AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS - Brian Podany, Safety Services Manager/Chief of Police
Title
POLICE OFFICER AWARD RECOGNITIONS
Background
Police Officer Mark Allen and his K9 Remy are one of our extremely talented K9 teams here at the City of Blaine Police Department. In July of 2018, Officer Allen was on vacation and Remy was boarded at a local kennel. Officer Allen received a phone call that Remy was extremely sick and needed to go to the Emergency Vet. An examination showed that Remy was experiencing a condition called Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV), also known as stomach flip, which is often fatal. Officer Allen quickly returned from his vacation to be with his partner. He found that when he would leave Remy, Remy would become anxious and they were worried this would delay his recovery, or worse, be fatal. For the next five days Officer Allen slept in the kennel with Remy and only took short breaks while his wife would take his place. After several surgeries and a long recovery period, Remy made a full recovery and was able to return to full duty.
This year, Officer Allen was awarded the 2020 USPCA (United States Police Canine Association), Region 12 Spirit Award. The award reads, "This honors an individual who deserves special recognition for promoting the values of Region 12 and the USPCA, while displaying strong moral character and true sportsmanship toward the betterment of our police service dogs."
Police Officer Dan Stefczak was selected to the 2019 DWI All-Star Team by the Office of Traffic Safety. The DWI All-Star Team is made up of 26 officers and deputies from around the Twin Cities area. Officer Stefczak was assigned to the DWI Grant Officer position for the City of Blaine from October 2018 to September 2019. In that period he conducted 1,068 traffic stops and made 131 arrests of which 98 of those arrests were impaired drivers. These 98 impaired drivers removed from the streets in the City of Blaine significantly improved the safety of everyone.
Officer Stefczak also earned the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), DUI Top Enforcer Silver pin. This pin is awarded to law enforcement officers who make 50-99 DUI arrests during the year.