Retired central Minnesota police chief fatally struck by semi while bicycling
A bicyclist fatally struck by a semi in central Minnesota was longtime law enforcement officer Robert Ringstrom, whose career included leading the Sartell Police Department.
The collision with a semitrailer truck occurred about 7 p.m. Friday in St. Joseph at the intersection of County Road 75 and SE. 20th Avenue, police said.
"We were saddened to hear that Retired Police Chief Bob Ringstrom was killed while riding his bicycle," the Sartell Police Department posted Monday on Facebook. "Bob was a respected leader to his staff and the community. He remained connected with much of our staff after retirement, and he will be missed."
The posting credited Ringstrom, who was 74, with creating officer assignments inside the Sartell public schools and "leading us through an era where professional standards were enhanced and turned the job of policing into a profession."
Ringstrom began his career in Hutchinson, Minn., according to his online obituary, where he was a police officer from 1978 to 1990. He then joined the police force in Sartell and retired as its police chief in 2004.
Ringstrom was born in Devils Lake, N.D., and graduated from Jamestown (N.D.) High School. He entered the Marines in 1968, served in the Vietnam War and was part of the security detail with the Marines protecting the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
