Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association (LEMA) Line Of Duty Death (LODD) Honor Roll of Fallen Officers Recognition Guidelines

The Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association recognizes the extreme importance of their responsibility in making proper and accurate determinations of names that are added to the “Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association Honor Roll of Fallen Officers.”  While the addition of a fallen officer name to this list is strictly symbolic in nature and comes with no financial benefit, the organization recognizes this symbolism is crucial to survivors to ensure the highest level of integrity in the names added to this Honor Roll of officers who have died in the Line of Duty.  This document is intended to provide guidance to ensure thoroughness, fairness, and consistency in these important decisions.

LODD Funeral Planning Determination

For the sole purpose of funeral planning, the MN LEMA Board of Directors has empowered the President, or a designee, to make an initial determination on whether the death is considered a LODD, an off-duty death, or a retiree death without action of the Board.  This is to ensure LEMA funeral planning personnel can meet with survivors and home agencies as soon after LEMA’s notification of the death as possible and that funeral planning is not delayed waiting for Board approvals.  This determination will be made based on information received from the CLEO of the affected agency regarding the circumstances for the death and the CLEO’s initial determination of the cause of death.   NOTE – This is for the sole purposes of determining what ceremonial honors and planning resources will be made available for the family members.

MN LODD Honor Roll of Fallen Officers Determination

  1. A request to place a name on the LODD Honor Roll should be made by the CLEO of the fallen officer’s home agency. If a request is made by someone other than the CLEO, the CLEO must endorse that they believe the circumstances for the death constitute a LODD.
  2. The Honor Roll request can be forwarded to the Board for consideration. This request should include the following:
    1. Officer’s Full Name;
    2. Agency & Rank & Badge Number;
    3. Date of Death & Age at time of death;
    4. Years in Law Enforcement, if known;
    5. Any family details known, i.e. spouse, children, etc.;
    6. Any known living family relatives;
    7. Any documentation of the death circumstances, i.e. death certificate, news articles, police reports, etc.;
    8. Photo if available.
  3. The Board will take action on the request which may include approval of adding the name, denial of adding the name, or deferral for follow-up or further information.
  4. In addition to information provided in a request, the Board may seek additional information to appropriately make their determination. Additional information may be sought from other sources, such as public information, media reports, and interviews with involved officers.
  5. If the death occurred in recent years, the Board will often consult with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to determine if the state has made an official determination of the cause of death for state benefits.
  6. Once the Board takes action on a request for addition to the Honor Roll, the individual making the request will be notified of the decision.

NOTE – Recognition by the MN LEMA only affects funeral planning and being listed on the Honor Roll of Fallen Officers.  There are no other benefits, financial or otherwise, that come with this recognition.  MN LEMA is an independent organization and is not affiliated with any other entities that make LODD determinations, including the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund (NLEMF), the State of Minnesota/Department of Public Safety, the US Department of Justice Public Safety Officer’s Benefits Program (PSOBP), or Minnesota Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.).  MN LEMA is not bound by the decisions of any other entities in decisions regarding LODD recognition.