Farmington Feed: PD Captains
This is the Farmington Feed, bringing you information from the city of Farmington.
Caryn:Hi, and welcome back to the Farmington Feed. I'm Caryn Hojnicki, the city's communications specialist, and I'm hungry for another episode of the feed. We have two new guests with us today. We'll be talking with our police department captains, Bob Sauter and Andrew Van Dorn. Welcome to The Feed.
Caryn:Now this is your first time, and that's exciting to have new people on. Are you guys excited?
Bob:Absolutely.
Caryn:Let's start with the first question about why you wanted to become a police officer. Bob, how about you first?
Bob:So for me, ever since I was a kid, wanted to be a police officer. It just kind of stuck with me. In high school, I received a scholarship to go to school for law enforcement.
Caryn:Okay, cool.
Bob:And I went to Alex Tech and received my degree there. And yeah, that's just kind of stuck with me Yeah. Since I was a kid.
Caryn:Yep. How about you?
Andrew:We did some type of, like, a personality assessment when I was in high school Mhmm. That that aligned you with different professions, and law enforcement was one of the ones that was under mine. And I guess it just kind of planted the seed. I'd say the thing that I think is so attractive about it is that every day is different. We never have the same day two times in a row.
Caryn:For sure
Bob:I think the uniqueness of it was probably what drew me to it.
Caryn:Yeah. So how long have each of you been with the department?
Bob:I've been with the department since October '97. Okay. So
Caryn:Whatever the math is on that.
Bob:Twenty eight years. Okay.
Andrew:Yeah. And I've been there November 2006, so coming around on 19.
Caryn:Cool. What roles what different roles have you been in since you've been with the department?
Bob:I was obviously started as a patrol officer. I spent a few years in a part time capacity with the Dakota County Drug Task Force.
Caryn:Okay.
Bob:Also a field training officer.
Caryn:Mhmm.
Bob:I began teaching our use of force training or in house use of force.
Caryn:Is that the the thing you were doing when I stopped by and took photos with two of the newer officers last year?
Bob:Yes.
Caryn:In the garage area?
Bob:Yep.
Caryn:Yeah. Okay.
Bob:Yep. So our defensive tactics, just teaching the officers how to use force when they can use force, when they can't, the appropriate levels of force to use in situations. Became a patrol sergeant in 2005, and I've spent pretty much my whole career on patrol in one form or another, other than that short stint in the drug task force.
Caryn:Okay.
Bob:And then just recently promoted to captain.
Caryn:Yeah. We'll talk a little more about that in a minute. But how about you, Andrew?
Andrew:Yeah. I've had a lot of cool opportunities in my career, Aside from patrol, of course, just like Bob, I've I've taught a lot of things, use of force, firearm skills, response to, like, active assailant things. I was a school resource officer for five years here in the Farmington School District between I was assigned to Dodge and to to the high school at the end. I think my last year was 2016. Field training officer, patrol sergeant for a stint.
Andrew:I was a part of South Metro SWAT, which is the SWAT team that services most of Dakota County and all of Rice County for thirteen years. This last Friday was actually my last day on the team. I just retired off the team as an assistant commander.
Caryn:Okay.
Andrew:And then just like Bob, recently promoted to captain.
Caryn:And is that that's like in addition to your duties at Farmington, you're doing the SWAT.
Andrew:It is. It is. I still do it as a Farmington police officer. I'm just a member of that team. It's just a ancillary duty.
Caryn:Okay.
Bob:Yep.
Caryn:And how much extra time and training did that involve?
Andrew:It it can be a lot, and it can be a little. For sure, every month, they train every third Wednesday of the month for ten hours. Yeah. And then the the call load, call outs, and different thing is hit hit and miss. Sometimes it's a lot.
Andrew:Sometimes it's a little.
Caryn:But it's all of Dakota County.
Andrew:It's all of Dakota County, it's all of Rice County. So Faribault , Northfield.
Caryn:Okay.
Andrew:All of the outskirts of that county.
Caryn:Okay. So That's a lot. So talking about your new positions, you're now captains, and there's a little bit of a difference in your roles. Can you explain what the difference is between your two roles as captains?
Bob:I guess technically, I am in charge of the patrol side of it, and he's more of the administrative side of it, but a lot of our duties do crossover. Okay. Currently, I'm doing on the scheduling, the training, and the fleet. So those three things take up a majority of my time.
Caryn:Is it weird to be probably in the office more than normal, right?
Bob:Absolutely, yeah. I've been busy, I've been a lot busier than I thought it was gonna be. The days go really fast. Yeah. And yeah, I'm enjoying it so far.
Caryn:Good, and how about you, Andrew?
Andrew:I'd say we have a lot of overlap. First, of course, we're supporting all the team members at the agency. Yep. It's our first role. Specifically to me, I oversee the investigation unit Okay.
Andrew:and our records management team. Yeah. And so
Caryn:I mean, that's a lot.
Andrew:Just trying to help them. Some of that's a little out of my wheelhouse. It's not exactly my expertise, so I think they're more training me in than than I am helping them for sure. Technology falls under me.
Caryn:Okay.
Andrew:I think that's all all of the bills. All Oh, the bills? Paying the bills.
Caryn:You gotta pay the bills. Somebody's gotta do that.
Andrew:It's under my umbrella.
Caryn:And you're learning a lot with that too. Right?
Andrew:It is very outside of my knowledge base.
Caryn:And your help thanking our finance department for all their help.
Andrew:Yeah. Absolutely.
Caryn:So what motivated you guys to apply for this position as captain?
Bob:I guess for me, I feel like I have a lot to give back to these younger guys. Yeah. I've been at this for a long time. And like Andrew said, I feel like we're supporting them, and that's how I feel like our role is. Whatever way I can support them, protect them, guide them, that's the way I see it.
Bob:I was encouraged to apply by several officers underneath, me as a sergeant.
Caryn:It's kind of a nice feeling when somebody's like, you should do that. And you're like, oh, wait. Yeah. I guess I could. Right?
Bob:Right. Yeah. I was appreciative of it.
Caryn:Yes. For sure. How about you, Andrew?
Andrew:I think Bob said it pretty well. The only thing I'd add is it's a really exciting time with Chief Siem being promoted to chief, and Absolutely. It was exciting opportunity to be part of shaping Chief Siem's vision and and helping him develop strategies to enact his plan. Yeah. And the same as Bob, I was just I was excited to to try to use my areas of expertise to to try to better our agencies and our community.
Caryn:So what do you love about being an officer, especially in Farmington?
Bob:The community is very supportive. City council is great. You hear about a lot of other communities where it's like the city's against them, but in here, it's been great. Very supportive community, which I think is one of the reasons why I've stayed in Farmington.
Andrew:Yeah, I totally agree. That isn't just a line. Hearing agencies around us, communities around us, we realize how much support that we have here. It it is unique to the city of Farmington, to the Farmington Police Department. That is definitely a benefit for where we work.
Andrew:Otherwise, I'd say kinda what I had mentioned before. I think the thing we love about our job is that it's it's always unique. Certainly, Bob and my jobs have become a little more standardized about what our days look like. Mhmm. But but that isn't it isn't just like data entry at some corporate job because at any time, we might need to go help the guys that are out working the road.
Bob:And so Mhmm.
Andrew:The the possibility of uniqueness, I think, is what cops love about their job.
Caryn:So we talked a little bit about why you love it, but who helped you guys love it? Who was your mentor?
Bob:I guess I've had several along the way. Starting out my career, officer Jim Murphy, who recently I retired that. Yep. He was kind of a mentor to me, especially in the early days. I've had several, I'd say most recently in the last five years, it's been Chief Siem.
Bob:He's been great. And again, one of the reasons why I put him for this position was to share his vision on what this department can be. Yeah. Just wanna help him work towards that.
Andrew:Yep. Yeah, think probably the same. There's probably too many people to mention. Bob was my sergeant when I was a brand new cop as a 21 year old so for many years, he was he was my supervisor and the person that I had learned from. Certainly, Chief Rutherford was a big influence on me.
Andrew:I've been fortunate to make really strong connections through the SWAT team and other opportunities. So I have a lot of mentors just in our area. Yeah. Deputy Chief Greg Dahlstrom from Apple Valley. Adam Cheetah is a sergeant with Apple Valley.
Andrew:Matt Schuster is a sergeant with Dakota County. The list could just go on and on.
Caryn:But that's important in in a job like yours. Right?
Andrew:Oh, absolutely.
Caryn:You need all of that support.
Andrew:And it'd be I mean, it'd be shortsighted not to realize the investment that people make in you to make you successful. It is we have a very unique job that has a really wide breadth of knowledge and skills, and you don't just come on them by yourself. People people have to inform me about them. And so having that network of people to to mentor you is incredibly important.
Caryn:Yeah. Yeah. You guys talked about how you love your job and you love this community, and the community is very supportive. So that's a result of community engagement. Right?
Bob:Yes.
Caryn:I mean, you guys do a lot for this community. Toys for Town, Pink Patch, Chill with a Cop. We were doing Coffee with Cops. So talk about your involvement with that and how that helps to build this community.
Bob:Yeah, sure. No, you're correct. I mean, like we mentioned before, this community is very supportive, I feel like part of us just giving back to the community is doing these community engagement events, and we feel like they appreciate it, and that's why I think we do quite a few events. I've most recently been involved with the Top the Tater Days, just doing the security and the logistics to that. And then most recently, actually right now we're working on the holiday parade.
Caryn:Yep. Which was new last year.
Bob:Yes. In the past, I've worked on the Toys for Town, which is a big community event for us.
Caryn:Oh, yeah. For sure. And that's gonna start here pretty soon.
Bob:Most recently, we did a Coffee with Cops at Beans and Boots.
Caryn:Yeah. Local coffee shop. Dirty pink soda. Tried one myself. Did you?
Bob:I did not try one. I've heard they're good, though.
Caryn:Yeah. It's like a Shirley Temple, I feel like. Okay. That's how I would explain it, but it's got, like, energy in it or something. Yeah.
Caryn:What about you, Andrew? What think engagement.
Caryn:I think Bob did a pretty good job at kinda talking about some of the events that we're part of. I know officer Megan Chu had organized
Caryn:Helmet heroes.
Andrew:Helmet heroes. Yeah. Couldn't think of the name of it. I think to round out what what Bob was talking about is a lot of these community engagements have been the result of a lot of people that have worked hard before we were even involved in it.
Caryn:And lots of connections and and partnerships with community businesses, organizations.
Andrew:Absolutely.
Andrew:And I and I think those go back a long time. Our relationship with the school district has a lot to do with officer Ted Dow and officer Steve Kuiper that are retired. Bob and I are our partners at the PD benefit from a lot of investment that officers before us and administrations before us have put into developing those services.
Caryn:It just didn't happen overnight.
Andrew:No. Absolutely not. Yeah.
Caryn:But you continue to do it. You continue to show up and help people and just make connections. I know when we talked with officer Pete, as he likes to be called at the schools, he's just making connections with those kids and making them understand. It's okay to come talk to me. You don't have to be afraid of the cops.
Caryn:And, like, one time we went out and shot a video, and they he was just playing football with them, and it was, like, the greatest thing for for that day, you know, instead of instead of being in class. Right? Yeah. But just talking with them at lunches, and I'm sure you did that too. Right?
Andrew:It was I loved it. Yeah. Talking in classes and yeah. It's a it's a great job. There's there is no other police assignment like being a school resource officer.
Andrew:You are the most connected to the community being a school resource officer than any other position I think.
Caryn:Yeah. Then going to the football games and just being totally in it.
Bob:Yeah. The Toys for Town thing, that goes back all the way to Chief Siebenaler. And I don't remember the year he started that.
Caryn:I think when Chief Rutherford and I talked about it, we figured out, I think this will be the thirty eighth year. Wow. I think. Okay.
Bob:So, yeah.
Caryn:We had the math wrong one day, but then we figured it out.
Bob:A lot of the credit for that program. Yeah. And that all started with him and what it's grown into over the years has been amazing.
Caryn:Oh, yeah. Every year I've gone, it's gotten bigger and better. And like, I've had my kids come and wrap. I'm sure you guys have had your families come at one point or another.
Andrew:We look forward to it every year. Our neighbors too.
Caryn:And there's that one family. I think they were on the cover of the currents. They had been doing it for, like, twenty one years or something, and they wrapped a bicycle, I think. Did you guys see that a couple years ago?
Andrew:No. I don't recall.
Caryn:And then, like, last year, I think they wrapped a big stuffed animal. Like, they always try to find the craziest thing to wrap, and they wrap it. It makes a little game out of it, but but it's not funny. It's just this is a great community event to all those people in that high school wrapping all those gifts and picking them out and having like so much fun and, you know, bringing joy to people. I always like to ask a question like, what's a funny thing that's happened to you on the job?
Caryn:And honestly, you probably don't have a lot of funny things happen. But I will say funniest thing that I've experienced is when we were shooting that video. Do you remember, Bob, last year when we were doing the Gen Z script video? And you had to say all these you and Nate had to say all these terms.
Bob:Oh, I remember.
Caryn:And you're like, what does this even mean? Like, and everyone loved those videos. Like, seriously, like, I kinda half got it, but my kid was like, that's funny. And but it what was the purpose of the video? We sold Stanleys.
Caryn:Right?
Bob:Right.
Caryn:And we sold out twice, I think.
Bob:I think we did. Yeah. That video was a big hit.
Caryn:It was.
Bob:I didn't understand why either, but
Caryn:But I guess, like, it did its job, right? And I thought it was a hoot hearing people of our age saying words that, you know, teenagers say, right? Anything that comes to mind for you? I haven't gotten you in too many videos, Andrew, yet.
Andrew:I I guess I don't have any real funny things queued up off the top of my head.
Caryn:We'll have to make one. We'll have to make a video, and it'll be funny. Right?
Bob:Sure.
Caryn:So is there anything else we should talk about?
Bob:Most recently, you've been working on e bike safety and e scooters.
Caryn:Oh, for sure.
Bob:It's been a big issue, not in just in Farmington, but
Caryn:Oh, yeah.
Bob:Several communities in the electric dirt bikes. We're even seeing golf carts and different things on the routes. We're just trying to educate the public as far as what's legal and what's not legal. We recently shot a video on the e bikes. So, yeah, that should be coming out soon and hopefully get the information out there.
Caryn:Yeah. And just the importance of wearing your helmet.
Bob:Correct.
Caryn:Right? I mean, because that's Helmet Heroes, like supplying helmets to the community, but also talking about wearing your helmet to be safe on any kind of bike, right?
Bob:Yeah, I just read a stat the other day about injuries on these e bikes and e scooters is up, I want to say it was like fivefold, just in the last year or two. Yeah. And part of that is it just that you see a lot more people on them. But unfortunately the injuries are rising also.
Caryn:But it's the education of how to ride them, right? Because they can go pretty fast.
Bob:They can.
Caryn:And we need to make sure that they're age appropriate as well.
Bob:Right. When they're on the trails, a reminder that you're sharing this trail with pedestrians. And some of these e bikes, they're 50 to 70 pounds. And if you're going fifteen, twenty miles an hour on a trail, and you collide with a pedestrian, that could be very bad.
Caryn:Yeah, for sure. I know also, speaking of bikes, you do bike patrol when you have time.
Bob:I do. Matter of fact, Andrew and I started that program twenty years ago, fifteen, twenty years ago? Yeah.
Andrew:Okay. 2008 maybe?
Caryn:SO you also do bike patrol?
Andrew:I have. Not recently. As recently as Bob.
Caryn:But how does that go when you're able to do that?
Bob:Yeah, so when we have adequate staffing, which has been a lot more difficult in the last few years, officers can take the bike out. We encourage them to hit the trails, go to the parks, anywhere the squad car can't go is kind of the point of it. Interact with the public, especially the youth. Hand out stickers, tattoos, that type of thing. In my experience, the public loves it.
Bob:Every time I've done it and they see out there, they're just like, Oh, wow, I didn't know we had a bike cop. Just making those contacts with the kids, just good positive contacts.
Caryn:Yeah, and just reminding them like, Hey, wear your helmet, or rules of the road and the trail. You know that's always good for them to get reminders not from their parents. Right. Well thank you so much guys for joining us today and a few reminders from the PD. Winter parking restrictions are going to be coming up here soon on November 1 right?
Bob:Correct.
Caryn:And that means no street parking overnight, and that runs until Wednesday, 04/15/2026. Be safe when riding e bikes and e scooters, and make sure to follow the state statutes.
Bob:So for e bikes 12. You have to be 15 to ride an e bike. And if you are under 18, you must wear a helmet.
Caryn:Yep.
Bob:For an e scooter, you must be at least 12 years old. Yep. And you must wear a helmet if you're under 18.
Caryn:Oh, yeah. For sure. And then a few more things. We're gonna talk about Pink Patch Project, which is ongoing right now until the October. The Pink Patch merchandise is available at the PD lobby Monday through Thursdays, 8AM to 4PM, and check out FarmingtonMN.gov/MNPPP for more information on that.
Caryn:And also Toys for Town will be coming up. Request calls will start to be taken on Monday, November 3, and they will end Monday, December 8. And you can always email Toys4Town@FarmingtonMN.gov for information. Wrapping day will be Saturday, December 13 and starts at 9AM at Farmington High School, and we just ask that you show up ready to wrap. Right?
Caryn:And some people wear their Christmas pajamas too. Right? Well, that concludes this month's episode of the Farmington Feed. Thank you for listening. We look forward to connecting with residents on this podcast.
Caryn:If you have feedback, guest requests, or ideas, email me at Communications@FarmingtonMN.gov. Don't forget to subscribe to the Farmington Feed wherever you like to get your podcasts.
