Local family's Granite Foundation donates toward armored rescue vehicle
The $50,000 donation will be added to funds raised by the Roseville Police Foundation
On Monday, March 24 the Roseville City Council unanimously approved a donation from the Granite Foundation toward the purchase of an armored search and rescue vehicle for the Roseville Police Department.
The Roseville Police Department is seeking to purchase an armored search and rescue vehicle in response to the 2022 West Owasso live shooter event when an officer was shot. During the the incident, an active shooter fired an estimated 200 rounds in a residential neighborhood.
“There was no vehicle that could safely go in and rescue him,” Roseville Police Chief Erika Scheider said at the city council meeting. “Our fire trucks, our paramedics were taking rounds.”
Officer Ryan Duxbury was shot in the face and had to self-evacuate from the scene. First responders were unable to safely provide medical treatment. He survived the incident, but the RPD wants to avoid being in this kind of situation again.
The shooter, Jesse Henri Werling, was fatally shot by Roseville officers at the scene.
The RPD plans to purchase a bullet-resistant Sprinter van, which has a total estimated cost of $180,000. The Granite Foundation has donated $50,000 toward this purchase and the Roseville Police Foundation is actively fundraising to cover the rest. RPD plans to allocate forfeiture funds to cover any remaining costs.
The Granite Foundation, a local private family foundation, has been helping fund essential public safety initiatives in Roseville for over fifteen years. Past donations have helped to fund an all-terrain search and rescue vehicle, a mobile fingerprint identification unit, GPS tracking units, police wellness initiatives, and the RPD’s first drone.
The unmarked Sprinter van can be driven by a firefighter or paramedic into a hot zone and can safely rescue victims and take them to safety or directly to the hospital for treatment. This is not a SWAT vehicle like a Bearcat, which includes tactical equipment, Scheider explained.
“The recent tragic deaths of first responders in Burnsville and Minneapolis further underscore the urgent need for improved emergency response capabilities,” Scheider wrote in the Request for Council Action (RCA). “Additionally, FBI reports indicate that assaults on law enforcement in the U.S. reached a 10-year high in 2023, with firearm-related assaults at their highest level in a decade.”
No public safety agency in Ramsey County currently has an armored rescue vehicle. RPD intends to use theirs to assist any neighboring or nearby agencies in the event of a major incident as part of the department’s mutual aid agreements.
Granite Foundation Vice President Timothy Madden and his daughter Director Mallory Madden attended the city council meeting on March 24 on behalf of the Granite Foundation. The Madden family are long-time Roseville residents and all of their children attended Roseville schools.
“Roseville is dear to our hearts,” Timothy Madden said at the meeting. “In our 501(c)(3) mandate, we’re allowed to not only give to other nonprofits and city organizations, but also citizens in need. . . . Certainly Roseville isn’t the only city we’d be looking at. We definitely want to let you know that in terms of places, Roseville comes pretty close to the top.”
“This is what makes this job really rewarding, to have people like you come forward and support the work,” Councilmember Wayne Groff said to the Maddens at the meeting.
The Roseville Police Foundation will be having a final fundraiser for this vehicle on April 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Smash Park. The fundraiser includes a pickleball tournament, brunch buffet, and Spingo.
Learn more:
Gunman dead, police officer wounded in Roseville confrontation (MPR News, April 5, 2022)
Roseville officers’ use of deadly force ‘justified’ in fatal shooting of gunman, prosecutors say (Pioneer Press, Jan. 5, 2023)
Roseville Police Foundation
This is the best news of the week! I'm unable to attend on the 12th, but made a donation, and encourage others to help out as well.
I recently sent you an article on my local connection with the Roseville Optiimsts club. Did you receive that? Mike Gregory - mikegregory1945@gmail.com