10 October 2009 Gem Lake News - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 5 of 6 Sergeant Eric Bradt is a 14 year veteran of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department, now assigned to supervise the sub-station in Gem Lake. Eric says he loves Gem Lake, due to its similarity with Grant, where he currently lives. “Both environments have a small town feel, the residents know each other and the area is still fairly rural.” His journey towards the assignment in our community began in 1996, when Eric joined the Sheriff’s Department. As with all recruits at the time, he spent several years as an officer guarding prisoners at the county jail. He then moved into court security, apprehension services and other duties within the department. He was promoted from Sheriff’s Deputy to Sergeant several years ago. In addition to supervising officers at the sub-station in Gem Lake, Eric serves as an officer for the Ramsey County Water Patrol, which has jurisdiction over lakes and rivers in Ramsey County. This includes an approximately 13 mile stretch of the Mississippi River. His duties in this capacity involve keeping lakes and trails safe; enforcing laws related to things such as ‘driving under the influence’ and life jacket usage; and even occasional water rescue. The concept of starting a Sheriff’s sub-station in another part of the county has proven to be a great idea for everyone involved. “It has allowed Sergeant Bradt Feels Right at Home in Gem Lake us to spread officers around and increase law enforcement visibility here in this part of the county,” says Eric. “It’s nice to have more coverage here.” Eric feels he has gotten to know the community pretty well and understands what residents feel is important. “I know that traffic enforcement is high on the list for people who live here. There are definitely some streets that see their share of speeding drivers. We are trying to work on that, as well as traffic safety in general.” (Eric’s three tips on that subject: slow down, buckle up and turn your headlights on.) In terms of local trends in criminal activity and law enforcement needs, Eric feels tough economic times may be playing a role. “We are seeing some slight increases in “theft from auto” crimes, which can lead to identity theft. Also property crimes, such as burglary may be up slightly, as well as people in distress, perhaps due to financial trouble. “For instance, a county library under construction saw two incidents last week of the theft of power tools.” Eric’s own personal pet peeve is the crowd of “so called” door-to-door sales people, who are usually up to no good. “They may supposedly be selling some legitimate product, but in actuality they are often out to steal from you. Usually these folks are from out of town and troll from community to community looking for easy pickings.” Eric’s advice is “don’t open the door to strangers, don’t buy into the sales pitch, and feel free to call 911 if someone is on your doorstep and making you feel uncomfortable or alarmed.” Another subject that is also on the Sheriff’s Department radar is planning for the H1N1 Flu epidemic. “We have done important contingency planning so we will be ready to deliver law enforcement services despite any temporary staff shortages. There are a lot of kids out sick right now, but the public should rest assured that we are ready no matter what.” Eric adds that illnesses are tracked daily and there is no reason for alarm. Eric has two daughters, ages 7 and 9. His wife works as a training and development manager for Boston Scientific. In his spare time, Eric likes to work out at the local gym and enjoys regular evenings out with his wife.