Pope County Deputy Josh Owen was awarded the Police Cross and Medal of Honor awards at the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association annual Awards Ceremony at the St. Cloud Convention Center last Wednesday, April 17. 

Pope County Sheriff Tim Riley and Chief Deputy Nathan Brecht received the awards on behalf of Deputy Owen, who “made the ultimate sacrifice and demonstrated superior bravery and heroism, as he was fatally wounded while attempting to arrest a suspect involved in a physical domestic.” it was stated at the awards ceremony.  

The Medal of Honor Award was also awarded to Pope County Deputy Brody Merrill and Starbuck Police Officer Alexander Olson. Pope County Sheriff’s Dispatcher, Nick Hollenbeck received the Meritorious Service Award. 

On behalf of Sheriff Tim Riley, Starbuck Police Chief Mitch Johnsrud nominated the local award recipients. Chief Johnsrud also serves on Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Board of Directors, and Glenwood Police Chief Dale Danter was also present during the awards ceremony. 

Details of award presented

“On April 15, 2023, Pope County law enforcement agencies and their law enforcement partners, and communities experienced devastating loss. As Pope County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Owen made the ultimate sacrifice and demonstrated superior bravery and heroism, as he was fatally wounded while attempting to arrest a suspect involved in a physical domestic. 

“Starbuck Police Officer Alexander Olson and Pope County Deputy Brody Merrill also demonstrated profound bravery and heroism as they were both shot by gunfire from the suspect during the incident.  After being shot, both resorted to their past training and experiences and were able continue to work through this traumatic situation with superb professionalism and resilience. 

Pope County Sheriff’s Dispatcher Nick Hollenbeck was the only dispatcher on duty at the time of the incident and was able to overcome the emotional roller coaster of events and stay on task and get the officers emergency resources to deal with this tragic situation.”

More about the medals

Each year, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) recognizes the great work being done by law enforcement officers. This is MCPA’s opportunity at the Executive Training Institute (ETI) to honor the exceptional and outstanding work of our police officers and chiefs.  All nominations must be submitted by a Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO).  In this case, the nominations came from Starbuck Chief of Police Mitch Johnsrud. The award categories and descriptions follow.

 Medal of Honor Award: The deed for which the Medal of Honor is presented usually involves a single event, and must demonstrate personal bravery, heroism, intelligence, alertness, presence of mind, and self-sacrifice so inspiring that it clearly distinguishes the individual for gallantry and bravery above comrades. The deed for which the Medal of Honor is awarded must also include a voluntary course of action involving the risk of life. It may also recognize an extraordinary effort to preserve life under the circumstance outline herein. The Award winner will be presented a plaque and a commendation bar at the Executive Training Institute.

Distinguished Service Award: Award nominations can be made for sworn or non-sworn employees for exceptional achievement, including, but not limited to, crime prevention, investigative work, community engagement, working with juveniles, training, traffic safety, mentoring, and innovative approaches to public safety. All nominees should have maintained the highest standard of leadership, distinguishing themselves by superior accomplishments, continuing long term involvement, communication, skills that encompass problem solving, planning, organizational performance, professionalism, and effectiveness during the previous calendar year. This award will be presented for accomplishments that are truly distinctive and extraordinary. This award will be presented at the Executive Training Institute Awards Banquet and will consist of a plaque and a commendation bar. 

Meritorious Service Award: This award is presented to sworn or non-sworn employees for a series of acts, through which an employee distinguishes himself/herself by outstanding meritorious service or achievement. These acts should be well above that expected in the normal performance of duty and would involve an exceptional series of outstanding acts of achievement over a sustained period of time (longer than one year). This award will consist of a plaque that will be presented to the CLEO who will present it to the officer at a later time. The officer and the department will be noted at the Executive Training Institute Awards Banquet.

Lifesaving Award: The lifesaving award will be presented to a law enforcement officer for a single act in which the officer displayed extraordinary performance in the course of his /her duty to save the life of a person that would have likely died if not for the action of the officer.  This award will only be presented to officers whose actions rise above the normal course of duty and involve extraordinary performance and/or a significant risk to the officer in the course of the lifesaving actions. This award will consist of a plaque and commendation bar which will be presented to the officer at the Executive Training Institute Awards Banquet.

Police Cross Award

This award would be given in recognition of the recipient who made the supreme sacrifice, who gave their life in the service of the community, state and country in the highest traditions of the law enforcement profession. This award would be presented at the Executive Training Institute to the officer’s family or CLEO and would include a plaque for the department and a medal.

Citizen’s Valor Award: This award is presented to private citizens who voluntarily come to the aid of a police officer or citizens in a situation of criminal activity or other life-threatening activity thereby putting their personal safety in jeopardy. Citizens receiving this Award shall have not personal motive or stake in the outcome of the event. This Award will be presented to the citizen at the Executive Training Institute and include a medal.