Fallen Officer Wynn

  1. Eugene Wynn / PO Box 106, Hinckley,MN / Minnesota Conservation Officer/ 43 years old, 18 of service, and patrolled the Pine City station since 2001.

(b)  Names/relationship of family members: He is survived by his wife Heather and two children ages 11 and 6.

(c) Circumstances: According to the Pine County Sheriff's Office, at about 7:44 p.m., dispatch received a call of a possible body in the water in Cross Lake. The call came from a witness fishing from the shore.

A deputy and a conservation officer responded, but were not able to identify the object from the shoreline. So, the conservation officer got his boat, and he and a deputy launched it into Cross Lake. within a minute of leaving the launch, both officers were thrown from the boat into the water. They began swimming towards shore and additional deputies attempted to rescue them using a nearby row boat.  When authorities reached the deputy, they retrieved him, and he was transported to the hospital. However, the Conservation Officer went under the water before authorities could get to him. Officials say the conservation officer's body was recovered at about 1:35 a.m. after an intensive search. Investigation is still on going.

(d) Funeral arrangements – naming who is in charge and when and where is the funeral: Mike Scott  218-390-4097 MN contact not public yet.  Friday April 26th . Family visitation 10:00 to 10:30.  Officers of other jurisdictions will have a visitation at 10:30 - 11:30.

(f) Local memorial fund and who is administering:  They are administering a trust fund but have not anything set up.  The stickler is that his wife is a sitting judge so they have to be careful on how these death benefits are received. They are setting a fund in his children’s names.

Vote to approve Fallen Officer Line of duty death benefit for Officer Wynn

  • Yes I approve the benefit to be paid (100%, 8 Votes)
  • No I do not approve the benefit to be paid (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 8

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NORTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION

FALLEN OFFICER MEMORIAL FUND

CRITERIA

The North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association will recognize wildlife and fisheries law enforcement officers killed as a consequence of performing their duties. NAWEOA recognition will be material and commemorative, indicating solidarity within our profession and compassion toward family survivors.

ELIGIBILITY:

Anyone who is eligible for regular or deputy NAWEOA membership may be nominated for this award.

For the purpose of this Memorial, “law enforcement officer” means an individual involved in wildlife and/or fisheries crime control or reduction and who is directly employed on a full-time basis by a local, county, state, provincial or federal law enforcement agency of the United States or Canada with or without compensation, who is duly sworn and has full arrest powers.

Less than full-time law enforcement officers will also be considered. In such cases, eligibility will be determined after a review of several issues, including but not limited to job description, training and circumstances of death.

“Line of duty” means any action which an officer is obligated or authorized by law, rule, regulation, written condition of employment service to perform, or for which the officer is compensated by the public agency he or she serves.

The term “killed in the line of duty” means a law enforcement officer has died as a direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty. This includes victim law enforcement officers who, while in an off-duty capacity, act in response to a law violation.

This includes victim law enforcement officers who, while in an off-duty capacity, are actually en route to or from a specific emergency or responding to a particular request for assistance; or the officer is, as required or authorized by law or condition of employment, driving his employer’s vehicle to or from work; or when the officer is, as required by law or condition of employment, to drive his own personal vehicle at work and is killed while en route to or from work.

Not included under this definition are deaths attributed to natural causes, except when the medical condition arises out of physical exertion, while on duty, that is required by law or condition of employment.   Deaths, on duty, from natural causes, are subject to review by the NAWEOA Executive Board.

Also not included under this definition are deaths attributed to voluntary alcohol or controlled substance abuse, deaths caused by the intentional misconduct of the officer, deaths caused by the officer’s intention to bring about his or her own death and deaths attributed to an officer performing his/her duty in a grossly negligent manner at time of death.

Each death caused by disease shall be reviewed by medical personnel with appropriate skill and expertise as determined by the NAWEOA Board of Directors. If it is determined that the officer died as a result of infectious disease contracted while performing official duties, or by exposure to hazardous materials or conditions while performing official duties, that officer is eligible for inclusion on the Memorial.

The NAWEOA Board of Directors shall exhaust all possible means available to verify an officer’s eligibility status, and the correct spelling of the name. Efforts will include having the name verified by the law enforcement agency of record and a surviving family member.

PROCEDURE:

It is the duty of the Jurisdictional Representatives and/or Regional Director to immediately report to the President of fatalities occurring within their jurisdictions.

This report will include:

(a) Name, address, title, age, years of service, and history of lost officer.

(b) Names/relationship of family members.

(c)  Circumstances, as detailed as possible - When? Where? How?

(d) Funeral arrangements – naming who is in charge and when and where is the funeral.

(f)  Local memorial fund and who is administering.

The president will advise the executive and may issue a brief press release. Directors will advise their Jurisdictional Representatives.

Upon notification of qualifying death  the Secretary Treasurer will forward a check in an amount determined by the executive or general membership to the immediate family or to an established memorial fund, complete with a letter of condolence which will include the names of the Fallen Officers Fund Contributors.

The president will co-ordinate NAWEOA’s attendance at memorial services, delivery of flowers, report the incident in the newsletter and ensure the incident is reported in the International Game Warden.

The president will ensure that a suitable commemorative plaque is provided to the officer’s agency. The agency will choose a place where the plaque, complete with the officer’s photograph will be displayed.

The secretary/treasure will forward a letter to all Fallen Officers Fund Contributors advising of the death along with as much detail as is known at the time and will request donations be submitted to rebuild the fund.

NAWEOA will provide $250 and one basic registration to the immediate family of a fallen officer that has met the criteria for the $2500 fallen officer fund payment, to be used to attend the NAWEOA summer conference where that officer is to be honored. Upon arrival at the conference, funds will be reimbursed in the currency of the residency of the receiving family.

 

Note:  PROCEDURE REGARDING $100 MEMORIAL CHECK

(No vote, through internet blog or official meeting, of the Executive Board is necessary when considering the issuance of a $100 memorial check):

  1. When a Regional Director receives notification of an officer death in his/her region which does not meet the criteria for a $2,500 FOF payment, that Regional Director shall:
  2. a)verify such information; obtain circumstances of death and survivor information
  3. b)notify the Executive Board via email of details of the death
  4. c)wait one (1) week during which time other board members may express contrary opinions or forward questions for further clarification
  5. d)notify the Secretary/Treasurer to make the $100 payment to the appropriate survivor  (providing there is no opposition)
  6. e)provide the Sec/Treas with the name and address of the survivor (include relationship between officer and survivor)  towhom the check should be sent

  1. Upon receipt of the necessary information from the Regional Director, the Sec/Treas shall send a $100 check (in the funds of the country in which the officer resided) to the appropriate survivor.

  1. The President and or director shall then send a card of condolences to the appropriate survivor.

Additional Note: Notification of death must be made to the NAWEOA Board within 1 year of death to be considered for the $2,500 or $100 payment.

6 thoughts on “Fallen Officer Wynn”

    1. Benefits can be made out to Minnesota Game Warden Foundation / 30249 400 Street / Aitkin, MN 56431. Notes Eugene Wynn Memorial.

  1. I was only able to officialy vote today as I could not log in. I did however submit a Yes vote to Shawn and Rick via email.

    I am now able to access this site again and am good to go. Thanks all…thanks Mike for fixing security settings.

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