sergeants which lead three eight- hour shifts. Officers provide security of the public entry points into the State Capitol building, the North and South Government Center, the Governor’s Residence, the Indiana War Memorial, and other state owned properties. The IPMBA certified bike team provides fast deployment to areas of state owned properties that are not easily accessed by a patrol car.