Pressroom

St. Louis police get $3 million to assist move to new HQ

By Christine Byers
ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH
9/9/2011

ST. LOUIS • Less than one minute after launching the St. Louis Police Foundation's capital campaign to help the department pay for moving into its new headquarters, the nonprofit group's president, Doug Albrecht, ended it Tuesday by handing the chief a check for $3 million.

"He's about the only guy I know that can announce and end a capital campaign in 28 seconds," joked sportscaster Joe Buck, one of the featured speakers at the organization's fifth annual luncheon at America's Center downtown.

$3 Million Donation
Highlights St. Louis Police Foundation’s 5th Annual
Fall Sports Kickoff Luncheon

Foundation provides historic donation to move Department to its new headquarters
Community is asked to contribute to Furnishing Drive

The St. Louis Police Foundation’s annual Fall Sports Kickoff Luncheon is always a great event for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department as sports celebrities Joe Buck, Dan Dierdorf, Ozzie Smith and nearly 1,000 people from throughout the community come together to support the men and women who protect our city.  Today’s event was extraordinary, however, as the Foundation presented the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department with an unexpected and momentous donation.

In addition to the $350,000 raised at this year’s event to support programs, initiatives and projects that ensure the highest level of police service to the St. Louis community, Foundation President Doug Albrecht surprised Chief Dan Isom with an additional $3 million check to guarantee the Police Department’s ability to relocate to its desperately needed new headquarters building.  The $3 million gift is made possible through an initial donation of $250,000 from the Ruth D. and Wylie Todd Charitable Foundation.  The Albrecht Family Foundation followed with a $750,000 donation while an anonymous donor contributed the remaining balance.

The current headquarters building at 1200 Clark Avenue was built in 1927.  The aging building is in need of repairs estimated at $70 million.  The Police Department recently purchased a building at 1915 Olive Street from Wells Fargo Advisors that will serve as the future police headquarters.  The $2.7 million building was acquired using Asset Forfeiture funds – monies the courts seized as proceeds of criminal activity.  The new facility provides a fiscally responsible way to provide the men and women of the department a safe and functional work environment. The $3 million gift provided by the Police Foundation today combined with other funding sources within the Police Department will pave the way for the necessary renovations and move.

The St. Louis Police Foundation is a true partnership between the public and private sectors.  Every individual, business and organization in the greater St. Louis area can play a vital role in completing the move by supporting the final piece of this community effort – a Furnishing Drive. The Furnishing Drive will provide everything from trash receptacles to office furniture. Citizens of the St. Louis region are encouraged to support this drive by reviewing the list of needed items and providing requested furnishings or equipment in-kind, or by donating money to be restricted for the purchase of needed items.  All donors to the Police Headquarters Furnishing Drive will be recognized on a donor wall in the new building. More information and an itemized list of needs are available at www.stlouispolicefoundation.org or by contacting the St. Louis Police Foundation at 314-825-3455.

The St. Louis Police Foundation supports the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department through the donation of funds, services and goods.  Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has provided a safety net to fund critical needs that are not covered in an ever-declining budget. In addition to this $3 million gift, more than $2 million has been raised by the Foundation to support projects such as the purchase of ATVs for Forest Park, two specially trained canines, a mobile ticketing system, in-car camera program, license plate recognition systems, sniper rifles for the SWAT team, monitors for helicopter cameras, a horse for mounted patrol, air conditioning for the training facility, improvements to the canine facility, Street Survival Training for 750 officers and much more.  The Foundation also underwrites the annual Memorial Breakfast that honors fallen officers.

New K-9 units for police department

St. Louis, MO (KSDK) - St. Louis police introduced the two newest members of the department Wednesday.

"Dragon" and "Hondo" are both German Shepherds, part of the K-9 unit.

Fifteen-month-old Dragon specializes in searching for explosives. Two-year-old Hondo is skilled at recovering narcotics.

The St. Louis Police Foundation donated the dogs. The foundation is made up of businesses that support the department through private donations.

St. Louis Police Foundation to Introduce New Canines Recently Donated to Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis

The Foundation has raised more than $1.2 million to support critical needs of the Police Department

The St. Louis Police Foundation (the “Foundation”) will introduce the two newest members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Canine Unit at a news conference on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 9:30 a.m.  The Foundation recently purchased and donated the canines for use by the Police Department. The new canines, “Dragon” and “Hondo” are both German Shepherd males. Although the dogs will be used for dual purpose patrol, 15-month-old Dragon specializes in searching for explosives while 2-year-old Hondo is skilled at recovering narcotics.

The new canines will be on display and will perform a special demonstration with their police handlers at the event.  Police Chief Dan Isom, St. Louis Police Foundation Board President Doug Albrecht and members of the Metropolitan Police Department will also be present. 

The purchase of the new canines is one example of the type of support that would not be available to the police department without the monetary support of the St Louis Police Foundation. In addition to the donation of the canines, the Foundation has graciously funded several major upgrades to department facilities and purchased state of the art equipment which enhances officer’s ability to combat and deter crime.

Recognizing the tremendous and growing demands placed upon the men and women who protect and serve our city, the Foundation was formed in 2007 to support programs, initiatives and projects that are strategically focused to complement the Department’s policing strategies and to ensure the highest level of police service to the St Louis community. The Foundation helps meet the demands of the Department by funding critical needs not met by the city budget. In partnership with local citizens, businesses and other charitable organizations, the St. Louis Police Foundation has raised more than $1.2 million for the Metropolitan Police Department in just 3 ½ years. The Foundation is modeled after successful Police Foundations in New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

WHO:           St. Louis Police Foundation
WHAT:          Media Event and Demonstration
WHEN:          Wednesday, May 4 at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE:       St Louis Police Department, 1200 Clark Avenue

Rescued horse gets new lease on life with city cops

By Kim Bell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/16/2008

Clyde, the horse, and his rider, St. Louis Police Officer Christina Atwood.

ST. LOUIS -- A horse rescued by the Missouri Humane Society is the newest of the 10 geldings patrolling Forest Park as part of the St. Louis Police Department's mounted patrol.

Clyde, a 7-year-old quarter horse mix, is among the donations that the St. Louis Police Foundation announced Thursday it had made to the city police force.

The stables at Forest Park are Clyde's latest home. Abandoned as a young colt, Clyde was rescued by the Humane Society and put up for adoption. But the adoptions didn't work — he was returned twice by owners who couldn't care for him.

St. Louis police Officer Christina Atwood, 39, was paired with Clyde and has been riding him since February. Together, they patrol Forest Park.

"He's very personable, very curious," Atwood said. "I think he has great potential. Like any of the horses here, it's a work in progress."

Clyde is the youngest of the department's 10 horses. The oldest is 21.

"With age," she said, "they get calm and better through repetition."

The St. Louis Police Foundation was established last July to raise money to supplement the city police department's regular budget with private contributions.

On Thursday, the Foundation announced donations totalling $250,000 to the department. Clyde is one of two new horses for the Mounted Patrol Unit.

"We're just trying to provide additional support that maybe the department can't afford," said Doug Albrecht, president of the Foundation.

The other donations include:

— Money to buy lighter bulletproof vests. The first year, several hundred of the lighter weight vests will be distributed. By the end of the third year, the goal is to have this new type of vest for every officer on the department. The cost difference between the lighter weight vests and the old version is about $200 per vest. The Foundation is picking up the difference.

— Paying $35,000 to cover the cost of the annual St. Louis Police Memorial Breakfast. The breakfast usually draws about 1,500 people.

— Building a new fence and redoing the kennel gates at the city police department's canine facility in north St. Louis County. The current fence is about 30 years old. Parts of it are rusted out.

— Paying for new air conditioning at the St. Louis Police Academy gymnasium. Albrecht said, "It can be 93 degrees there in the summer. The a/c that's there can't possibly keep up when it gets hotter than about 80."

The Police Foundation raised more than $300,000 last year, in part because of its 2007 NFL Kickoff Luncheon. A similar event will be held in September.

The idea to adopt Clyde for city police work began when members of the department's Mounted Patrol visited the Humane Society's Longmeadow Rescue Ranch near Union last fall.

Clyde had been at the ranch on and off since 2002, when he came there as a 2-year-old colt. When the Humane Society first rescued him, he'd been abandoned, was thin and undernourished, said Jeane Jae, a spokeswoman with the Humane Society of Missouri. He had "rain rot," which means his coat was in poor condition from lack of shelter.

He had a hard time finding a permanent home.

In 2003, he was adopted out, but that didn't last. He was returned to the Rescue Ranch in 2005. The owners said he was too much for them to handle, Jae said. In 2006, Clyde was adopted again. He was returned in 2007. The second set of owners said they didn't have enough time to work with him. Last fall, Longmeadow's new horse trainer began working with Clyde.

And when Mounted Patrol officials saw him, they thought Clyde would do be a good fit. They helped the trainer work with him. "They had to pretty much start from square one," Atwood said.

Clyde moved to the Forest Patrol stables in February.

After three months as a team, Clyde and Atwood haven't gotten into any pursuits to speak of inside Forest Park. Atwood has written tickets and made arrests for everything from drunken driving to panhandling. But Atwood said the biggest job of the mounted patrol is interacting with the public.

"Having the horse makes us more approachable," Atwood said. "More than anything, the job is to bond with the public."

kbell@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8115