Roll Call, a CHPD Podcast
Launched in March 2021, Roll Call is an award-winning bi-monthly Columbia Heights Police Department podcast featuring CHPD officers and other City employees as they discuss law enforcement, community policing, and public safety topics with special guests. The show is co-hosted by Officers Mohammed Farah, Tabitha Wood (starting with episode five), and Darry Jones (first four episodes), with Columbia Heights Communications Coordinator Ben Sandell (episodes 1-14). Chief Lenny Austin and Cpt. Matt Markham also regularly joins the co-hosting team.
Roll Call won the top honor in the category of Community Engagement from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators 2022 Northern Lights Awards!
Episode 17
Columbia Heights Boys Basketball Head Coach Willie Braziel joins this episode of Roll Call to discuss basketball, growing up in North Minneapolis, the importance of being a mentor and partnering with the Columbia Heights Police Department.
Episode 16
Pat Sukhum, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities, joins the Roll Call podcast team to chat about the success of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Columbia Heights and how people can get involved with the program.
EPISODE 15
Will Rottler takes over as co-host for Roll Call and is joined by a new member of the Columbia Heights Police Department, Joe Poublanc, who will be entering the Pathways to Policing program. Along with Will and Joe, Captain Matt Markham, Investigator Tabitha Wood, and Officer Shelby Tombers talk about being authorized for 30 officers, working in Columbia Heights, and being part of the community.
Episode 14
In his last episode as co-host, Communications Coordinator Ben Sandell speaks with Police Chief Lenny Austin on community policing, training and recruitment, and the past and future of Roll Call.
Episode 13
The Roll Call team talks with Chief Public Defender for the Minnesota Tenth Judicial District Virginia Murphrey. Virginia offers her insights on the right to a speedy trial, biases in the courtroom, and the best ways to reform the legal system.
Episode 12: Part 3
In Part 3 of our series on human trafficking, we speak with Anoka County detectives Matt Aker and Mike Schantzen who both have extensive backgrounds working in human trafficking cases. We talk about a few recent cases of human trafficking in Columbia Heights and Fridley and discuss the signs and psychology of human trafficking. This is the third and final episode of Roll Call devoted to this topic. Content warning: Some details in this podcast are disturbing, but we hope it brings more understanding and awareness to this very real issue. Thank you for listening.
Episode 12: Part 2
Picking up where the last episode ended, this episode features a follow-up conversation with Monte Fronk about the story he shared. We also get into more detail about issues relating to sex trafficking and how to recognize the warning signs. Monte has traveled around Minnesota and other parts of the country to share his presentation, “Honoring Nada Fronk: A Native Father’s Experience With His Missing and Murdered Indigenous Daughter.” He oversees emergency management with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribal Police Department and was kind enough to visit Columbia Heights City Hall for this recording. This is the second of three episodes devoted to the topic of human trafficking. Content warning: Some details in this podcast are disturbing, but we hope it brings more understanding and awareness to this very real issue. Thank you for listening.
Our guest this episode has traveled around Minnesota and other parts of the country to share his presentation, “Honoring Nada Fronk: A Native Father’s Experience With His Missing and Murdered Indigenous Daughter.” Monte Fronk oversees emergency management with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribal Police Department and was kind enough to visit Columbia Heights City Hall for this recording, which will be split into two episodes. This episode features Monte’s story in full, and the next will feature our follow-up conversation with him. January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. This will be the first of three episodes devoted to the topic of human trafficking. Content warning: Some parts of this story are disturbing, but we hope it brings more understanding and awareness to this very real issue. Thank you for listening.
Episode 10
Anoka County Senior Attorney Paul Young lends his expertise on the topics of body cameras, the necessity of plea deals, and Law & Order: CSI.
Episode 9
Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik joins the Roll Call crew to discuss the schools' partnerships with the Columbia Heights Police Department, the challenges of becoming superintendent during a pandemic, the debate surrounding School Resource Officers, and more. Zena and ISD 13 staff were awarded the 2021 recipients of the CHPD's T. Nightingale Community Service Award, named after retired Police Officer Terry Nightingale, who demonstrated the gold standard in service to the community throughout his career. For decades, the Columbia Heights Police Department and ISD 13 have worked together with the common goal of supporting the community’s youth and building partnerships.
Episode 8 Part 2
Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering, currently the only female police chief in Hennepin County, stopped by during Women's History Month to swap stories with Columbia Heights Investigator Tabitha Wood and Officer Shelby Tombers about women leadership in policing and the advantages and challenges of being a woman in law enforcement. This is part 1 of their conversation. Check back soon for part 2.
Episode 8 Part 1
Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering, currently the only female police chief in Hennepin County, stopped by during Women's History Month to swap stories with Columbia Heights Investigator Tabitha Wood and Officer Shelby Tombers about women leadership in policing and the advantages and challenges of being a woman in law enforcement. This is part 1 of their conversation. Check back soon for part 2.
Episode 7
In episode 7 we talk with Eileen Sowry, LICSW, the CHPD's new embedded social worker. In this role, Sowry is a part of a co-responding program with the City's officers where she responds in real-time to 911 crisis calls. Last October, the US Department of Justice awarded the CHPD with an incredibly rare grant to fund a full-time social worker stationed at the police department for the next two years. Eileen joins Cpt. Matt Markham, Officer Mo Farah, and Communications Coordinator Ben Sandell in this final episode of our first year to discuss her experience so far in Columbia Heights. Sowry is detailed from the Canvas Health’s Anoka County Mobile Response Team, which provides crisis response to Anoka County residents when residents call (763) 755-3801.
EPISODE 6
We discuss the City's winter parking rules. We asked residents on our website and social media pages to send in their questions about the parking rules for Chief Lenny Austin and Public Works Director Kevin Hansen to answer.
EPISODE 5
The CHPD Roll Call team talks with Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo and Anoka County Victim/Witness Services Unit Manager Emily Douglas about the responsibilities of the Anoka County Attorney's Office, particularly how it handles domestic violence cases and how people can seek help in such cases. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is in need of help, find useful resources here. Or call the Alexandra House 24-hour helpline at 763-708-2330. If you're in immediate danger, or see someone who is, call 911.
EPISODE 4
Join us as we discuss an exciting partnership between the CHPD and the Adult Basic Education Center. Guests Cpt. Matt Markham and Metro North ABE Program Supervisor Kathleen Moriarty discuss their organizations' work with the National Constitution Center to better educate officers and ABE teachers on a range of historical, legal, and enrichment topics about the United States Constitution and the "Rights and Responsibilities of Community and Police" with the goal to improve civic dialogue and build an ABE curriculum that will be offered to ABE students by December. Officers Mohammed Farah and Darry Jones (on his last day with CHPD) co-host with Columbia Heights Communications Coordinator Ben Sandell. Life Newspaper's Paige Kieffer sat in on this one and threw out a few questions of her own.
EPISODE 3
This episode's guests, now retired Sgt. Ted Fischer and new Officer Tony Miller, discuss the process of becoming a police officer now compared to 30 years ago and the differences in technology and training, and share stories about their early experiences. Officers Mohammed Farah and Darry Jones, and Communications Coordinator Ben Sandell, co-host.
EPISODE 2
This episode's guest, Officer Tabitha Wood, discusses her experiences as a woman on the police force, and officers Darry Jones, Mohammed Farah, and Wood share their thoughts on work-life balance.
Episode 1
Join CHPD Officers Mohammed Farah and Darry Jones, with Columbia Heights Communications Coordinator Ben Sandell, as they discuss public safety in light of the Derek Chauvin trial, community policing, and CodeRED with special guest Police Chief Lenny Austin in this CHPD podcast pilot episode.