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Citizen honored for helping police
On Tuesday, July 28, 2009, personnel from the Squaw Peak Precinct presented a citizen with a Certificate of Appreciation Award for helping officers in the precinct on June 17, 2009. Mr. Paul Mohr provided follow up information on two burglaries, forgery and identity theft suspects who committed numerous crimes in the greater Phoenix area, which resulted in their arrests. Commander A.B. Smith presented Mr. Mohr with a certificate signed by Public Safety Manager Jack Harris as an expression of the Phoenix Police Department’s sincere appreciation for his assistance.
On June 17, 2009, Mr. Mohr was contacted by Officer Paul Dobson, who was conducting follow-up on a burglary, forgery, and identity theft investigation. The investigation revealed that credit cards where used on that day in several stores located in the Colonnade Mall at 1801 East Camelback Road. During that contact, Officer Dobson showed Mr. Mohr printed images of suspects that were obtained from surveillance video. He immediately recognized the two suspects as individuals who bought a computer system in the store he worked in. Because the cost of the purchases was over $2,000 dollars, it required the store assistant manager to make the transaction. Paul Mohr had previous experience as a security guard and believed the actions of the two suspects were very suspicious, so he offered to help take the items to their car. While placing the items in the car, he memorized the license plate of the rental car and later copied it on the store receipt. Mohr then relayed the information Officer Dobson which led to the arrest of the two suspects the next day at a rental car facility. Subsequent search warrants of their home and car identified that the suspects were responsible for over 15 burglary and identity theft crimes involving several additional victims.
The Phoenix Police Department offers its sincere appreciation to Mr. Mohr for his service to the community. A section of the Certificate of Appreciation stated, “Thank you for your dedication as a concerned citizen to document information concerning suspicious activities and alerting police for assistance. Your actions in alerting police to crime situations are greatly appreciated.” The ceremony was well attended by several of Mr. Mohr's fellow employees from the Staples Store at the Colonnade Mall. Mr. Mohr’s previous experience as a security guard was instrumental in his efforts to document suspicious information in the event that it may be requested at a later time. His efforts will ultimately make our community a safer place for everyone.
Commander A.B. Smith and Mr. Paul Mohr at the Staples Store
Officer Paul Dobson and Mr. Paul Mohr at the Staples Store