MN DNR Conservation Officer honored by peers in DC

In 1962 John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 to

be Peace Officer's Memorial Day "in recognition

of the service given by the men and

women who, night and day, stand guard in

our midst to protect us through enforcement

of our laws." Each year the week in which the

15th of May falls is National Police Week.

There have been 21,183 members of the law

enforcement services who have died or been disabled in the line of

duty. Their names are inscribed on a wall at the National Law

Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC. Like the wall at

the Vietnam Memorial, the names of the fallen are in chronological

order. Names on the Vietnam Memorial are a finite number. Sadly,

the names on the Peace Officers Memorial increase yearly. In 2022

the name Sarah Grell was added.

Sarah was a Conservation Officer for the Minnesota Department

of Natural Resources. Officer Grell died doing her job on May 24,

2021. Flying wasn't part of her duties, but she sometimes needed

to fly with DNR Chief Pilot Captain Christopher Lofstuen who said,

"that 120 pound warrior would get airsick every time, but

she still went."

Appropriately three of the 11 DNR officers who

attended the 2022 ceremony were members of the DNR's aviation

unit led by Pilot Jake Willis.

Protecting the environment was in Officer Grell's DNA. Her father

and grandfather did the same work for the DNR, but she loved her

job for what it was and did it superbly for 16 years Sarah's the 23rd

DNR Conservation Officer to die in the line of duty. Conservation Officers attended Sarah from the time she died until

her body was cremated. Her comrades stood vigil during the visitation

and carried her casket during the funeral ceremonies.

It was the Honor Guard who traveled to Washington for the week's

events which included a candle light vigil, some marching and a

review of the assembled officers by President Biden. Pipers and

drummers from the "Law Enforcement Emerald Society" supplied

the music. The Minnesota contingent carried the flags of the

United States, Minnesota, DNR Enforcement Division, the Red

Lake Band of Ojibwa and Itasca County.

"that 120 pound warrior

would get airsick every time,

but she still went."

Jake Willis co-chairs the Honor Guard with Lt. Matt Frericks.

Officer Willis started out to be a professional pilot and he went to

Mankato to study aviation. Just to be safe, he doubled down and

had a second major in law enforcement. 2001 took a major toll on

U.S. aviation and on Jake's ambitions so he went to plan "B" and

did traditional police work in Duluth. He kept his fingers in aviation

with borrowed aircraft and flying clubs. Lofstuen is also an

alumnus of the Duluth PD and enticed Willis to apply for a job as a

Conservation Officer (maybe baiting the hook with flying opportunities).

Jake moved to the DNR. Now he's the CO for southwestern

St. Louis County and a standby Pilot for the Aviation Unit. He

gets plenty of flying in the DNR's American Champion Scouts thus

making good on plans A and B. Sara often worked with Jake

so it was appropriate for him to lead the DNR contingent

to DC. Her husband, mother, sister and son were

accompanied by the Honor Guard at the ceremonies.

Losing a loved one is never a good thing, but perhaps

the memorial to her will help ease the pain of those

left behind.