Questions and comments about the stories of our fallen officers
Minneapolis Police Honor Guard Member Sergeant Kenneth Tidgwell has created a video commemorating all Minneapolis Police Officers who have been killed in the line of duty.
We are grateful to Sergeant Tidgwell for his excellent work in honoring the fallen and are privileged to have the opportunity to present his video.
You will find a link to the video on our Home Page
Appointed February 15, 1923 – End of Watch: June 7, 1944
Each Minneapolis Police recruit class chooses a fallen officer to whose service and memory they dedicate their training.
The current recruit class has chosen to honor Sergeant John W O’Neil who was killed in the line of duty on June 7, 1944.
The recruit class selected Sergeant O’Neil because he died one day after the D-Day invasion and they thought that his sacrifice may not have been adequately recognized at the time due to the understandable focus on the D-Day invasion.
Sergeant O’Neil drowned while trying to recover a canoe after it went over St. Anthony Falls. Two of the three men in the canoe were also killed.
Sergeant O’Neil had been with the department for 21 years. He was survived by his wife Gladys and their three children John, Thomas and Sandra.
Sergeant O’Neil’s funeral was held on Saturday, June 10th, at Saint Helena’s Church at 43rd Street and 33rd Avenue South. He was buried in Sunset Memorial Park. He was escorted by the Minneapolis Police Honor Guard.
A memorial fund for the family of Sergeant O’Neil was created by the Minneapolis Civic & Commerce Association. “Sergeant O’Neil lost his life because he was serving the city beyond the requirements of duty,” the president of the association said in announcing the fund. “Although he was entitled to retirement with a life income, he chose to remain during the manpower shortage resulting from the inroads of war.”
This year marks the 75th Anniversary of Sergeant O’Neil’s death.
We are in the process of locating members of the extended O’Neil family to invite them to a small ceremony to be given in his honor this December.
The Minneapolis Police Department and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office held a Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony outside of City Hall to honor the 70 officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty in Hennepin County since 1884.
Please join the Minneapolis Police Honor Guard at 7:00 PM at the Candlelight Service honoring Minnesota Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty. The Candlelight Ceremony takes place at the Law Enforcement Memorial at 645 Cedar St, St Paul, MN 55155. It is one of many memorial ceremonies occurring across the nation on Peace Officers Memorial Day 2019.
Please join the Minneapolis Police Honor Guard at 12:00 PM on May 15, 2019 as it honors officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and Hennepin County who have been killed in the line of duty. This ceremony takes place in the Rotunda of Minneapolis City Hall. It is one of many events taking place across the nation on Peace Officers Memorial Day 2019.
In memory of Officer David Loeffler’s compassion and generosity.
Recruit Class 2018-2 pays honor to Officer David Loeffler.
Recruit Class 2018-2 returning from a 5K run honoring the memory of Officer David Loeffler
Officer David Loeffler passed away on May 29, 2009 of complications from injuries sustained twelve years earlier when he was struck by a drunk driver.
He and his partner had stopped on Broadway, near Bryant Avenue, to help a drunk man who was walking in traffic. As Officer Loeffler spoke to the man in front of the patrol car another vehicle, driven by a drunk driver, struck him and the patrol car, severing one of his legs.
Officer Loeffler had served with the Minneapolis Police Department for six months at the time of the incident.
On Tuesday, April 23rd, the Minneapolis Police Department Recruit Class 2018-2 was privileged to present honor to the family of Officer David Loeffler in memory of his unselfish and devoted service. They had dedicated their training to the memory of Officer Loeffler and were inspired by his spirit of compassion and generosity.
In Spring of 2019, the Foundation will publish a compendium called “Killed in the Line of Duty”. This compendium will feature the stories of all fallen Minneapolis Police Officers from 1884 to the present.