East Grand Forks Police Officer Kenny Olson’s was 25 years old when his watched ended on July 19, 1978 after he was killed by a shotgun blast to the chest while responding to a call.
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EGFPD Officer Kenneth M. Olson |
Write Into Action was contacted by multiple persons close to Officer Olson who asked he be honored during Officer Appreciation Week.
However - the unique request was for Officer Olson to be honored with a true accounting of the aftermath of the shooting; be presented truthfully; without self-serving agendas or tainted by politcally correct token hype from corporate media.
According to witnesses, Gary Cariveau, the EGFPD police chief at the time, ghoulishly hung out Officer Olson’s bloody clothes to dry in plain view. Everyone at the police station would repeatedly see the bloody clothes when they came around the corner.
According to an eyewitness, the Department later hired a new officer, Andy Olson. Cariveau gave the new officer Kenneth Olson’s badge to wear, which still had BB dents in it from the fatal shotgun blast he took.
"It was sick," a witness said.
There was never a meeting or de-briefing regarding the shooting and officers were not offered counseling. Everybody just went back to work.
According to a witnesses, Officer Olson was somewhat unpopular with select public officials who were upset that he was citing too many drivers for DWI - something that hindered excessive drinking at local establishments. The witness said one public official snickerd that Olson's death solved a legal problem he had.