Latest news with #BurnsvillePoliceDepartment
CBS News
17-04-2025
- CBS News
Burnsville Police Department to travel to Washington D.C. as part of National Police Week, thanks to tulip fundraiser
Market 101 and Garden Center is roughly 50 miles from Burnsville, but managers say the 2024 shooting death of three first responders is a tragedy that strikes the heart. "I have a couple of police officers in my family, one of them retired in Colorado and the other is in Lakeville," manager Pat Beruske told WCCO News. "When this happened last year, I was concerned for his welfare." Burnsville police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, along with firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth, were shot and killed in February 2024 . A few months later, Market 101 raised roughly $76,000 to benefit the grieving families through a special tulip sale. This year, the sale returned, and the store this week handed over a $12,000 check to help send those families — and the entire Burnsville Police Department — to Washington, D.C. for National Police Week. "It's finishing the circle," Beruske explained. "We helped them in their time of need, the tragedy, last year. Now it's a full circle moment. We're going to give them money to go to Maryland and Washington to try to heal, and get their closure." Elmstrand and Ruge are two among 345 fallen police officers who will be memorialized this year in D.C. next month; other Minnesota officers being remembered include Jesse Branch, of Red Lake Nation Police ; National Park Service Ranger Kevin Grossheim ; and Minneapolis Police Officer Jamal Mitchell . Kevin Rofidal, a retired Edina police sergeant who now sits on the Fraternal Order of Police Foundation board, told WCCO News the trip to D.C. will be a full itinerary that includes much more than a memorial service and vigil. "The second piece of it is there is some therapeutics and being around families and other survivors that have experienced something similar," he added. "We've learned a lot. We've learned a lot because of suicides in police, with survivors and PTSD, and it's finally being addressed." There are several ongoing fundraisers for Burnsville , as Rofidal says the cost to send its 166-member delegation will cost roughly $75,000. The Minneapolis Police Department and its supporters are also raising money to send a large delegation .
CBS News
15-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Meet Duke, the Minnesota K-9 who sniffs out stress
We know dogs can sense our emotions, but did you know they can actually smell it, too? Duke, a 2-year-old lab, is a critical incident response dog with the Burnsville Police Department, specially trained to detect cortisol — a stress hormone — in people. "He will basically walk into a room and he'll sniff everybody who's in the room, and then he will zero in on that person who is the most stressed," said Sgt. Max Yakovlev. "Then the goal is for that person to sit so what they call is a grounding technique, and he tries to get somebody to sit down and pet him." Duke arrived the day after the tragic deaths of two officers and a firefighter-paramedic in Burnsville last year . "He came at the right time, but at the kind of the wrong time, if that makes even sense, right?" Yakovlev said. He was there to bring calm when it was needed most. "I honestly think it was a God thing, because I was already planning on being there," he said. Duke came from K9s for Freedom & Independence, a Texas nonprofit. Like a narcotics dog, he's trained to sniff out stress, using sweat and saliva. "It is so much different than the therapy dogs, because these dogs go out in the field. They can go on mental health calls," said Janeen Baggette, founder of K9s for Freedom & Independence. Duke responds with Burnsville's Behavioral Health Unit about 12 times a month and spends the rest of his time visiting schools or attending community events. "Sometimes the uniform, sometimes just our presence there, it can be a lot, and having him around kind of diminishes, that breaks down the barriers, or be able to work with somebody who is in crisis," Baggette said. He's also helping the officers. "Hopefully we can start to slow down and prevent the higher levels of suicide, individuals walking away from the job and resigning," she said. Off-duty, Duke's just another member of the Yakovlev family. "He's on a little bit of a diet because of the treats," Lakovlev said. "You know, the question comes up, the why? Why do we need it? And the answer is, look at him. Like, it's fun, and people love it." The Savage Fire Department also has a Critical Incident Response Team K-9 from the same organization — a chocolate lab named Marshall.
CBS News
19-02-2025
- CBS News
1 year later, Burnsville sergeant remembers fellow officers killed by gunman
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — Sgt. Adam Medlicott didn't just work with the two Burnsville police officers who were shot and killed last year; he trained them and he mentored them. "They were the officers you wanted on your street, coming to your house, and helping you," Medlicott told WCCO. "We don't talk about how their lives were taken from us. We talk about what they gave to our lives." According to investigators, Shannon Gooden fatally shot police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, as well as firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth, during a standoff on Feb. 18, 2024. "When you think about Paul (Elmstrand), all you think is laughter," Medlicott recalled. "He was smart, he was funny, he was very personable. Everybody loved him and loved to hear his stories, especially about growing up on the farm with his dad. It got the whole room rolling with laughter." The 27-year-old Elmstrand, he added, was on track for a big promotion. "Through and through Paul would've made a great sergeant," Medlicott said. Ruge, also 27, was a crisis negotiator; Medlicott said his efforts held off the gunman for more than three hours. "He was absolutely a hero of this story with his ability to at least keep the suspect talking, talking with us and not engaging in any sort of violence so we can get resources put into place," Medlicott said. Medlicott's return to active duty The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is still working on its official incident report, but preliminary investigation found the shooter fired off more than 100 rounds, and there were as many as 14 officers within his range. "There were so many people that, you don't understand why a bullet finds one person and not another," Medlicott lamented. "There were so many people that escaped being hit but were shot at. This man tried to murder more people." Medlicott was shot twice: once in the arm and once in the back, but that hit his vest. He was out for three months before returning to active duty. "I wasn't going to allow one evil person to dictate what I do with my life," he said. "This is something I want to do. This is a job I want to do." How he recuperated, moreover, is emblematic of the Burnsville Police Department's overall recovery as a working police force. Deputy Chief Matt Smith told WCCO that Medlicott has helped remove the stigma surrounding mental health and wellness. "I'm really proud that around here we've gotten rid of that stigma to the point that you have people like Sgt. Medlicott, and many, many others, who talk about using the resources and going to therapy and getting help," Smith said. The deputy chief added that every officer who responded to the standoff is now back on full-time active duty, and the next major milestone for everyone is to travel to Washington, D.C. in the spring to place Elmstrand and Ruge's names on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. "That's our national memorial. That is for the nation," Medlicott said. "When you go to that memorial, it's somber, but you also look at these names and you see men and women who were doing the right things and courageous and honorable acts."
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
Search for missing Burnsville man who may be suffering medical issue
Police in Burnsville are searching for a 60-year-old man who is believed to be "in an altered mental state." The Burnsville Police Department says Theodore Watson is possibly driving a white 2004 Ford Explorer with license plates LCE847. Watson "may be suffering from a medical issue," police say, though no details have been provided regarding the kind of issue. It's not known what he's wearing at this time, nor is it known when he was last seen. Anyone with information should contact 911. Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement's latest version of events, and may be subject to change.
