RFPD transitions to system with five sergeants

• RFPD Sergeants

River Falls patrol officers Matt Kennett and Denton Anderson have been promoted to sergeant as of Jan. 1. Kennett, 28, grew up in Illinois in the St. Louis area. He and his wife, Emily, live in the town of Richmond, and have a two-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter. Anderson, 33, is a 1998 Hudson High School graduate. He and his wife, Muffi, have three sons, the oldest a five-year-old kindergartner at Greenwood Elementary School. Phil Pfuehler photo

Talk about it

The new year will bring another change to the management grid of the River Falls Police Department.

With the December retirement of Sgt. Janis Bock, the RFPD will add two sergeants to the supervisory ranks, plus hire and train a new patrol officer over the next three months.

The net effect: RFPD will still have 22 sworn officers, including Chief Roger Leque and five sergeants: Jon Aubart, Mike Reardon, Jeff Sather and, promoted patrol officers Matt Kennett and Denton Anderson.

While Bock’s retirement set off the chain of events, Leque said the idea of going from four to five sergeants came earlier.

Until 2009, RFPD had a chief, captain and four sergeants. When Capt. John Stapleton retired, the captain’s supervisory duties were divvied up between the chief and the four sergeants.

Leque said it was gradually felt that the added administrative duties took away valuable time that could be better used patrolling the streets of River Falls.

“So this move is based on our experiences of the last few years,” Leque said. “It makes us more efficient, more versatile and gives us more hands-on abilities.”

In November the City Council approved the 2013 budget that included an extra $7,000 for the move -- one that basically creates an extra sergeant’s position and has one less patrol officer.

RFPD’s budget for the new year is $2,726,378.

Leque said the extra sergeant, while having a set of administrative duties, will work regular day and night shifts, just like patrol officers.

The addition will give the department four sergeants, instead of three, who do patrol. Aubart, the fifth sergeant, heads up investigations and works weekdays at the police station.

For the entire story, please see the Dec. 6 print edition of the River Falls Journal.

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