Annual Report

2016

In partnership with the community; policing

with honor, integrity and compassion.
 Introduction

2016 was a year of transition for the Mason Police Department. Six new Offic-
ers joined the department in 2016, bringing with them a wide range of
knowledge and experience.

Near the end of the year, Police Chief Ron Ferrell announced his resignation to
pursue another position with the City of Mason. Chief Ferrells nearly twenty
year tenure with the police department saw many changes and improvements
for the organization; the creation and expansion of the K-9 program gave us
the ability to provide more services to the community. The addition of a traffic
unit, complete with motorcycle units, allowed us to expand our efforts to insure
the streets and roadways of Mason are safe. Chief Ferrell made many addi-
tional contributions to the organization. His service and commitment to the Ma-
son Police Department and the City of Mason have been invaluable and we
wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor.

The Mason Police Department looks forward to continuing to provide excellent

service to the citizens of Mason in 2017. Although policing continues to pre-
sent unique challenges across our Country, we take pride in keeping the City of
Mason a safe and enjoyable place to live.

Ron Ferrell
Chief of Police
19972016
 New Personnel
2016 Brought Six New Officers to the Department

Caleb Conn
Caleb Conn is from Fayette County, Ohio where he grew
up on the family farm. Calebs law enforcement career
began at the Fayette County Sheriffs Department where
he worked for 4 1/2 years before coming to Mason in
February. In his free time Caleb enjoys training his dog,
Ben, and attending Columbus Crew soccer games. He hopes to one day attend
a Tottenham Hotspur soccer game in England.
Scott Lyons

Scott is a 2007 graduate of Kings High School.

After high school Scott worked at Lowes Home Im-

provement for 4 years where he was a department man-
ager. He was accepted into the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy in the
spring of 2012 and graduated in August of 2012. After graduation from the OSP
Academy he was assigned to the Hamilton, Ohio Post. During his time with
OSP he was a Field Training Officer, became a Drug Recognition Expert, and
was voted as Post Trooper of the Year in 2014. Scott began his career with Ma-
son in September.

Scott and his wife, Alexandra, live in Butler County with their three children, and
two dogs.

Kyle Dwelly
Kyle Dwelly is from Fayetteville, Ohio. Kyle began his ca-
reer with Mason in February after serving four years in
the Air Force. Kyle has been married to his wife Allison
for 5 1/2 years.
 Robert Matthew (Matt) Spitz

Matt is from Xenia, Ohio. He graduated in 2004 from

Xenia High School where he was a multi-sport athlete.
He attended Capital University, where he played foot-
ball, and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts de-
gree. Matt graduated from the Greene County Criminal Justice Training Acad-
emy in June 2016 and successfully earned his Ohio Peace Officer Certifica-
tion September 2016.

Matt and his wife, Kara, have three children. In his spare time he enjoys stay-
ing active and family time at the lake.

Teresa Gadrow
Teresa Gadrow was born in Elyria, Ohio but moved
to Cincinnati in 1983 and graduated from Purcell
Marian High School and the College of Mount St.
Joseph. She followed in the footsteps of her grand-
father by pursuing of dream of a career in law en-
forcement. Before coming to Mason in May she worked at Xavier University
and the University of Cincinnati. Teresa and her husband have been married
for seven years. In her spare time she likes to read and do paper crafting.

Charles Bower

Charles is from Williamsport, Ohio in Pickaway Coun-

ty. He graduated from Westfall High School in 2006.
He attended Wittenberg University and then Youngs-
town State University where he played baseball for
one year and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelors Degree in General Studies
focusing on Criminal Justice Sociology.
 Det. Sean McCormick 2016 Officer of the Year
The annual Police Awards Banquet was held on May 26, 2016. Det. Sean
McCormick was nominated by his peers and recognized as Officer of the Year.

Police Memorial

American Legion
Post 194 Past Com-
mander John Looker
was guest speaker
at the Annual Police
Memorial
 Police Appreciation Day

On August 14, 2016 Mason City Council wanted to

show their appreciation for all law enforcement offic-
ers in Warren County. Officers and their families
were invited to the Mason Community Center to use
the facility and a grill out with city council members
manning the grills. Snoopy stopped by to entertain
the kids a posed for a picture with Officer Michael
Sechrist (left) and Sgt. John Cullen (right).

Longtime Employees Honored

On May 26, 2016 the City of Mason honored employees with 20 or more
years of service with a lunch. Of the 22 employees honored, eight were Po-
lice Department employees.

Pattie Connor 38 years

Paul Lindenschmidt 35 years
Paul Martin 33 years
Todd Carter 32 years
Don Cope 31 years
Neil Garland 27 years
Matt Hayes 22 years
John Cullen 22 years
 Community Relations
The City of Mason Police Department participates in a number of community
relations activities throughout the City.

Impaired Driving

School Resource Officer Karli Dyer, D.A.R.E. Officer Nathan Ketterer, and traf-
fic officers Eric Fitzgerald and Andrew Herrlinger conduct a distracted and im-
paired driver presentation to high school students using the S.I.D.N.E.
(Simulated Impaired DriviNg Experience) car and fatal vision goggles. Wear-
ing the goggles simulates impaired status. The students experience first hand
how driving skills are impaired if they are distracted or impaired by drugs or
alcohol.
 Safety Camp

Two one-week sessions of Safety Camp are conducted each summer by the
Police Department, Fire Department and Parks & Recreation. Safety Camp
has been a popular program for the youth in our community for over 20 years.
Camp participants learn a variety of safety tips from staff and guest instruc-
tors. Topics include bicycle safety, home safety, school bus safety, water safe-
ty and animal safety.
 Citizens Police Academy

Session XIX of the Citizens Police Academy was held in the Fall. Academy
participants receive a close-up view of police work. Classes included demon-
strations from the Warren County Tactical Response Unit and Mason Police
K-9. Participants had the opportunity to play the role of a police officer and
make traffic stops, search buildings, and collect evidence.
 Preschool Visit
Officer Nick Fantini visited Magical Moments
Preschool and spoke to the students about
safety topics. The highlight of his visit was the
police cruiser.

Police Department Tour

On October 21, 2016, Sgt. John Cullen gave a tour of the police department
and a presentation about frauds and scams to the Institute for Learning in Re-
tirement at Miami University. Officer Bishop and Major assisted with the tour
and gave a presentation on police K-9s.
The Institute promotes opportunities for individ-
uals 50 and older to enrich their lives as they
explore areas within science, the arts, society,
technology, literature, languages, business,
economics, and other subjects of interest. In
addition, opportunities are presented to be-
come acquainted with community needs and to
link individual talents and interests to those

Neighborhood Patrol
Officer Kyle Dwelly is pictured with this aspiring police of-
ficer. The photo was sent along with a thank you note
from the parents. I didn't catch the officer's name that
drove around the Crooked Tree neighborhood, but he
made Elijah's Halloween by stopping and talking with a
fellow "officer". Elijah won't forget sitting in the Police car
on Halloween. Thanks for sending the officers out to-
night.
 K-9 BANSHEE
City of Mason welcomed a new Police K-9 in 2016. Banshee is a 2 year old sa-
ble German Shepherd. He and Officer Michael Sechrist have been on patrol as
a team since November 2016 when they completed training and certification.
Banshee was born and raised in Germany, where he was originally named Tim-
ber. His name was changed when purchased by the City of Mason. The money
for Banshee was generously provided by Kings Island Theme Park. Banshee is
trained and certified in explosives detection and patrol. Banshee can recognize
the odor of 14 different explosives. Banshees patrol duties include human
tracking, area search, article/evidence search, building search, criminal appre-
hension, and handler protection. He is a very social partner and loves to inter-
act with the children in his community. Banshee is a favorite at community
events because of his gentle, loving nature. He is a very high drive and ener-
getic dog. He enjoys all aspects of his job but is happiest when he is tracking
people. Banshee received his certification from The State of Ohio, and he will
re-certify every year. Banshee will work until he is around 10 years old, at which
time he will retire and live with Officer Sechrist.
 In Memoriam

K-9 Zicco
2002 - 2016

Zicco joined the Mason Police Department in January of 2004 and was an im-
portant and valued member of the department. Zicco and his handler, Sgt.
Matt Hayes worked together for almost eight years. Zicco retired in August
2012 at the age of 10.
During Ziccos career he and Sgt. Hayes tracked missing persons, and crimi-
nal suspects, searched buildings, sniffed out drugs and performed countless
demonstrations around the community. At the time of Ziccos retirement he
was responsible for the largest seizure of cocaine in Warren County. After a
long and successful career Zico retired and lived with Sgt. Hayes and his fam-
ily.
Zicco lived out his retirement years with Sgt. Hayes and his family. He passed
away in June.
 Firearms Training
Each year City of Mason Police Officers undergo intensive firearms training.
Officers spend time at the range re-qualifying with all weapons they carry to
demonstrate proficiency and sound decision making. In addition to range time
they also train on F.A.T.S., Firearms Training System. F.A.T.S. is a virtual reality
system that displays various scenarios for officers to demonstrate decision-
making skills and firearms proficiency..
 Investigation Highlights

Mason Detectives investigated a suspect who was involved in a nation-

wide theft ring. The suspect was responsible for stealing approximately $3
million in over the counter medications from various Walgreens and CVS
Pharmacies in Mason and other locations over a three year period. The
products were shipped to a criminal organization in New Jersey where
they were sold on e-Bay. The suspect confessed and was convicted of or-
ganized retail crimes.
During the investigation of a heroin overdose death a surviving witness
was able to identify the drug dealers. The dealers were interviewed and
confessed to involvement in dealing Fentanyl and Carfentanyl. The sus-
pect was indicted by the Warren County Grand Jury.
Interviews were conducted with family members and the suspect of a
rape and other sex offenses that occurred 10 years ago. During the inves-
tigation the originating victim was bribed by a family member not to testify.
Both the rape suspect and the bribery suspect were convicted of their of-
fenses.
An undercover investigation involving alleged prostitution activities result-
ed in shutting down an illegal massage parlor, the forfeiture of nearly
$30,000 in cash, and several prostitution charges.
During the investigation of a heroin overdose death, the suspected drug
dealer was identified. The dealer was interviewed and a case was devel-
oped that resulted in federal involuntary manslaughter charges in con-
junction with the Heroin Task Force in Hamilton County.
 Criminal Enforcement Activity
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Arrests Charges
2014 908 1075
2015 961 1246
2016 995 1343

Misdemeanor/Felony Comparison
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Felony Charges Misdemeanor Charges
2014 121 1002
2015 150 1096
2016 134 1209
Statistics
 Offense Statistics
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Drug Domestic
Theft Burglary Rape Assault
Violations Violence
2014 409 34 7 74 71 42
2015 379 33 9 56 121 50
2016 316 15 3 24 135 50

Incidents by District

50,000
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Totals
2014 15,136 9,319 10,663 6,075 41,193
2015 16,626 8,570 10,201 5,870 41,267
2016 18,406 8,813 11,324 7,427 45,970
 Traffic Enforcement Activity
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Traffic Written
OVI (DUI)
Citations Warnings
2014 2226 2918 59
2015 2579 2998 68
2016 2978 3423 81

Traffic Crashes

700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Crash without Injuries Crash with Injuries
2014 447 151
2015 544 144
2016 573 154
 2016 K-9 Usage
3% 2%
Building Search
8% Evidence Location
11%
4% Mutual Aid
26%
Narcotic Detection
27% Track

12% 7% Demonstration
Area Search