Peace Officers Memorial Day has been commemorated on May 15th since President Kennedy signed a joint resolution of Congress in 1961. The North Dakota capitol building has been adorned with a blue line in the windows since 2017, when a joint resolution in the North Dakota legislature was passed to designate the day and the display. As far as I know, this is the only display in the capitol windows which appears in Century Code.
North Dakota peace officers who have given their lives in service of our state include:
Fred D. Alderman: Fargo Police Department: 1882
Evan Paulson: Mayville Police Department: 1890
James Rauland: Northern Pacific Railroad: 1899
H.M. Personius: Valley City Police Department: 1906
George E. Moody: Richland County Sheriff’s Office: 1911
Carl G. Nelson: Carrington Police Department: 1915
Seymour H. Douglas: McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office: 1917
Evan M. Jones: Richland County Sheriff’s Office: 1917
George Dixon: Wilton Police Department: 1917
Patrick J. Devaney: Minot Police Department: 1918
Kersey E. Gowin: North Dakota Office of Attorney General: 1918
Earnst W. Thompson: Ward County Sheriff’s Office: 1920
Lee S. Fahler: Minot Police Department: 1921
Julius A Nielson: Kenmare Police Department: 1921
Christian A. Madison: Stanley Police Department: 1922
Carl Peterson: Westhope Police Department: 1922
Charles R. Sneesby: Devils Lake Police Department: 1924
Nels H. Romer: Mandan Police Department: 1926
Hans C. Jess: Mandan Police Department: 1929
Martin G. Johnson: Ray Police Department: 1930
George Peipkorn: Burleigh County Sheriff’s Office: 1930
Leo Dagner: Willow City Police Department: 1933
David L. Stewart: Hope Police Department: 1933
Aslak “Oscar” Thorsen: Bottineau County Sheriff’s Office: 1936
Fred A. Patrickus: Billings County Sheriff’s Office: 1940
Joseph Runions: Mercer County Sheriff’s Office: 1941
Aurther M. Sem: Stanley Police Department: 1942
Charles M. Allmaras: Eddy County Sheriff’s Office: 1942
Jacob M. Hoerner: New Leipzig Police Department: 1942
John Oles: North Dakota State Penitentiary: 1946
Rudolf F. Howell: Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office: 1950
William W. Hansen: Velva Police Department: 1950
Henry S. Halvorson: Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office: 1952
Nicholas J. Ethen: Devils Lake Police Department: 1953
Edward E. Mumby: New Salem Police Department: 1953
Beryl E. McLane: North Dakota Highway Patrol: 1954
John Holcomb: North Dakota State Penitentiary: 1954
Ralph L. Burdick: Benson County Sheriff’s Office: 1954
Lee E. Morrow: Federal Bureau of Investigation: 1960
Max L. Taylor: Bowman County Sheriff’s Office: 1960
Nathan N. Bear: Bureau of Indian Affairs: 1960
Ralph J. Hansen: Ransom County Sheriff’s Office: 1962
Frank A. Peterson: Rugby Police Department: 1963
Burdette M. Miller: Ray Police Department: 1966
Theodore C. Wanner: Dickinson Police Department: 1966
Robert D. Martin: Grand Forks Police Department: 1966
Raymond A. Wietstock: State Industrial School: 1966
Ronald E. Trautman: Jamestown Police Department: 1966
Frank C. Schultz: Burlington Northern Railroad: 1970
P.A. “Tex” Goyne: New Salem Police Department: 1971
Herbert R. Parmeter: Sargent County Sheriff’s Office: 1974
Kenneth A. Lenerville: Reeder Police Department: 1975
Kenneth B. Muir: U.S. Marshal Service: 1983
Robert S. Chesire Jr.: U.S. Marshal Service: 1983
Timothy L Wells: Willaims County Sheriff’s Office: 1989
Valence L. Pascal: Benson County Sheriff’s Office: 1993
Charles V. Pulver: North Dakota Game and Fish: 1995
Keith A. Braddock: Watford City Police Department: 1996
Roger C. Sorenson: Youth Correctional Center: 1996
Steve R. Kenner: Bismarck Police Department: 2011
Bryan K. Sleeper: Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department: 2011
Jason D. Moszer: Fargo Police Department: 2016
Colt E. Allery: Rolette County Sheriff’s Office: 2017
Cody N. Holte: Grand Forks Police Department: 2020
Adam G Gustafson: West Fargo Police Department: 2021
Jake R. Wallin: Fargo Police Department: 2023
I’m delighted to live in a state which honors its law enforcement personnel instead of trying to portray them as oppressors, defund them, or otherwise disparage them. Many of them are my friends and/or colleagues. If you encounter an officer this week, please thank them and voice your support. National Police Week is designated as calendar week in which May 15th falls, so you still have a few days.
