Instructional video for our new Mesa PD Mobile App

Five Minutes with The Chief - Episode 2013-1

Get To Know...

Through this feature you will get to know a bit about the men and women who work for the Mesa Police Department.

Cari Zanella is in the spotlight this month. She is one of the Administrators in Communications. We recently asked her the following:

Q:  Tell us about a typical work day.
A:  It's always unpredictable because critical issues can pop up that take priority over the day you had planned, no matter how well you think you planned it.

Q:  What do you do when you aren't working?
A:  I treasure every minute I can with my family and especially our granddaughter, Bailey. I also hang out with my circle of friends at least once a week -- our husbands call us the "coven."

Q:  Where did you work before joining Mesa PD?
A:  I worked for a local fire department.

Q:  What music is on your iPod/mp3 player?
A:  It's pretty schizophrenic -- classical, jazz, blues, rock, metal, techno.  Everything but country.

Q:  What is your favorite meal?
A:  A Route 44 cup of Sonic Ice. Maybe get fancy and add a shot of Sprite Zero.

Q:  What is your favorite movie or TV show?
A:  The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy.

Q:  If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go and why?
A:  Nepal or India.  They're on on the Bucket List. 

Q:  If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
A:  The ability to see the future. Every Powerball would be mine. :-)

Q:  What sound do you love?
A:  Rain.

Q:  If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
A:  ...today?  I would learn all the payroll rules and how they apply to Kronos (our payroll system).

Watch for future installments of the "Get To Know..." feature!

We have Awesome Volunteers!

This week is National Volunteer Week and we would like to say thank you to our 130 VIPS (Volunteer in Police Service).  Last year they saved the citizens of Mesa around $590,000 by donating 27,000 hours of their time in a variety of police services. VIPS is a tremendous asset to the city and they assist in many departments ranging from Victim Assistance, Forensic Services and Patrol Support. These volunteer services enhance public safety and the quality of law enforcement which is undoubtedly one of the most challenging and rewarding opportunities for volunteerism today.

Mesa PD's App is Here!

The Mesa Police Department is proud to present our mobile application. This free application gives you access to the latest news, photos, videos, events, alerts and crime information no matter where you are. In addition, the application allows two way communications using Twitter, Facebook, and a special feature for submitting anonymous tips to the Department. Check out all the features and where to download here.

God Bless Boston!!

Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and families of the Boston bombings. We also send a proud thank you to our brothers and sisters in emergency services AND the brave citizens who helped them at that terrible scene. God Bless you and the City of Boston. We pray for a swift recovery and an even swifter justice to terrorist(s) behind this cowardly act.

Mesa K9 Teams Place in Competition

Congrats to our K9 teams who participated in the 11th Annual Desert Dog Police K9 Trials this past weekend in Scottsdale. 57 teams participated from departments around the Valley and a few other States. We had 4 teams compete this year. Returning champions Bryan Cochran with K9’s Max and Kira and Scott Callender with K9 Jake, along with Ron Swart and K9 Lotus and Mike Redden with K9 Sam. These guys did an awesome job this year and we are proud to say they won plenty of trophies --

Bryan Cochran: 2nd in Top Dog Competition, 3rd in Tactical Challenge, 6th in Obedience

Scott Callender: 1st in Area Search, 4th in Handler Protection, 4th in Top Dog Competition

Ron Swart: 1st in Building Search, 3rd in Handler Protection

Bryan Cochran, Scott Callender, Ron Swart and Mike Redden – 2nd Place Top Team Patrol

Synthetic Drugs: Spice and Bath Salts

Online Story about Mesa PD and the use of Taser body-cameras.

Our S.W.A.T. Heroes - Officers Davila and Harris

We are proud of our SWAT heroes Officers Davila and Harris. They were returning from training, eastbound on the 202, when they observed a rollover accident on the westbound side. These young men pulled over, hopped the median wall, and dodged traffic to get to the occupant whom was now pinned underneath the vehicle. Our Officers rallied a couple of citizens and lifted the vehicle off of the injured person. Way to go guys!!

CRIME STATS - MARCH

The following are the top 5 calls for service and arrests for each patrol district -- 3/01/2013 through 3/31/2013.

DOBSON		CENTRAL
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Subjects Disturbing	442	Subjects Disturbing	497
Check Welfare	348	Check Welfare	367
Loud Music/Noise	248	Other Agency Assist	233
Other Agency Assist	205	Suspicious Activity	224
Suspicious Activity	181	Loud Music/Noise	223
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Robbery	1	Arson	1
Aggravated Assault	10	Homicide	3
Breaking & Entering	2	Robbery	3
Theft	44	Breaking & Entering	6
GTA	2	Theft	55
Alcohol/DUI	65	GTA	2
Other Assaults	47	Alcohol/DUI	67
Disorderly Conduct	21	Other Assaults	61
Drugs	57	Disorderly Conduct	23
Fiscal/Forgery	2	Drugs	44
Loitering/Runaway	9	Fiscal/Forgery	9
Sex Offenses	1	Loitering/Runaway	5
Vandalism	18	Sex Offenses	5
All Other	121	Vandalism	22
		All Other	233
TOTAL	400	TOTAL	544

RED MOUNTAIN		SUPERSTITION
Call Type	Frequency	Call Type	Frequency
Subjects Disturbing	411	Check Welfare	361
Check Welfare	405	Subjects Disturbing	250
Other Agency Assist	261	Other Agency Assist	246
Loud Music/Noise	257	Burglary Alarm	217
Suspicious Activity	254	Suspicious Activity	191
Arrests	Frequency	Arrests	Frequency
Robbery	4	Robbery	1
Aggravated Assault	9	Aggravated Assault	6
Breaking & Entering	6	Breaking & Entering	7
Theft	64	Theft	75
GTA	1	GTA	1
Alcohol/DUI	57	Alcohol/DUI	41
Other Assaults	54	Other Assaults	28
Disorderly Conduct	27	Disorderly Conduct	14
Drugs	52	Drugs	28
Fiscal/Forgery	10	Fiscal/Forgery	6
Loitering/Runaway	11	Loitering/Runaway	12
Vandalism	22	Sex Offenses	1
All Other	120	Vandalism	19
		All Other	58
TOTAL	437	TOTAL	297

Orangewood Shadows Quilters Provide Quilts to Mesa PD for Homeless

We want to give a Mesa PD shout out to a fabulous group of busy ladies at Orangewood Shadows RV Resort. For the last few years, they have dropped off hand-made quilts for our officers to carry in their vehicles and provide to any homeless they come in contact with on our cold winter nights. They have already dropped off 53 quilts this year!  Sgt. Mike Ivey shared that he handed out five quilts in one evening to homeless Romanian refugee families. One family was a mother with two young daughters who hugged their quilts and could not believe they were their very own to keep.

We so very much appreciate the effort of these ladies and appreciate their thoughtfulness in making and providing these quilts.

These wonderful quilters have a booth at the Orangewood Shadows store and the profits go toward quilt supplies. Orangewood Shadows is located at 3165 E University Drive in Mesa. The store is open the first and third Saturdays, December through March, from 9am to Noon.