Robbinsdale Officer Recognized As One of State’s Top DWI Enforcers
A Robbinsdale police sergeant was one of 20 Twin Cities officers recently honored for getting impaired drivers off the road.
Sgt. Josh Heasley was recognized as a “DWI Enforcer All-Star.”
“Sgt. Heasley really has a knack for finding impaired drivers,” said Robbinsdale Capt. John Elder.
There were more than 22,000 DWI incidents in Minnesota just last year. Officers say that is just a fraction of the people hitting the roads impaired.
“Early mornings, late nights. They all count,” Heasley said.
It’s a driver’s job to choose to travel safely. Heasley’s specialty is spotting those who don’t.
“It can be easy to spot, and it is, in my opinion, such a silly thing to do,” Heasley said.
Sgt. Heasley has been with Robbinsdale Police full-time since 2018.
Off the roads
Heasley honed his skills during his time as an officer in Deephaven, where he said he focused on finding impaired drivers.
“There’s a lot of ‘clues,’ if you will. It just depends on how close you want to monitor and pay attention to, which I do very closely,” Heasley said.
Right now, he works the night shift.
“The time where I typically find the most impaired drivers is between about 11 p.m., and 2 or 3 a.m.,” Heasley said.
In 2022, he arrested 69 impaired drivers.
In August, The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety recognized over 60 members of law enforcement as “DWI Enforcer All-Star team.”
Josh Heasley lines up alongside other Twin Cities metro officers for their All-Star recognition.
Two of those enforcers came from the CCX area– including Heasley, and Tommy Satele, then with the Plymouth Police Department.
Satele, who is now with the Blaine Police Department, made 118 DWI arrests in 2022. Both totals earned them recognition as an All-Star and recognition at a Twins game in August.
“I didn’t get into this job looking for accolades, but it is nice to be recognized,” Heasley said.
Keeping tradition
It’s not his first time as a DWI All-Star. Heasley said he received an All-Star honor after his first full year with Robbinsdale.
In 2018, he made 112 arrests. He, along with two other Robbinsdale officers zeroed in on impaired drivers that year.
“It was very rewarding, just to see that amount of impaired drivers we were able to take off the road. But it is also kind of sad, because there are also that many impaired drivers on the road taking that chance,” Heasley said.
Elder said Heasley’s focus is an essential piece of Robbinsdale’s police force.
“We want to build everybody to the skill set that Sgt. Heasley has,” Elder said.
Heasley said it’s a passion for good. He says he has responded to scenes on the other side.
“You see the kind of damage that can cause to not only the innocent folks that get crashed into, but their lives and how they are interrupted as well,” Heasley said.
