YourOPEX

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Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:24:00 -0500

Treading Water

Splash

Yelling instructions

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:44:00 -0500

Yelling instructions

5 meter blindfold jump with rifle.

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:33:13 -0500

5 meter blindfold jump with rifle.

Pool Training Preview. Stay tuned for more pics and vids.

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:26:00 -0500

Pool Training Preview. Stay tuned for more pics and vids.

Photo

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:27:00 -0500

Gear Lockers

Equipment Ready

MFD

3rd Precinct

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:22:00 -0500

3^rdPrecinct

While waiting in the lobby of the Minneapolis Third Precinct Police Department, I looked at a tribute to officers of the precinct killed in the line of duty dating back to 1915. A dark, tinted glass, divided me from the front desk duty officer, monitoring flat screens showing camera angles around building. Once escorted into the station, I looked up at the angular metal planks cutting across the open interior of the three-story building. Glass-walled offices wrap the walls around the upper two floors and large skylights brighten the whole building. It reminded me of an all white, upscale prison.

Officer Jesse Trebesch came through a door and introduced himself as my escort for the ride along. He looked far too young to be a cop. I sensed his immediate discomfort with our similar age, introducing himself by his first name. Wanting to start off on his good side, I called him officer Trebesch and explained this wasn’t my first ride along, I knew he didn’t want to ride with me, and I had no preconceived negative agenda.

Officer Trebesch graduated the academy in 2009, but due to budget cuts, no new officers have been hired in the department since then. Even though he has three years experience as a cop, no one has graduated after him, so he is still considered a rookie. This means he permanently gets stuck with the night shifts, referred to as Dogs Watch, and other odious assignments, like escorting me.

The Third Precinct has new vehicles, some outfitted with the same sensors troops use in warzones to determine the origin of weapons fire. Before even turning on the car, Officer Trebesch verbally commands the car computer to turn on, then states the date, time, officer, badge number, passenger, and finally car ID. Once on, the computer automatically begins recording video and audio, exterior audio coming through a microphone officers wear on their vests. This protects police from false accusations and also helps document crime scenes, witness interviews and shift activities.

A typically slow early evening in the Third, we spent the first few hours patrolling the streets, not seeing any activity. Breaking the monotony, a domestic disturbance call means action. As a precaution, two squads always respond to domestic disturbance calls together, due to the unpredictable and often dangerous nature of the call. This one is a fistfight with a gun present. “Don’t we get any more info?” I ask after reading the report on the computer. “No. It’s usually pretty vague. We’ll find out when we get there.”

We rushed down Lakestreet in rush hour traffic, zig zaging around cars, and between lanes to meet the other squad. The siren roared, cutting to short staccato beeps, and then piercing squawks as we cut through intersections and oncoming traffic. Officer Trebesch kept only one hand on the wheel the whole time, his tone and demeanor calm, while I asked questions.

Turning onto the side street, the siren goes off but more flashing lights go on. We stalked down the dark street swiftly, block after block. Finally up ahead we see the lights of the other squad. We got out as the other officer exited the house. Nothing serious, so we leave, back to patrolling.

I ask Officer Trebesch if he can picture doing this job for the rest of his life. He has prepared himself, reading and talking to other officers as much as he can, and relies on the support of his wife and his faith in God to help him, especially on the tough days. For now, he plans on making it to ten years. “Some days make you want to never come back, but then you’ll get an unexpected thank you or help someone and you see all the good you can do.”

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Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:22:00 -0500

Minneapolis Fire Station 11

MFD Engine 11

2nd Precinct

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:42:00 -0500

By Andrew Cox

I arrived at the Minneapolis Second Precinct Police Station excited and starry eyed for my police ride along, nervous about the unknown night ahead of me. I promptly met Sergeant Madson, who instantly sized me up and let me know he didn’t trust anyone but cops. Off to a great start, I sweated through his interview, where I couldn’t answer correctly. Luckily, I somehow passed. Feeling stupid and confused, we headed for his squad car.

Key in the ignition, turn and nothing. Someone left the computer on, which drained the car battery. “Most of our equipment is a bit beat up and kinda old,” Sgt Madson informs me as we search the lot for a car with jumper cables. His squad doesn’t even carry a shotgun between the seats. Other precincts have audio and video cameras and even military triangulation sensors to determine where gunshots are coming from. The Second Precinct, not so much.

Cruising the University of Minnesota campus, I ask about the beat. The Second Precinct’s number one crime is theft followed by property damage. A safe and relatively low-crime precinct Sgt Madson says. “This job is 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror,” Sgt Madson tells me. “The most dangerous part of this job I do every day is driving. My squad’s been hit four times, once totaled.” After circling campus another hour, we head for North East and dinner.

As a Duty Sergeant, Madson supervises all the officers on his shift, meaning he could spend his entire shift in the comforts of the station, but he doesn’t. “I’m not running down alleys or chasing cars on the freeway anymore, but I need to be out here.” He explains that certain calls require his presence, for instance, if a weapon is recovered at a crime scene or if an officer uses their gun. Also, you can’t police a community if you aren’t part of it.

After ten years on the force, and the previous eight as a Marine rifleman, Sgt Madson has seen a lot. “Officer discretion is everything out here,” Sgt Madson explains. “We never know what someone might do, so we have to be on guard at all times. Both to protect ourselves and citizens.” The situation can and will change rapidly. Sgt Madson has gone from rescuing someone to fighting them in seconds. You just don’t know what someone might do.

I asked Sgt Madson if he could change one thing about his job what would it be? “Time with family. We work long hours, rotating schedules. When I’m on night shifts, I don’t get to tuck my two little girls into bed at night. I go to work before they get home from school, so I sometimes go days without seeing them.”

A police officer isn’t just a job. It’s an identity. As Sgt Madson dropped me off in front of the station, he yelled, “Most people are like sheep. A tiny group of people are like wolves, trying to take advantage of the sheep. And another tiny group of people are like sheepdogs, who protect the sheep from the wolves. That’s what I do, I’m a sheepdog.”

34th CAB

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:21:00 -0500

“We are necessary to keep the Army going. We move troops and supplies, and aren’t limited by terrain.”

By Andrew Cox

“Leading these men and women is great. It’s a great feeling to come to work everyday and see the amazing things our soldiers can do,” says Colonel Michael Huddleston, commander of the Minnesota National Guard’s 34^th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), which flies the UH-60 Blackhawks and the massive CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

In Minnesota, the 34^th CAB responds primarily to aerial firefighting and flood assistance, but they also perform search and rescue, aircraft recovery, and a variety of local community projects and volunteer work

“We are ready to respond anywhere in the state within four hours,” Col. Huddleston says with pride. “It might take us another hour to then get there, but the helicopters and equipment are all ready, it just takes getting people mobilized.”

In 2008 the 34^th CAB deployed to Iraq where they provided aerial support to all areas of the war torn country, flying day and night at an unrelenting pace for a year. “They did an outstanding job,” Col. Huddleston says. “The Redbull Division and the Redbull 34^th CAB is well known, we’re one of the top Army aviation units, and the people of Minnesota can be proud of how we represent the state.”

After the ’08 Iraq deployment, the 34^th CAB had what they call a reset year, or as Col. Huddleston put it, “we rebuilt the bench so that when we’re called again, we’re ready.” After deployments is typically when soldiers are going to say they’ve had enough. Col. Huddleston hopes there aren’t too many each year, but it happens. He then prepares replacements and makes sure soldiers can spend time with their families and reconnect with their communities.

9-11 and the subsequent Global War on Terror sharpened the focus and professionalism of the entire National Guard organization. Col. Huddleston says “It sped up the process for us to get the Blackhawks and it accelerated putting the right equipment into the Guard so we could be an integral part of the fight.”

Gone are the days of the Guard being more of a social club than a fighting force.

“We have the same standards as the active duty component,” Col. Huddleston informs me. “We have the same missions, training and equipment, but in addition to that, we also have the state requirements.”

The drawdown and exit from Iraq by the end of the year, and the beginning of a withdrawal from Afghanistan have allowed many Guard units to start getting more time off between deployments.

Not so for aviation units like the 34^th CAB, Col Huddleston explains. “We are necessary to keep the Army going. We move troops and supplies, and aren’t limited by terrain.” In the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, helicopters are vital to reach remote bases and mitigate some of the danger to convoys on roads clogged with Improvised Explosive Devices.

The 34^th CAB’s schedule leaves little time to rest. A Chinook unit will soon return from a year in Iraq, while a Blackhawk unit leaves at the end of November for Iraq to assist with the drawdown. Another Blackhawk Medevac unit has been in Afghanistan since last April and will return around April 2012, and another Medevac unit have been notified for a possible deployment to Afghanistan sometime in July 2012.

In addition to these deployments, the 34^th CAB will receive upgraded Chinooks next year and will be required to conduct additional training to transition to the new helicopters. Even with these ongoing operations, the remainder of the 34th CAB continues to prepare and train for whatever they are called upon to do in the state or nationally.

In an era of budget cuts, The 34^th CAB remains uncertain about it’s budget next year, aware it will shrink, but that won’t diminish their capabilities. Col. Huddleston has seen this already in the 1990s. “After the first Gulf War, the size of the military was reduced because the nation didn’t need such a large military anymore. We are going through that again now and we will adapt accordingly. We won’t lose any capabilities, we will just have to be more creative with the resources we have.”

Overseas deployments will continue and state emergencies can occur at anytime, but the soldiers of the 34^th CAB are ready to set aside their civilian lives and answer the call to serve Minnesota and the nation.

Favorite running jacket

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:08:24 -0500

Favorite running jacket

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Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 -0500

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Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:06 -0500

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Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:56:04 -0500

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Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:54:15 -0500

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Sun, 25 Dec 2011 00:48:11 -0500

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Sat, 17 Dec 2011 10:00:05 -0500

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Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:45:05 -0500

Confidence Lab

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:43:44 -0500

Confidence Lab

Army Baggage Claim

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:00:06 -0500

Army Baggage Claim

Chinook Helicopter Cabin

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:00:06 -0500

Chinook Helicopter Cabin