Officer David Richard Loeffler was killed May 29, 2009 at the age of 36 from injuries sustained 12 years earlier when he was struck by a drunk driver.

Officer Loeffler grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield. He earned a degree in Law Enforcement from Mankato State University. He then began working for the Minneapolis Police Department in September 1995.

After working in the Organized Crime Unit and the Minnesota Gang Strike Force, he left the Police Department in November 2002.

Officer Loeffler earned a law degree from William Mitchell School of Law in St. Paul and served in the Minnesota Attorney General’s office and then in the Aitkin County Attorney’s office.

On March 15th, 1997 Loeffler and his partner were attempting to help a drunk man cross the street when he was struck by a car operated by another drunk driver. His leg was severed in the incident. He succumbed to the injuries sustained that night 12 years later at the age of 36.

Loeffler’s partner, Peter Hafstad, who was with him the night of the incident, said Officer Loeffler had a “kind of a humble hero attitude” and acknowledged that he put himself in harm’s way to save a life.

Loeffler is survived by family members, and his brother described him as a “humble, compassionate, generous person, almost to a fault.”

Officer Mark Bedard, 34
Park Police
Appointed June 20, 1997
End of Watch Nov. 9, 2007

Officer Bedard was injured while chasing a suspect on Nov. 1, 2007, and died eight days later from his injuries.

Police had received a 911 call from a person who had been shot at by occupants of a car. Police officers reported to the scene and pursued the vehicle, which crashed into a tree. The driver fled, running between residences. Bedard was pursuing the driver on foot. Bedard ran out from between two garages, colliding with the squad car.

Bedard had broken bones, a collapsed lung, and a torn aorta. During surgery to repair his injuries, his heart stopped twice, which caused a severe stroke. Bedard died at North Memorial Medical Center.

In 1996, Bedard was recognized with a Medal of Commendation for securing a chaotic scene during a north Minneapolis shootout, during which the windshield of his squad car was shot. Bedard had a gift with words. He persuaded a suicidal citizen not to jump off the Franklin Avenue Bridge. He was a frequent speaker at area schools. Once he was called to a school to help with a 5-year-old student who was out of control. Within minutes, he and the boy were walking down the hall, hand in hand.

“Mark understood that his job was to protect and serve, but he wanted to go the extra mile,” said Jon Olson, president of the Minneapolis Park Board.

Off the job, Bedard’s priority was his family. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing. He led a team of Park Police officers in the Polar Plunge fund-raiser to benefit Special Olympics. Park Police Chief Brad Johnson’s son is a Special Olympics participant.“We lost a dear colleague and friend,” said Johnson.

More than 1,500 people gathered for the funeral services at the Basilica of Saint Mary. Before the services began, hundreds of offices from around the state stood shoulder to shoulder as Bedard’s body was taken inside the church. After the services, Bedard’s body was taken to Lakewood Cemetery for interment in a caravan that included squad cars from law enforcement agencies around the state, fire trucks, and ambulances. Positioned at the cemetery gates were two fire trucks, with their ladders upraised to form a V, and an American flag hanging down the middle.

Bedard was survived by his wife, Andi, and 2-year-old son, Nic.