About Us

March 2008 Success Of The Month

Captain Steve Rogers has served the law enforcement profession for more than twenty-five years. Most of his years in the profession have been spent serving the residents of Miami Township. Captain Rogers rose through the ranks and has served in a variety of positions. Upon being promoted to the rank of Sergeant, he maintained a strong work ethic and established a reputation for being a working Sergeant, staying involved with those he supervised and setting an example for others to follow. Once promoted to Lieutenant, Steve remained very proactive during his first assignment as Road Patrol Commander. He continued to maintain a strong work ethic and established a reputation for fairness and looking out for the best interests of the police department and the citizens it serves. In addition to his normal responsibilities, Steve expressed a genuine concern for the welfare of those he led and it was not at all unusual for him to visit officers or their families who fell ill or became hospitalized. No matter how pressing work concerns became, he always found time to attend services when a colleague or subordinate lost a family member and would offer them comfort and condolences. This never seemed to be an act of duty or responsibility, but rather an act of genuine caring for others. Steve was later assigned to lead the investigations section and remained true to his character setting new standards and seeking to achieve even higher goals. The division was proactive and under his leadership and as a team they investigated a variety of crimes up to and including a murder/suicide. Upon being promoted to the rank of Captain, Steve had come full circle. He was again assigned to lead the agency's Road Patrol function. At a time in his career when others would begin to slow down and prepare for retirement, that kind of approach simply did not fit into his character. He continues to regularly attend roll call briefings to maintain the connection with those on the front lines. He continues to visit sick or injured officers and their families. When given an internal complaint, he never rushes to judgment and focuses on fairness and doing the right thing. As the Patrol Division Commander, Captain Rogers continues to lead by example. He is often heard picking up details for road officers when he hears them getting overwhelmed with calls. He's even been heard doing the mundane tasks such as opening or closing park gates to help his troops and doesn't exhibit any hint of feeling that such tasks are beneath him or his rank. Captain Steve Rogers has established himself as a friend, a co-worker, a supervisor, a mentor and a strong leader and it is for those reasons and more that his peers and subordinates have overwhelmingly supported his award as Miami Township Police Departments Police Service Award, Employee of the Year for 2007. Congratulations Captain Rogers.

On 11/14/07, Officers Jenkins, Brashear and Hirsch were dispatched to Brightwater Circle for a report of a suicidal male. The male had ingested a large quantity of alcohol combined with an unknown number of prescription pills. Upon arrival, Officer Jenkins attempted contact with the male by knocking on the front door. A fellow officer observed the male point a handgun at the door via a window. Officers on scene took cover and concealment positions. Residents in the immediate vicinity were evacuated in the event gunfire erupted. Upon completion of the evacuation, Sergeant Fatute initiated contact via phone attempting to resolve the situation peacefully. Believing the male was in eminent danger of death, Sergeant Fatute initiated non-forcible entry. Sergeant Fatute took point with an AR-15 as Officer Jenkins followed quickly behind with his Taser. Upon entry, Officers observed a large hunting knife lying on the table in close proximity to the suspect. The deliberate entry caught the male off guard and allowed Officer Brashear to move up in an attempt to handcuff the suspect. The male resisted, requiring Officer Jenkins to utilize his Taser. The male was then successfully handcuffed and given medical treatment. The weapons, an air-soft pistol and hunting knife were recovered and seized. The male continued to be uncooperative during transport to Clermont Mercy Hospital for a psychological evaluation. This was an extremely dangerous situation that involved a potentially armed and dangerous suspect. These officers displayed extraordinary acts of heroism in defusing this potentially hostile and volatile situation. The Officers on scene exhibited incredible control utilizing their training and imagination to defuse the situation without loss of life. When the defendant appeared in court for the resisting arrest charge that was filed against him, Judge Brock addressed the defendant and stated that "Officers would have been fully justified in shooting you. You should consider yourself lucky that the Officers didn't." The defendant ultimately pled guilty to the resisting arrest charge and the defendant's family personally thanked the Officers for not using deadly force that evening. Congratulations to these Officers on a job well done.

Several years ago, the Miami Township Police Department began participation in a program in conjunction with Clermont Senior Services, in which Officers visit seniors in the area. The goal of the program was to improve the quality of life of older Miami Township residents through an occasional visit to their residence. Officer Kent Arter has been involved in the program since its inception and several years ago began visiting Ms. Marcella Moellman. Over the course of several years, Officer Arter's relationship with Ms. Moellman progressed from occasional visits while on duty to his family also being involved in off-duty visits. Officer Arter and his family have since become very close with Ms. Moellman. Not only has Officer Arter assisted Ms. Moellman with many day-to-day tasks or just stopped by to say hello and check on her, he and his family continually visit Ms. Moellman at her retirement community and exchange gifts with her at Christmas. Officer Arter is commended for this exceptional service that truly demonstrates community policing.

The Miami Township Police Department is pleased to award civilian volunteer and Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association member Gene Bishop the Civilian Service Award. Gene has been a member of the CPAAA since his graduation from the Miami Township Citizen's Police Academy Session V in 2002. Over the years, Gene has provided many volunteer hours to our department in a number of functions. In 2007, Gene was actively involved in and vital to the success of two programs. Gene donated countless hours assisting several County agencies as the coordinator of the annual DARE golf outing. With Gene's leadership and assistance, the golf outing raised over $12,000.00 in 2007. These funds will be used to support numerous programs for Clermont County children. Gene also provided invaluable service to the Miami Township Police Department with the annual Shop with a Cop event. Gene has worked on this event for several years and his assistance in 2007 to Officer Petrocelli and the department resulted in an extremely successful and rewarding event. Over $7,000.00 was raised in 2007 and this allowed over eighty children to have a wonderful holiday season. Miami Township commends this exceptional service to our agency and the community.

February  2008 Success Of The Month

During the early morning hours of January 22, 2008 Miami Township Police Officers received a report of a residential fire at the Martinelli Residence located at 6211 Cook Road. Sergeant Young, and his night shift squad, arrived on scene at about 4:43 A.M and were met by an active structure fire. The home was involved to the point that flames were visible through the windows and smoke was billowing from the eves of the roof. The first two officers to arrive on the scene, Sergeant Young and Officer Rasfeld, wasted no time in their initial attempts to protect life and property. Officer Rasfeld went to his trunk to retrieve a fire extinguisher as Sergeant Young began searching for a way through the flames to locate any potential victims that may have been inside. As he ran to the back of the residence, and made his search for access, Sergeant Young found that all of the windows and doors were locked and nothing could be seen through the windows due to the thick smoke inside. He kicked his way through the rear door to a laundry area but could only gain a narrow access due to the doorway being obstructed by a washer and dryer. Sergeant Young squeezed his way through the opening and entered the laundry room which had not yet completely filled with smoke. Once inside, Sergeant Young observed another door that led into the main living area of the house. The door was too hot to touch so he breached the door by kicking it open. It would only open about twelve inches as thick smoke, and a rush of hot air, poured into the laundry room from the other side. Sergeant Young had to retreat back outside for fresh air. As he shined his light back toward the door and yelled to anyone who might be inside, he heard a loud explosion and glass breakage. Then he saw a human hand and forearm drop to the floor through the opening behind the inner door. Sergeant Young could see that the victim was badly burned and that the laundry room was now filled with smoke. Visibility was obstructed and it became very difficult to breath. He advised the communication center of his situation and requested immediate assistance. Officers Rasfeld and Murray arrived, and together, the three officers attempted to push the door open and rescue the unconscious victim. All three officers were trying their best to hold their breath and avoid breathing the noxious fumes. At one point Officer Rasfeld could not be seen from the waist up as he was completely engulfed in the black smoke. Each of the officers then took turns alternating into the smoke in an attempt to move the victim and open the door as there was only enough room for one officer to work at a time. All the while they were hearing additional explosions from within. The officers retreated for fresh air and it became apparent to Sergeant Young that they were not making progress. He knew that the situation was deteriorating with each second that passed by. It was at that moment that he decided to force his way through the small opening into the main house so he could move the victim whose position was blocking the doorway. With Officer Rasfeld's assistance, Sergeant Young squeezed through the small opening and into the deadliest and most dangerous part of the scene. Once inside, Sergeant Young, unable to breath, turned his back to the flames, grabbed the 225 pound victim by his belt, picked him up from the floor and pulled him backward away from the doorway. Officer Rasfeld was then able to push the door all the way open and begin pulling the victim through the doorway. Sergeant Young, feeling the burning sensation on his head and believing that his uniform had caught fire, exited the laundry room. Officer Rasfeld continued pulling the victim through the doorway to a point where his upper torso was in the laundry room and somewhat cooler air. At that point fire personnel arrived, took the victim outside to the patio and began treating him for severe burns. The victim was breathing on his own. The actions of Sergeant Young and Officers Rasfeld and Murray prevented the imminent death of Mr. Martinelli that morning. Regrettably, Mr. Martinelli did succumb to his injuries on February 15. These Officers will be honored at the March 18 Trustees meeting.

January 2008 Success Of The Month

During January, Miami Township records clerk Marsha Garner spent her vacation in Haiti aiding her church in the

Marsha Garner

distribution of food, clothing and other gifts through the church sponsored I want to do Something About World Hunger program supported by the organization Kids Against Hunger. The program has several goals; during the trip the volunteers participate in Women's Day where they support Haitian women with fellowship and Bible studies, the volunteers support infant and toddler nutrition with the distribution of food to feed a thousand Haitian children for a year and the group distributes seven to eight hundred pairs of shoes to children. Marsha became involved with this project three years ago and returns each year to accomplish the mission. Marsha states “With all the press about the economy being on the verge of recession, people don't realize how well we have it compared to others in countries such as Haiti which is only a two hour flight from Miami, Florida.” Marsha feels that she gave just a small part in helping others because we are truly blessed in America. Marsha was also excited to see and spend time with her personal sponsored child and his family. Marsha's dedication to others as well as the community where she lives, works and worships make us proud to have her as a member of the Miami Township Police Department.

Officer Rob Hirsch

On January 5, Officer Rob Hirsch checked the registration of a vehicle he was traveling behind on SR 28. Officer Hirsch received a warrant notification that the registered owner of the vehicle was wanted by Tippecanoe County, Indiana. The warrant was for felony child neglect with a request for extradition. Upon confirmation of the warrant, Officer Hirsch observed the male park and enter Kmart. Officer Hirsch requested back up of the store exits while he entered to attempt location of the suspect. The suspect was located hiding in the electronics section. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Clermont County Jail to await extradition to Indiana. Upon speaking with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office, Officer Hirsch was advised the apprehended suspect was on the County's most wanted list. Officer Hirsch is commended for his efforts in the apprehension of a multi-state fugitive.