A large contingent of Elk River police officers, reserve officers, and their families participated in the annual May 15 Law Enforcement Memorial Day observance at the Minnesota Peace Officers Memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol. Memorial observances included peace officers from around the state standing watch at the memorial, a parade of honor guard units, and concluded with a memorial program. Honor guards from the Elk River police department, Elk River police reserves, and Sherburne County sheriff’s office were among the participating units. The annual memorial event is planned and funded by the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association (LEMA).
President John F. Kennedy declared the first Law Enforcement Memorial Day on May 15, 1962, as a tribute to peace officers who lost their lives or were injured in the line of duty. Between 1881 and May 13, 2013, 270 Minnesota law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty, with an average 160 officers killed, and 60,000 injured in the United States each year. Among those remembered was Sherburne County Sheriff’s Deputy Edward H. Foley, who was killed in a gun battle in Elk River near the Orono dam on September 28, 1919.