Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Fallen officers remembered

By Kevin Behr / Winona Daily News

More than 180 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty last year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. That’s one fatality every 48 hours.

The Winona Police Department and the Winona County Sheriff’s Department will pay homage to those fallen officers during a memorial service at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Law Enforcement Center. The service, which is open to the public, will pay special attention to three officers killed in Winona County over the years.

Minnesota State Patrol Cpl. Ted Foss died Aug. 31, 2000, when he was hit by a passing truck on Interstate 90 near Lewiston during a traffic stop. The Minnesota Legislature enacted the Ted Foss “Move Over” law shortly after his death, which requires motorists to slow down and move over for emergency personnel working on the side of the road.

Winona County Investigator John J. Schneider died Sept. 7, 1980, while responding to a domestic dispute in Goodview. He was shot once in the heart by John Arthur Kirch, who was convicted of murder and is currently serving a life sentence in the Minnesota state prison in Stillwater.

Winona Officer Matthew Hamilton died on Dec. 2, 1874, after an altercation with a drunken man in a train depot. Hamilton had a heart condition and subsequently died of a heart attack, according to Winona Daily Republican news reports.

Contact Kevin Behr at (507) 453-3524 or at kbehr@winonadailynews.com.