Most small towns have a number of elderly people as residents and according to Heimkes most elderly people are creatures of habit. If there is something out of the ordinary going on at such a residence, he believes it warrants someone making a call to the Sheriff’s department.

But how does the program work? First the city is divided into sections, and each section has a designated block captain. This individual has to go through a thorough background check. The cost for this check is $15, as the check is done by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Not every block needs a block captain.

What is the duty of the block captain? It is his responsibility to find out as much as possible about the residents in his section. With this information, he can then make a good decision if there is any unusual or suspicious activity going on at the residence. Basically it’s getting to know people within a certain area.

The block captain or anyone call 911 if there is anything unusual going on, and are encouraged to do so. Many times it’s the call that seems insignificant that can bring some part of the puzzle together for the law enforcement officers.

Once the city has decided to go with the program, it is suggested they bring together individuals who will be interested in being block captains. At this point Heimkes meets with them to discuss responsibilities and how to go about getting the community involved. He suggested that they attempt to corporate the young people, such as the 4-H club and the Boy Scouts.

Once up and running the city then post signs at the four entrances to the city, so those who enter the city know that someone is on the outlook for something suspicious or unusual. The program has been working well for the communities that have been involved in it, Heimkes said.

Council members felt they would like to take this to the next step and would be talking to individuals who would be willing to become block captains. At that point they would be asking Heimkes to facilitate the program.

He also touched lightly on another program called Operation I.D. Here a person is issued a national number which is engraved on possessions. If these items are stolen, they can be traced back to the original owner, and by doing so, law enforcement often are able to trace it to the person who stole the items, so an arrest can be made.

Nathan Brecht reported on the radio situation which is mandated for 2012. He said Sheriff Tom Larson is hoping to get all agencies in the county, Police, fire department and ENS to work together in obtaining a block grant to purchase these radios. Currently mobile radios range from $2,200 to $3,500 each and for small departments, these costs are difficult to meet. A portable radio ranges from $1,400 to $2,500.

Brecht said only a small percentage of radios in use by these agencies can be updated to go with the new frequency in 2012, so it makes it imperative they work together now to get the grant dollars for the equipment.

He also wanted to know how the city wanted him to handle the parked cars during a snow emergency. He told the council if they got the license number, date and time of the violation and bring that information to the city clerk’s office, he would then be able to give the responsible individual a citation. He felt rather than mail the citation he would rather deliver it in person.

There was also some discussion regarding spraying of city lots next summer for weeds. It was felt the spraying would need to be done, but did have some concern regarding mowing of lots and  indicated the individual should wait until he has received a letter of authorization from the city council before doing the work.