Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater credits a deputies’ special training in information gathering and sharing in making an arrest last week. Vandewater says at about 1:25 p.m., Tuesday June 30th, an Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy and Detectives from the Des Moines Police Department arrested 33-year old Johnny Saenz Jr., of Des Moines, at the Phillips 66 Food Mart on the south side of Interstate 80 in Stuart. Saenz, was charged with Robbery in the First Degree and is being held in the Polk County Jail. He is alleged to have robbed the First Class Credit Union in Des Moines on June 24th.

Vandewater says in early April this year, he sent a deputy to a two week L.E.I.N, or Law Enforcement Intelligence Network, school. While knowing the deputies’ being away from his local duties for that length of time is a bit of a burden for a small office, the Sheriff said they had needed to “bite the bullet” for a long time. They made some scheduling adjustments and made it work.

The primary goal of LEIN is information sharing. The deputy who arrested Saenz had just come back to work after having been off a week on vacation. Another deputy and the Greenfield Police Department had contact with Saenz in the middle of the preceding week in Greenfield. The LEIN-trained deputy learned of this, and while going through his LEIN information, he learned that Saenz was a suspect in the First Class Credit Union Robbery.

The LEIN deputy then contacted Des Moines Detectives and they initiated an investigation into Saenz’ current location, which culminated in his arrest in the Phillips 66 Food Mart parking lot. Vandewater says “The arrest of Saenz validates my belief that we have long needed to send a deputy to LEIN school. The criminal element is highly mobile and our ability to communicate and share information effectively and efficiently with other agencies is critical in the 21st century”.

For more information about L.E.I.N, go to http://www.dps.state.ia.us/intell/lein/index.htm