Mitchell first responders Tegethoff and Young recognized for exemplary service, leadership
May 10—MITCHELL — Saving lives, continuous learning, and mentoring define the missions of two Mitchell first responders, earning them an award for excellence.
Detective Casey Tegethoff and firefighter Mac Young received the Pursuit of Excellence award from the city recently for their respective departments.
The annual award is presented to an employee from the department that exhibits professional commitment to the public safety department and the citizens of Mitchell. The individuals are nominated by their peers and that nomination moves to the Awards Committee for review.
"It is a pleasure to have Detective Tegethoff as part of the team that is the Mitchell Police Department," Police Chief Mike Koster said. "We have very good employees, but this award is to recognize those who rise above and go beyond in the performance of their duties. Employees who work to make the community better both on and off work hours. Detective Tegethoff is just such an employee."
Tegethoff started working for the Mitchell Police Department in July 2015.
"I'm part of the CSI effect and always had a huge interest in forensics," Tegethoff said. "There's not a lot of opportunities in South Dakota for forensics so my passion and desire shifted to becoming a detective."
Tegethoff achieved that goal in 2020 when he became a detective with the department. While his main job is as a detective investigating Crimes Against Children and General Crimes, Tegethoff wears many hats in the department.
In addition to his detective work, Tegethoff is a DARE instructor at St. John Paul II Elementary School, fostering positive relationships between law enforcement and kids.
Enhancing departmental training is a significant aspect of his job as well. Tegethoff is the Team Leader for the Emergency Response Team and helps with the development of new training programs, ensuring that the department remains up-to-date on law enforcement methods. He also teaches Use of Force classes and reviews incidents involving force, making sure everyone follows the rules and identifying areas for improvement.
"Training is my favorite part of the job. Police work and techniques are constantly changing," Tegethoff said.
Though he typically leads training sessions, Tegethoff sees them as chances for his own learning, too. No day is routine for a cop, he says, and it's essential to constantly train for the "what-if" scenarios.
"Teaching gives me an opportunity to learn as well. Every day is different and we as cops are all different and handle situations differently," Tegethoff said. "Scenario training gives us the opportunity to discuss our thought processes and allows the team to learn from one another."
Young plays a pivotal role in training as well. As a Field Training Officer, he develops and maintains EMS treatment protocols under the guidance of the department's medical director. He also spear-headed an effort that resulted in securing a $95,000 State of South Dakota grant for a regional training program in partnership with the South Dakota Emergency Medical Services Association (SDESMA) District 3.
Before joining the department, Young worked in the health and fitness industry as a personal trainer at True Fitness in Mitchell. But after spending a day with his firefighter brother-in-law doing a ride-along, Young realized he wanted to pursue a career change.
"I immediately felt like I was really meant for this," Young said.
Young's main focus with the department is acting as the Pediatric Champion, promoting pediatric education and training.
"I'm passionate about medicine," Young said.
Similar to Tegethoff, Young has taken on responsibilities since joining the department in 2018. He initiated a program aimed at supplying Carter kits tailored for children and individuals with special needs. Carter kits are sensory bags that contain clinically proven items known to comfort and appropriately focus children who are on the autism spectrum, as well as many other children who occasionally find themselves overwhelmed or otherwise impacted by traumatic events.
This initiative extends beyond the fire department to encompass local police departments and school nurses, ensuring that essential resources are readily available where needed most.
The criteria used to select the award recipients includes performance of duty, self improvement efforts, and community involvement/contributions. Both Tegethoff and Young were recognized for their dedication to learning and teaching.
"Detective Tegethoff is a role model who should inspire others to be their best self and perform to their fullest potential," Koster said. "It takes people like him to help keep our community safe and a place people want to call home."
According to Mitchell Chief of Fire and EMS Dan Pollreisz, the South Dakota Certified Firefighter course typically takes four months to complete. The course includes two tests that are conducted by the South Dakota Fire Marshal's Office. To be hired by the Mitchell Fire and EMS Department an applicant needs to be an EMT. Pollreisz said Young went above and beyond and became a paramedic as well, which involved an additional two years of EMS training.
"We have a young and eager department that wants to be the best," Pollreisz said. "Our firefighters have bought into our department and it truly is our department. Mac is a very dedicated firefighter who not just Mitchell firefighters can look up to but other department's firefighters look up to him as well."
Both Young and Tegethoff were surprised when they received the news that their peers had selected them for the award. Neither had planned to attend the banquet — Tegethoff's daughter had her school prom that he wanted to be home for and Young was scheduled to work the night of the banquet.
"I was told I needed to be there because my boss Dean Knippling was being given the award," Tegethoff said.
And Young thought he was being recognized for five years on the job.
"Firefighting is a team effort," he said. "This award could have been received by any one of us."
