Lieutenant Inno Suek

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in Fallen Officers, History

Appointed: June 18, 1956
End of Watch: September 30, 1972


Today we are thinking about Lieutenant Inno Suek.

Lieutenant Suek was 41 years of age when he was killed in the line of duty.

He was off duty, working part time as a security guard at Hum’s Liquor Store at 2125 Lyndale Avenue South on Saturday, September 30th.

Around 10:00 pm, two suspects entered the store. One suspect walked up behind Lieutenant Suek and pointed a gun at his head. As Lieutenant Suek turned around and fought for control of the gun, he was shot in the chest with a .38-caliber handgun.

Lieutenant Suek died at the scene.

The suspects were apprehended and convicted and the gunman was sentenced to life in prison.

Lieutenant Suek began his career with the Minneapolis Police Department on June 18, 1956 when he was assigned to the Bryant Station as a Patrolman. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1966 and to the rank of Lieutenant in 1971.

He was very proud of his promotion to Lieutenant and was especially pleased to be returning to the Bryant Station as a Lieutenant after having also served in other precincts. In the words of his former partner, Patrolman Don E. Harju, “It had been his dream to go back to the Bryant Station as a Lieutenant. He got the shift he was hoping for. He really liked the precinct and he liked the men who worked for him.”

One of Lieutenant Suek’s major interests was working with Midwest Challenge which was a halfway house for recovering drug addicts located at 3045 Columbus Avenue.

Jim Good, a counselor at Midwest Challenge said that Lieutenant Suek was instrumental in helping remodel the house.

Only three weeks before he was killed, Lieutenant Suek had donated his time to remodel the kitchen at the Halfway House. Mr. Good said that the thing he liked about him was that “he wasn’t sharp with us when we were doing something wrong. He would take the time to show us how to do things. He was very creative and willing to lend his support. He was not only concerned with the building but with the program itself”.

Lieutenant Suek’s wife Mrs. Rita Suek said that helping at the Halfway House “was just something he saw as an opportunity to help and he took that opportunity. That’s the way that you could characterize him.”

Lieutenant Suek was survived by his wife Rita (married October 24, 1959) and their four children: Peter (12), Peggy (11), Thomas (9), and John (2) in addition to many members of his extended family.

Lieutenant Suek was active with the Scouting Program at the Church of the Visitation in South Minneapolis. He was a former Marine and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was also a member of the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.

Funeral services were held at the Church of the Visitation on the morning of Wednesday, October 4, 1972 for Lieutenant Suek. He was buried later that day at the National Cemetery at Fort Snelling.

Please take a moment today to remember and honor Lieutenant Inno Suek.

Source and photograph: Minneapolis StarTribune of October 2, 1972

officer jerome “jerry” haaf

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in Fallen Officers

Appointed – April 23, 1962

End of Watch – September 25, 1992

Today we are thinking about Officer Jerome “Jerry” Haaf who was killed in the line of duty on this day in 1992.

Officer Haaf was working his regular traffic assignment in South Minneapolis when he stopped by the Pizza Shack – a well-known favorite spot of Minneapolis Police Officers – for a coffee break.

As Officer Haaf sat drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper, two men who were later identified as members of the “Vice Lords” gang working on an order from its leader to kill a police officer came up behind Officer Haaf and shot him several times in the back.

Officer Haaf called for help on his radio while patrons, including a retired Minneapolis Police Officer, came to his aid.

Squad cars and an ambulance arrived quickly on the scene to rush Officer Haaf to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died from his wounds.

A multi-agency investigation into the killing of Officer Haaf ensued and after months of investigation, the two men who killed Officer Haaf, along with the others who had helped them, were apprehended, convicted, and sent to prison.

Officer Haaf was appointed to the Minneapolis Police Department on April 23, 1962 and served for 30 years.

He was 53 years of age and was only months away from retirement at the time of his killing.

Officer Haaf was survived by his loving wife, Marilyn, their daughter and two sons, and their grandchildren.

Officer Haaf is still remembered and honored by his many friends at the Minneapolis Police Department and throughout the community. He is in our thoughts and conversations, especially on this day.

In the words of a friend of his this morning, “He was always happy and made the shift a good time for all. A gentle man and hard working. Missed very much for sure.”

The Plaque at the Haaf Memorial Parking Ramp in Downtown Minneapolis
The Haaf Memorial Parking Ramp in Downtown Minneapolis

june 6, 1944

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in History

Today, we are thinking of the soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Some of us have had the great, good fortune to have known the returning soldiers. We honor them and their service. Many soldiers gave their lives so that others could be free. We remember them. We are grateful to them all.

To learn about the D-Day Medal of Honor winners: https://mohmuseum.org/medal-of-honor-recipients-from-d-day/

To learn about the Normandy American Cemetery:
https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/normandy-american-cemetery

To view the Continental Edition of “The Stars and Stripes” announcing that it will begin publishing from France:
https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/d-day/continental_edition_4_july_1944.pdf

Photograph of American assault troops moving onto Omaha Beach, on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944, during the Allied invasion of the Normandy coast. Photograph courtesy of the Associated Press

“Each of the patriots whom we remember on this day was first a beloved son or daughter, a brother or sister, or a spouse, friend, and neighbor.” — George H. W. Bush

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in Fallen Officers, History

REMEMBERING OFFICER MARVIN A. WICKLUND

Appointed – February 18, 1943
End of Watch – June 6, 1945

Officer Marvin A. Wicklund joined the Minneapolis Police Department on February 18, 1943. Because he was married with three children, and because being a police officer was considered a vital occupation, Officer Wicklund was unsuccessful in his first three attempts to enlist to fight in WWII. On August 1, 1944, he was finally accepted by the Marines.

Officer Wicklund was assigned to Company H, Third Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Division. He took part in the invasion of Okinawa. In action against Japanese forces on June 6, 1945, he was killed by a sniper. Officer Wicklund was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Victory Medal World War II and a Presidential Unit Citation with ribbon and star for “extraordinary heroism in action.”

Officer Wicklund was 30 years old at the time of his death. He lived at 3923 Upton Avenue North in Minneapolis with his wife, Mina, and their children. He was buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl.

Officer Wicklund was the only member of the Minneapolis Police Department ever to be killed while on military duty.

Hennepin County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony To Be Hosted Via Video On Facebook on friday, may 15 at noon

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in Events

Every year, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Minneapolis Police Department host a joint ceremony during National Police Week to honor our officers and deputies who have fallen in the line of duty.

Due to Minnesota’s Stay at Home order, this year’s ceremony will be a video posted on the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page on Friday, May 15th at noon.

This annual event is part of the National Law Enforcement Week to recognize and remember officers who were killed in the line of duty in Hennepin County and Minneapolis.

To view the event, please visit: Facebook.com/HennepinSheriff

Peace Officers’ Memorial Day and National Police Week 2020

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in Events, News

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

In Washington, DC each year, 25,000-40,000 attendees gather to participate in National Police Week events including a Blue Mass, Candlelight Vigil, Wreath Laying Ceremony, National Police Survivors Conference, Honor Guard Competition, and the Emerald Society & Pipe Band March and Service.

Members of our Honor Guard usually travel to Washington, DC to take place in these ceremonies. There they also honor the service and memory of Minneapolis Police Officers killed in the line of duty through a ceremony they have themselves have created. For each of our officers killed in the line of duty, they place 5×7 laminated cards that they have designed and made with the officer’s line of duty story, the officer’s picture and the Minneapolis Police Department’s patch. As our Guard Members affix each laminated card to the stone base of the memorial, they find the name of our officer and trace it to the exact spot on the stone, rubbing a finger over the name and saying the name as part of a tradition of “remembering and speaking”.

Here at home, our Honor Guard and Color Guards usually also participate in National Police Week ceremonies and vigils at the Minneapolis City Hall or the Hennepin County Government Center and at the Law Enforcement Memorial on the State Capitol grounds in St Paul.

In the midst of the pandemic, public Law Enforcement Memorial events and ceremonies in Minnesota and throughout the nation have been cancelled for 2020.

This year, instead of a public memorial, The Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association (LEMA) will hold a ceremony honoring Minnesota’s Fallen Law Enforcement Officers on May 15th and will share the program on Facebook LIVE at 7:00 p.m. CST on Friday, May 15th. Here is a link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaLawEnforcementMemorialAssociationlema/

memorial pin honoring Melissa Schmidt

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in Fallen Officers, History

This pin was presented to Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty during the 2002 Law Enforcement Memorial Association luncheon.

This blue enameled lapel pin is in the shape of the State of Minnesota with the image of a Minneapolis Police department shield at the center.

The text reads “6367/ MELISSA SCHMIDT/ AUGUST 1, 2002/ WE WILL REMEMBER”.

Photograph of pin courtesy of the Minnesota State Historical Society

2020 police memorial day ceremonies cancelled due to covid-19

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in Events, News

This year’s Police Memorial Day ceremony planned for noon on May 15 at the Hennepin County Government Center has been cancelled due to COVID-19.

The Candlelight Vigil scheduled for dusk the same evening on the State Capitol grounds has also been cancelled. LEMA will instead perform a virtual ceremony. As we learn more details about where and how you can view that ceremony, we will post them.

national doctors’ day

Posted on by Aileen Johnson in News

Since 1933, March 30 has been known as National Doctors’ Day which is an annual observance honoring the physicians who help save our lives.

The Minneapolis Police Honor Guard and Color Guard Foundation is deeply appreciative of our doctors for their selfless dedication to saving lives during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thank you!