Award named in honor of slain Maplewood Sgt. Joe Bergeron at annual memorial

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Maplewood Police Officer killed in the line of duty nine years ago was honored Wednesday morning with a memorial service.

Sgt. Joe Bergeron was shot and killed in an ambush by two car-jacking suspects in 2010. One of them was killed by police and the other is serving a prison sentence of more than 35 years.

“He was one of the few people at that time who knew pretty much anybody in the city,” said Commander Michael Shortreed, of the Maplewood Police Department. “I mean, he’s that guy that could connect with anybody.”

Maplewood Police perform the memorial service every year, but this year marked the first time they presented the “Sgt. Joe Bergeron Community Service Award.”

Bergeron had been on the force for more than 20 years at the time of his death.

In 2017, Bergeron’s niece, Ashley Bergeron, was sworn in as Maplewood’s newest officer.

"I feel like I want to give back to the community that gave to me during the time when we lost Joe. We had strangers and so many different people coming together for us and the family, showing their support," she said after her swearing in.