Congratulations to Pam Kleinschmidt, the 2012 Minnesota Crime Prevention Association’s (MCPA) Volunteer of the Year!  The award was based on the following nomination letter submitted to the MCPA by Duluth Police Lieutenant Leigh Wright

Taken Directly From The Letter See The Press Release Here

“Pam Kleinschmidt has given countless hours to the community of Lincoln Park as a citizen patrol captain and volunteer for the Duluth Police Department. It’s hard to decide where to start or how to articulate all of Pam’s hard work and dedication to the community she serves. During the winter months you can find Pam either walking or driving the streets of Duluth being the eyes and ears for the Duluth Police Department. Pam does this volunteer work without reimbursement for her gas expense which we all know is costly. Pam is well connected to the community and her community stops in at the Lincoln Park Substation to tell her stories of neighborhood issues or concerns. They know Pam will listen to them and make sure Officer Erickson receives the information and follows up. Pam supports the community police officer who works in her community by writing Crime Free Multi-Housing (CFMH) letters, reviewing countless hours of police calls and helping him problem solve. This is no easy task, as Pam is a volunteer and not a ``police officer`` so Pam walks a fine line. I would like to point out that her contribution has benefited the community in a number of ways. One way, was when she came up with the idea to purchase special signs indicating a ``special enforcement zone.`` These signs were posted in high crime areas and there was a collaborated effort from police, community and citizen patrol to pay special attention to crime or to have a greater presence in this area. We believe the signs have an impact on crime and let the bad guys know we are out there.
Pam Kleinschimdt does not take no for an answer. Pam comes from the private business world into a public service world where the pace to get something done is a little slower. Through her dedication and hard work, Pam was able to improve the Lincoln Park Substation with a furnished meeting space for the community. Officers now have a meeting space which is available for use or to meet with an individual who wants to report a crime, but doesn’t want to be seen in the building as the sub station is in a high visibility area. This would not have happened without Pam.
Pam also leads monthly citizen patrol meetings, brings numerous treats ton entice community members to attend, attends numerous City wide events to encourage Citizen Patrol membership or being involved in community endeavors.. Pam is willing to drop almost anything to work on a problem or concerns in the neighborhood. I constantly lean on Pam for support at the West Duluth Sub Station, several miles from her neighborhood to help on projects or staff the sub station window. Because we are short staffed, if Pam is not able to staff the window our Sub Station closes the window down for the day and the community must drive 6 miles to the nearest police department. Pam has been our National Night out for the last two years (maybe 3) and had done an exceptional job. Pam is exceptional and definitely goes the extra mile to make our community safer.
Describe how the nominee displays concern for the community and a willingness to support projects through personal involvement or membership in service organizations.
As stated above Pam goes above and beyond and is concerned about her community. Pam is diligent about being where she says she needs to be. If there are office hours to staff at the sub station she wants to be there for her community. Pam supports National Night out, Citizen Patrol, has attended the police reserves, and is highly involved in the business community. Pam does everything she does without compensation. I am hoping to compensate her by acknowledging her commitment to community and to the Duluth Police Department. Our department and community are better because of Pam.    Her personal involvement in being a volunteer is ``Top Notch”.   The Police Department would truly miss her work if she were to stop supporting our mission.”

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