Special license plate would 'honor those who have fallen'

Minnesota may offer a specialty license plate that would honor law enforcement officials killed in the line of duty and help raise money for a group that supports their loved ones in the aftermath.

Rep. Duane Quam (R-Byron) sponsors HF678 that would create special law enforcement memorial plates. A required $25 donation ($5 in subsequent years) would be deposited in a new account and those funds would be passed on to the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association.

The group, founded in 1974, works to memorialize the sacrifices of fallen law enforcement officers and offer support to the officer’s survivors.

Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose praised the association for their work and urged lawmakers to create a memorial plate to help aid the group.

“If there was ever an organization it’s important to support, I think it’s this one,” he told the House Transportation and Regional Governance Policy Committee on Wednesday.

The bill was approved and referred to the House Transportation Finance Committee. Sen. David Senjem (R-Rochester) sponsors a companion, SF513, that has been referred to the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.

Michelle Patrick, the widow of Mendota Heights Police Officer Scott Patrick who was killed in the line of duty in 2014, told lawmakers how the memorial association helped her during “a very tough time in [her] life.”

Patrick said she doesn’t understand why a special Minnesota license plate honoring fallen officers doesn’t already exist.

“We need to recognize officers,” she said. “We need to honor those who have fallen.”