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Police Chief
Mark Lawson
405 1st Ave West, Spencer, IA
51301
Phone (712) 262-2151 Police Business Line (712) 264-7288 Fax (712) 262-8115. email; cops@smunet.net
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ALL VEHICLES TO BE OFF ALL CITY STREETS, ALLEYS, AND HIGHWAYS BEGINNING AT 12:01 A.M., MONDAY, MARCH 11TH, 2013. SNOW ORD IS IN EFFECT!! |
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| The
City of Spencer was originally named Spencer
Grove and in 1892 John Ancken was appointed
as the first law enforcement officer to
serve that community. Since that time, the
name of the city was changed to Spencer
and the police department continued to grow
with the community. In 1936, the police
department had four officers and acquired
the first patrol vehicle, which was a Model
A Ford. In 1940, there were six officers
on the department and they still responded
to a red light outside the police department
that was activated by telephone operators
when they received a call for help. In 1948,
the department had grew to eight officers
and it was during this time frame that a
police radio system was installed and the
red light warning system was abolished.
Today,
Spencer Police Department has twenty sworn
police officers and 7 civilian staff.
Spencer
Police Department
Mission Statement
" To protect and serve the community
of Spencer in a fair and professional
manner
while promoting positive interaction and
public trust."
The
personnel of the Spencer Police Department
are dedicated to their cause and will
continue to cooperate with the citizens
they serve to keep Spencer a safe place
to live and work.
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Patrol
Services are the foundation of any police
department. The Spencer Police Department
has 4 lieutenants and 14 officers assigned.
Their responsibilities involve responding
to citizens needs and initiating preliminary
investigations, there are also times officers
will conduct their own follow up investigations.
Patrol Services also play an important roll
in traffic accident investigations.
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Police
Officers are required by state law to have
at least 36 hours of training in 3 years
in order to maintain their state certification.
The Spencer Police Department has undertaken
this responsibility by using a combination
of "in-service" training and outside
training. In order to limit costs, and to
provide more agency specific training, Spencer
Police Department has sent officers to instructor
certification schools. These certified instructors
then provide proper training to our officers.
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The
basic concept of Community Policing is
the partnering of the police department
with the community in an effort to identify
and resolve small problems before they
become big problems. This "partnering"
is accomplished through day to day interaction
between the police and the community by
a variety of means. Communication, Cooperation,
and Education are the keystones to a successful
Community Policing/Crime Prevention format.
The Spencer Police Department has been
committed to this philosophy for many
years and the results are evident as we
have one of the lowest crime rates per
capita in the state. |
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Neighborhood
Watch: A nationwide program that
has been in existence for over 20 years.
Neighborhood Watch attempts to re-establish
the concept of neighbor watching out for
neighbor. The Police Department acts as
a facilitator to assist in organizing geographical
areas and providing the necessary information
and materials to get started in addition
to providing a quarterly newsletter. Neighborhood
Watch provides the forum necessary for police
and citizens to work together in order to
address problems specific to their particular
areas. Spencer currently has 23 watch areas,
which involves over 90 % of the residences
in town.
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Operation
Child I.D.: For over 20 years the
Spencer Police Department has been involved
with the local school systems in fingerprinting
and photographing Spencer students. Once
a year, with the parents permission, kindergartners
and new students to the area are fingerprinted
and photographed for the purposes of identification
should they become lost or missing. The
schools or parents then keep these records.
It is estimated that over 3600 students
have participated since the programs inception.
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DARE:
A popular nationwide problem, DARE has been
taught in Spencer School System for 18 years.
DARE is taught by a sworn police officer
from the Spencer Police Department who has
gone through an intensive two-week training
session by DARE Iowa. DARE is a twelve week
program that is taught once a week for an
hour to Spencer 6th grade students. It attempts
to teach life skills, and provide education
on the effects of drug use and abuse. DARE
also provides an excellent opportunity for
police officers to interact with young students
and establish a report that lasts a lifetime.
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Spencer
Police Bike Patrol: A program that
started in May 2000. Three SPD officers
were sent to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy
to learn tactical applications for the bike
patrol, as well as handling different riding
situations. The Spencer Bike Patrol provides
an opportunity for better interaction between
officers and citizens. Bike Patrol also
allows officers to travel in areas that
are not generally accessible by motor vehicle,
it also provides an advantage for observing
and detecting criminal activity.
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Bicycle
Safety Program: Held in the spring
of the year, children in the Spencer community
are invited to a one-day session at the
Clay County Fairgrounds to receive instruction
by SPD officers on bike safety and rules.
There is also an area set up for children
to then try their bike riding skills.
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Police
Memorial Week: A national event
that takes place in May of each year. During
2000 area law enforcement agencies decided
to participate by setting up a display of
vehicles, and other equipment, in South
Park Mal in order to provide the public
with the opportunity to observe and ask
questions. A series of articles were also
published in the Daily Reporter who informed
the public of the many different services
and tasks police officers perform. The Iowa
State Highway Patrol, Clay County Sheriff,
Iowa DOT, and the Spencer Police Department
participated.
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Student
Job Shadow Program: This program
provides area students who have an interest
in policing as a career with the chance
to spend several hours with an SPD officer.
The student will ride with a police officer
during a normal shift and receive a more
realistic perspective of an officer's duties
and responsibilities.
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Iowa
Lakes Community College Internship:
In conjunction with the ILCC's Criminal
Justice Program, ILCC students who major
in this area are required to do an internship
of 200 hours with a law enforcement agency.
SPD began this partnership with ILCC in
1999 and has had several students participate.
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Vacation
House Watch: A service that has
been provided to Spencer residents for.
Persons going on vacation can notify the
police department to advise them of the
dates they will be gone and other pertinent
information. This is then placed on a list
and is a courtesy check of the house is
done on a daily basis. If the officers observe
any suspicious activity they will take appropriate
action and notify those concerned.
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Talks
and Tours: SPD over the course
of a year will furnish public presentations
by request on a wide range of topics. In
addition numerous tours of the police department
are organized for interested persons and
groups. SPD officers are available at any
time to groups or service organizations
that may be interested in receiving information
on any police related topic or trend. Some
topics covered are drugs, search and seizure,
OWI laws, bike patrol, sex crimes and assault,
and other crime prevention.
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| Crime
Stoppers is based on the principle that
someone other than the criminal has information
that will assist in solving serious crimes.
Two concerns often keep witnesses from coming
forward. Crime Stoppers addresses both of
them! The
Citizen's fear of involvement is reduced
by the caller's name remaining anonymous;
and the citizen's apathy is solved by
paying cash rewards if the information
leads to arrest and indictment.
A
local Crime Stoppers program is a nonprofit
corporation involving three groups: private
citizens, law enforcement agents, and
the media.
Private
Citizens- A corporate board is composed
of volunteers. The board if responsible
for raising funds, determining reward
amounts and making payments, and overseeing
the program in general.
Law
Enforcement-Actual operation of the program
is handled by the local law enforcement
agencies involved. A separate telephone
line is placed within the department and
a Crime Stoppers coordinator is appointed.
Callers do not give their names, but receive
code numbers- which assure anonymity-
to be used in all subsequent transactions.
The
caller is asked to contact Crime Stoppers
again within a give period of time. Meanwhile,
the information is referred to the appropriate
investigative personnel. If the information
leads to arrest and indictment of a serious
crime offender, the caller is eligible
for a reward, and arrangements are made
for payment. It is not uncommon for a
caller to refuse the reward.
Media-Publicity
is crucial to the success of Crime Stoppers.
In order to maintain a high profile within
the community, a specific unsolved case
is selected as "Crime of the week".
Newspapers and radio stations are furnished
with a detailed synopsis of the case,
and the television stations air a reenactment
of the crime. Instructions for calling
Crime Stoppers, information concerning
the reward, and the telephone number are
included by all the media. The anonymity
of the caller is always stressed.
Information
Contact Crime Stoppers (712) 262-6655
or e-mail cops@smunet.net
Daaron Hansen Spencer Police Department
The
Spencer Police Department continuously
strives to protect and serve the community
through a variety of ways that include
enforcement, education, prevention, and
cooperation. We are an organization dedicated
to customer service and the ethical treatment
of all persons.
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Police
Officers are required by state law to have
at least 36 hours of training in 3 years
in order to maintain their state certification.
The Spencer Police Department has undertaken
this responsibility by using a combination
of "in-service" training and outside
training. In order to limit costs, and to
provide more agency specific training, Spencer
Police Department has sent officers to instructor
certification schools. These certified instructors
then provide proper training to our officers.
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Iowa
minimum standards for peace officers will
be require, pursuant to Code
of Iowa and Iowa
Administrative Code. Iowa Law Enforcement
Academy minimum physical fitness performance
requirements will also be required.
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| Test |
20-29
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30-39
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40-49 |
50-59 |
60+
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Sit
& Reach
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16.5
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15.5 |
14.3 |
13.3 |
12.5 |
1
Minute Sit-up
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38 |
35 |
29 |
24 |
19 |
1
Minute Push-up
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29 |
24 |
18 |
13 |
10 |
1.5
Mile Run
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12:51
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13:36 |
14:29
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15:26 |
16:43
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| Test |
20-29
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30-39
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40-49 |
50-59 |
60+ |
Sit
& Reach
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19.3 |
18.3 |
17.3 |
16.8 |
15.5 |
1
Minute Sit-up
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32 |
25 |
20 |
14 |
6 |
1
Minute Push-up
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15 |
11 |
9 |
12* |
5* |
1.5
Mile Run
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15:26
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15:57 |
16:58
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17:54 |
18:44 |
*Females
over age 49 may do push-ups on their
knees.
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| All
non-certified applicants must satisfactorily
complete the physical agility and P.O.S.T.
tests. Transferring of scores will not be
allowed.
Applicants who are certified
and have not had an employment break of
more than 180 days at the time of the
test will be placed on the eligibility
list and subject to only additional requirements
by the agencies.
Applicants who are certified
but have more than a 180-day break in
employment will be required to conduct
the physical agility test only.
All
agencies reserve the right to require
additional testing and/or information
for the applicants who show interest in
that agency, and those additional requirements
will be conducted by that agency.
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The Lakes Area Law Enforcement Employment
Co-op is a group of 11 law enforcement
agencies in a four county area of northwest
Iowa. These agencies (listed below) have
grouped together to share the financial
costs of eligibility tests and to make
the application system more efficient
for both the agencies and the applicants
themselves. Applicants who participate
in this testing procedure will be eligible
for any and all of the agencies within
this cooperative that they choose. All
law enforcement positions in these agencies
will be filled from the list established
by this testing procedure.
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Armstrong
Police Department
Arnolds Park Police Department
Clay County Sheriff's Office
Dickinson County Sheriff's Office
Emmetsburg Police Department
Estherville Police Department
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Lake
Park Police Department
Milford Police Department
Okoboji Police Department
Spencer Police Department
Spirit Lake Police Department |
| Testing
is done annually. Please check under Job
Opportunities. |
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The
City of Spencer continues to be one of
the safest communities to live in the
State of Iowa. Recent crime statistics
show Spencer has one of the lower crime
rates in the state in relation to cities
of comparable size. This can be attributed
to many factors but one of the most prevalent
and important is the relationship between
the citizens and the department. Continued
efforts in building partnerships and the
sense of share responsibility to the quality
of life will continue to be one of our
main goals in order to provide the best
in services and protection.
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