SE MN Police Foundation Looking For Faribault Police Relatives

The Law Enforcement Foundation of SE Minnesota is organizing the annual SE Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Program being held on May 18th at 5:30pm in Rochester at the Veteran’s Memorial in Soldiers Field park. During this program, we honor the 31 fallen officers recorded in SE Minnesota and their families.

The Foundation is looking for the public’s help in trying to locate any descendants of these three past fallen officers of the Faribault Police Department:

Faribault Police Officer Louis Joachim End of Watch May 6, 1895, Officer Joachim died from rabies after being bitten by a rabid dog that he was trying to subdue two months earlier. He was survived by his wife and five children.

Faribault Police Officer David J. Shipley End of Watch January 8, 1883, Officer Shipley died after being shot by a suspect he was attempting to arrest who was threatening to shoot and kill his wife. He was survived by his wife and five children.

Faribault Police Officer Henry Kaepernick End of Watch October 3, 1876, Officer Kaepernick was shot and killed by a guard assigned to watch the Younger Brothers who had been arrested for attempted robbery. Authorities were on edge and worried the James Gang would try to break out the Younger Brothers. When Kaepernick approached the guard and started to pull his badge to identify himself, the guard thought he was drawing a weapon and shot and killed him.

More information on these officers is available on our website at www.lawenforcement memorial.org. In addition to our annual memorial program, the Foundation is also raising money to build a SE MN Law Enforcement Memorial right across the street from the Veterans Memorial in Rochester.

This memorial will list the names of these fallen so they are never forgotten. This information is available on the website as well. We have not been able to identify descendants from these officers and do not want to miss anyone that might still be in the area. While the memorial program is organized each year to remember and honor the fallen 31 heroes in SE Minnesota, these officers did not take on this calling alone. When these three fallen Faribault Police Officers took on that call to serve – their whole family took on that responsibility, that commitment, the sacrifices that went along with it, the risks, and the stress.

We need to make sure they are recognized and supported as well. If you have any information on descendants of any of these three fallen heroes, please contact Foundation Board Member, Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose at 507-635-6200 or by email at scott.rose@co.dodge.mn.us.

For more information on the memorial fundraiser or the memorial program in May, go to www.lawenforcementmemorial.org.