False carbon monoxide alarm in Aspenson Mogensen Hall 

At approximately 8:55 p.m on April 23, an officer was dispatched to Aspenson Mogensen Hall in response to an active carbon monoxide alarm that was going off. The Communications Center advised that it was alerted for the common area parking level. 

The Communication Center told the officer that the Eau Claire Fire Department firetruck was on its way to the scene, and another officer was coming to assist. 

As the officer was en route, they were alerted that maintenance had called and advised that they were pumping water out of the basement level and it was a false alarm. 

The officers arrived on the scene to make sure the situation was under control. 

One of the officers checked the fire panel in the main lobby and it showed the alarm had been acknowledged already. The officers then followed one of the ECFD personnel down to the parking ramp, where the issue had occurred. 

ECFD personnel were already talking to the maintenance workers assisting with pumping the water out of the underground garage. 

Maintenance advised that the equipment they were using to pump the water out set off the alarm but there was no real danger. 

ECFD informed the officers that everything appeared okay, and they had acknowledged the alarm on the fire panel already. They advised that maintenance was going to keep the fire panel in alarm test mode until they completed pumping the water. 

ECFD advised the maintenance team to reset the system out of test mode when they were finished. They also informed the officers that everything was perfectly safe for the residents. 

All officers and ECFD personnel cleared from Aspen Mogensen Hall.

911 call, no issues located 

At approximately 10:51 a.m. on April 25, a sergeant was dispatched to a 911 investigation at 1501 Park Ave. 

The Communication Center stated they had received one call with no details. 

The sergeant contacted the caller via telephone and the subject stated he was fine but was having trouble with his phone dialing 911 since he had gotten a new case. 

The subject assured the sergeant he was okay. There was no need for further investigation and the sergeant returned. 

A traffic stop and expired license 

At approximately 2:16 a.m. on April 22, an officer was conducting stationary vehicle patrol within the UW-Eau Claire facilities parking lot. The officer was parked facing northbound, observing traffic violations along the 600 and 700 blocks of University Drive. 

At approximately 2:15 a.m., the officer observed a red Dodge vehicle traveling along the 600 block of University Drive. The Dodge was driving without any of its lights on. 

The officer pulled out behind the automobile and turned on the squad car’s emergency lights, initiating a traffic stop. The vehicle came to a stop in the CVTC parking lot along the 500 block of University Drive. 

The officer made contact with the female driver and observed a male passenger in the front passenger seat. The driver apologized and advised that she was unaware her lights were off. 

The officer returned to the squad car and conducted a records check on the driver. The return indicated that the driver held an expired Wisconsin driver’s license.

The vehicle and driver both returned with no warrants. 

The officer completed a ticket for operating a vehicle without a valid license and issued it to the driver. 

The officer then returned to the vehicle and handed the citation to the driver, who explained she was unaware of the expiration of her license and became emotional. 

It was then explained to the driver that if she continued driving with her expired license, she would be facing further citations and harsher penalties. 

The driver advised that her passenger had a valid driver’s license and was willing to drive the vehicle. The passenger’s license was valid with no warrants or probation. 

The subjects swapped places, and a verbal warning was given for driving without vehicle lights on. The officer then answered any questions and cleared the traffic stop. 

The entire interaction was recorded on the officer’s department-issued body camera. 

Freeman can be reached at [email protected].