By Jeremiah Roush

I just want to give a staff shout out to Officer T. Hanson (MCF-FRB) for always trying to go above and beyond while doing security rounds in the foodservice building helping turn machines on and helping run cleaning cycles on machines when no Incarcerated individuals or staff are using the kitchen.

Thank you.

By Captain Nate Bartz

Lt. Fessenden is promoted as a WOOC to one of Rush City's 3rd Watch Commander positions. Cami has been with the Department since 2005 and has served in several roles Educational, Administrative and Security. Cami also has experience with CIT and CNT. Congratulations!

L to R: Captain Rasmussen, Lieutenant Fessenden, Captain Bartz

By Rachel L. Miller

Several of the statewide EBP trainers, from several different agencies and EBP disciplines, joined the MACCAC Agent Conference on February 15-16th. These go-getters attended training, presented training, and helped with conference planning. Some of them are pictured here, enjoying the evening of hospitality and posing for our first ever, “EBP Trainers in the Wild" photo.

L to R: Matt Seeger-Ramsey; Deric Jackson-Scott; Chris Schweich-Ramsey; Aaron Osborne-Rice; Kari Berg-D&O; Mary Evers-Anoka; Carter Diers-DOC; Rachel L. Miller-DOC; Jeffrey Landgraff-Anoka; Sue Weyer-Anoka; Brian Hibbs-Washington; Christel Roelofs-Kandiyohi; Darnell Brethorst-Wright; David Fink-Washington

By Tina M. Payton

OPH hosted their annual Joe Parise Bowling Tournament on Feb 23, 2024 at Stillwater Bowl. We had an amazing turn out with a total of 14 teams of 60+ bowlers from OPH, STW and Central Office. This has surpassed any other year since we had our first annual event back in 2016.

The honorary first bowl came from Sgt. Amy Winkel who retired at OPH recently and served four years in the Air Force. Back on the leaderboard is Team Unbowlievables: Todd Anderson, Dan Minke, Max Kuhn, Don Thibodeau, Derek Schultz. Congrats on your great game!! Grand prize was $150 and they were gracious enough to donate it back into the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon here at OPH.

High score winners came from Bridget Hopkins and Max Kuhn (family and friends of OPH staff). Low score winners came from Amy Winkel (Retired Sgt.) and Jose Mendez (Minncor). Great job on being gracious and humble winners!

Thank you for the veterans that came, we appreciate your service. For all those that participated and stopped by to show their support. Thank you to the BTYR OPH committee for setting up this event: TDS Tina Payton, Capt. Bronson Austreng, Physical Plant Brent Sharon, and CM Dani Kimmes.

OPH Parise Honor Guard DOC Veterans

Winning Team The Unbowlievables

By Jack Schilling

Shout out to Sgt. Jared Ethen for his leadership in living unit E and his continued guidance of new staff on living unit policies and procedures.

Ethen is one of the most patient Sergeants with new staff as well as with those incarcerated in the unit as they adjust to prison life. He also continuously checks in on his staff throughout his shift and inspires as well as motivates with his positive attitude.

By Greg Huska, Inspector General

This well-earned recognition is for Senior Facility Inspector Justin Roberts who recently completed a WOOC assignment as the Director of the Inspection & Enforcement (I&E) unit.

In addition to daily duties overseeing inspections and special incidents for DOC-licensed facilities, Justin worked with the I&E team to refine processes, onboard new staff, and answer external data requests. Justin proactively engaged with Legal on several projects, collaborated with the IG on several strategic priorities, and met with external stakeholders to address emerging matters and concerns.

Justin, thank you for a job well done, and for continuing to represent the I&E Unit, the Office of Inspector General, and the DOC with the highest degree of professionalism.

Click here to learn more about Inspection & Enforcement's role.

By Master Instructor Jason Koski

I'd like to give a Shout Out to Jay Olson, facility TDS personnel, and scheduling Lieutenants for their hard work with making the CT/SD Instructor Basic course successful.

Jay is always the point person for these events and much of the logistics and coordination fall solely on his able shoulders, often without an appreciation for all of the cogs that need to fall into place to make it happen.

Important cogs in that wheel are facility TDS staff that coordinate on a local level all of the moving pieces to enable staff to attend this nine day event. Scheduling Lieutenants are also invaluable to ensure the facilities are able to run safely and securely while the students are learning their instructing skills and knowledge.

Facilities receive Instructors that are able to then teach three curriculums when it is complete, but there are a lot of moving parts in-between that need to move smoothly to enable the success of this event.

Thank you to everyone behind the scenes to make this happen. You are truly appreciated from an end user!

By Jay Olson

Twenty-One Correctional Officers completed the 72-hour Control Tactics/Self-Defense Instructor - Basic Course that was conducted at Central Office during the weeks of February 05 and February 12.

Our training program is uniquely designed specific to the needs of the DOC. It combines Controlled F.O.R.C.E., S.P.E.A.R., and other defensive techniques. Students also received instruction on department policy, instructor duties, coaching methodologies, servant leadership, and training safety. In addition, the Office of Professional Accountability presented on the use of force investigative process.

Graduates include: Shawn Booker (RC), Brandon Eslinger (ML), Jessica Fedje (OPH), Adam Figi (RW), Mario Gutierrez (SHK), Ryan Gustafson (ML), Nicole Hensley (LL), Selina Houska (SHK), Sam Iten (SCL), Alexander Jones (RC), Brenden Johnson (Togo), William Johnston (ML), Nicole Kesgard (LL), Nicholas Koehnen (OPH), Bryan Lent (STW), Dakota Parades (LL), Donovan Power (ML), Noah Selb (LL), Matthew Steinberg (SCL), Matthew Vogtlin (WR), and Jerrad Zimmel (LL).

Instructor cadre: Master Instructors Dominic Casalenda (STW), Heather Hansen (Togo), Jason Koski (ML), Anthony Perry (SCL), Kyle Prall (RW), and Lead Instructor John Ricci (RW).

By Amanda Tuthill

A small group of case managers at MCF-Faribault recently had the opportunity to attend a Mental Health First Aid Training, instructed by MCF-Faribault's behavioral health CPT's Katelyn Hurias and Rylie Scheff.

Both Katelyn and Rylie provided a spectacular training – providing us with the essential skills to assist someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. They kept a very sensitive topic light and engaging, yet acknowledged the significance of aligning this training with our line of work, for both the individuals we serve and those we serve alongside. I appreciated the softness in their approach and continual check-ins with our group.

For anyone who has the opportunity I highly recommend this training. Great job Katelyn and Rylie!

By Cassandra Warner

Sergeant Thielbar went above and beyond training the MCF-St. Cloud overnight nursing staff. He also made sure that they felt comfortable on the shift and showed them the 1st watch staff. He also took them on tours throughout the prison and was very approachable. The 1st watch staff was welcoming and appreciative of the new overnight nursing staff.