Des Moines Police Honor Crime Fighters, Heroes

DES MOINES, IA — It isn't every day in Des Moines that someone walking a dog jumps into a lake and saves a person who lost control of their vehicle. Or chases a convenience store robber fleeing from a crime scene. Or jumps into a car to follow suspects after reporting a robbery in progress or a vehicle being stolen. But that's what Des Moines residents who were honored on Friday did.

Residents and businessmen who have made a difference in the city over the past year received awards at the Des Moines Police Department's annual Crime Fighter recognition luncheon. Honorees were chosen by the Neighborhood Based Service Delivery unit, part of the uniform division of the police department. The NBSD team includes officers assigned to specific areas of the city for outreach efforts, along with Crime Free Multi-Housing and mental health services, and Asian and Hispanic outreach programs.

Senior Police Officer Shawna Isaac said nominations are made throughout the year — coming from information taken on police incident reports, officer recommendations during the course of an investigation, or when members of the public call the department to tell about an act that went above-and-beyond — and a committee votes to select the truly exceptional acts to be recognized.

Crime Fighters

Four people received the city's Crime Fighter Award at the luncheon, held at the Embassy Suites on the River. Isaac recapped the acts of heroism as the awards were given.

She said Benjamin Stodden was watching television late one night in March when he looked out his window and saw two hooded figures approaching a nearby convenience store. He feared the clerk was about to get robbed, so he went to check on the activity and saw a struggle taking place, with one suspect attempting to take the cash register. Stodden chased after the fleeing suspects, and "the store clerk told police he even yelled, 'You better keep running!'" as he chased them from the area.

A second honoree, Alieha Rinehart, "took the Neighborhood Watch/good neighbor concept to a whole new level" when she saw a neighbor's house being robbed and two juveniles leaving with a full backpack, Isaac said. She called police and gave descriptions and locations, then got into her vehicle and followed them.

"Thanks to her intervention, both suspects were caught hiding under a deck of a nearby home," Isaac said. They were charged with burglary because Rinehart "didn't turn a blind eye that day and helped officers get two young criminals off the street."

The duo of Rich Bishop and Byron Barnard were witnesses to a crime that occurred just this month. They saw a car being stolen and followed the driver. As one relayed information to a dispatcher, the other drove.

"Officers were quickly able to fall into position and a car chase quickly ensued," Isaac said. The crime fighters gave police a timeline of the events that supported the arrest and "thanks to their sense of justice and smart thinking, (they) helped stop the commission of a crime."

Saving Lives

In addition to honoring citizen crime fighters, the department recognized two people for lifesaving efforts.

Lonny Kirschbaum was walking his dog in May when a car sped by and the driver lost control, sending her vehicle careening upside down into the water at MacRae Park. Kirschbaum dove in to get one person out, while two others got out and made it to shore.

After everyone was safe, Kirschbaum "calmly collected his dog and continued on his walk," Isaac said. It wasn't until police talked with the people who had been in the vehicle that they learned of Kirschbaum's heroism and they tracked him down by canvassing the area to find out the rescuer's name.

"Thankfully, he's the kind of guy willing to go out on a limb — or in this case four feet of water — to save another," Isaac said.

Eric Erickson also saved a life in another incident when he heard a car crash and went to investigate what had happened. The driver had experienced a drug overdose and Erickson pulled her from her vehicle and began CPR while another witness called police. He continued the life-saving measure until help arrived and the woman was given Narcan to counteract the effects of heroin.

"Thanks to Erickson's quick life-saving action, the driver has the opportunity to now turn her life around," Isaac said.

Community Service

Three people were given the city's community service award, recognizing the ways they made a positive difference by giving their time and talents.

Mike Kueny, the store manager at Hy-Vee, 2540 E. Euclid Ave., came to the police department's aid when he learned of the shooting deaths of Des Moines Police Sgt. Anthony Beminio and Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin nearly a year ago. He immediately enlisted his staff to prepare and deliver food to the police department, and coordinated with the Urbandale store to do the same there. The store's generosity continued through the week and after the services for the officers as Hy-Vee provided thousands of meals in the days following the deaths. Kueny also was credited for spearheading efforts to raise money for both officers' families, which resulted in a donation of more than $190,000.

Sgt.t Lori Neely said Kueny has a long history of service to the neighborhood and community in many ways and he personally cares about the health care and education of the people in the area.

When he was approached about helping with a breakfast program aimed at reducing the arrest rate of high school students, Kueny immediately said yes, she noted. Each Monday the students receive breakfast pizza or sandwiches and Hy-Vee is a provider twice a month. Last school year the Fuel Up First program fed students 23,753 meals. The program has served 5,963 meals so far this school year, compared to 2,763 in the same period last year.

Kueny, who has been with Hy-Vee 35 years, said everything he received recognition for is a group effort among Hy-Vee stores, where there is "a culture that allows us to do for our community what we need to do." He credited the Pleasant Hill and Southeast 14th Street Hy-Vee stores for helping share the cost of the East High breakfast program and said the effort for the police department and families of the fallen officers involved customers and employees representing a number of stores.

"You just never know what's going to happen," he said. "It makes us proud to be a part of the community."

Ken Deever Jr., the second Community Service Award recipient, has spent about 30 years making sure area children whose families don't have the means to provide Christmas gifts get a "day of miracles" during the holidays because he wants to ensure "kids are not impacted negatively for factors beyond their control," Isaac said. He does that with about 200 students a year, who are treated to a meal at a restaurant, T-shirts, a day of shopping with a holiday buddy and mentor, and the opportunity to wrap presents they pick for family members. He then provides a gift for each child as well. In addition, he gives gift cards to the mothers and children at Hawthorn Hill, and gift cards and breakfast with Santa for the kids at Youth Emergency Shelter and Services.

The final recipient, Dick Goodson, created the Guardian Project, a program that seeks innovative ways to solve community needs. The public and private partnership's first effort was the multi-million-dollar task of providing body cameras for the Des Moines Police Department and creating a fund to support the body camera program in future years.

The goal last year when the Guardian Project began was $3.6 million, and Goodson, who plans to step down as president of the group yet this year, said it's nearly a reality.

"If you know a hundred leaders in this town, all you do is make a few phone calls and the next thing you know, you have a few million bucks," he said. "Des Moines has a fabulous police department. All we're doing is putting a little icing on the cake."

The Crime Fighter Awards luncheon, sponsored by the IMT Des Moines Marathon, has been an annual program for about 20 years.

Patch photos by Melissa Myers. Main photo: Honorees of the Des Moines Police Department's Crime Fighter Awards, shown holding awards, from left, included Mike Kueny, Benjamin Stodden, Lonny Kirschbaum, Eric Erickson, Dick Goodson and Ken Deever Jr. In back are Police Chief Dana Wingert and representatives of sponsor IMT.