NORTH DAKOTA PEACE OFFICER MEMORIAL SERVICE

09 May NORTH DAKOTA PEACE OFFICER MEMORIAL SERVICE

May 8, 2024

_{CONTACT: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210}

Bismarck, ND – On Thursday, May 9th, 2024, at 7:00 p.m., North Dakota’s sixty-nine fallen peace officers will be remembered and honored during a memorial service held in Memorial Hall of the State Capitol.

This year, the names of three North Dakota law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty will be added to the state peace officer memorial: Burleigh County Sheriff Charles H. McCarthy (1874), Fargo Police Officer Jake R. Wallin (2023), and Mercer County Deputy Sheriff Paul S. Martin (2023).

Governor Doug Burgum, Attorney General Drew Wrigley, Supreme Court Justice Douglas Bahr, Burleigh County Sheriff Kelly Leben, Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski, and Mercer County Chief Deputy Mark Schmitt will speak at the memorial service. Captain Steven Gutknecht, president of the North Dakota Peace Officers Association (NDPOA), will serve as the master of ceremonies.

Chaplains from the Crisis Care Chaplaincy will officiate and read the Roll Call of fallen officers. Members of the NDPOA Honor Guard, the Fargo Police Department Honor Guard, and the ND Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Honor Guard will assist with the ceremony. Retired Special Agent Duane Stanley and retired North Dakota Highway Patrol Sergeant Jerry Seeklander will play taps as a tribute to the fallen officers. Retired Cass County Chief Deputy Mickey Harmon will play the bagpipes to close out the service.

At dusk on Thursday and Friday evening, the State Capitol windows will be lit to display a “Thin Blue Line,” to show support and respect for all law enforcement, past and present.

The public is invited to attend the memorial service.

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