BISMARCK, N.D. — A year ago Sunday, the Bismarck Police Department lost its innocence.
Through more than 100 years and countless dangerous situations, the department had never lost an officer until Sgt. Steve Kenner was killed on July 8, 2011.
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The department and Kenner's family gathered at the department Sunday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Kenner's death and to dedicate a new memorial to the 32-year officer outside the police station.
Steven Bannister shot and killed Kenner when Kenner responded to a domestic dispute on July 8, 2011. Bannister has pleaded guilty to murder and his awaiting sentencing on the Class AA felony. A Bismarck police officer shot Bannister after Bannister shot Kenner.
Deputy Chief Dan Donlin said the officers in the department still are "learning to live with" Kenner's death. "You don't get over something like this."
First anniversaries of difficult memories are never easy, Donlin said. The department wanted to take the time to remember Kenner and reflect on his life.
"Hopefully, it's just another step in the healing process," he said.
Donlin has been an officer in Bismarck for 24 years. Officers have so many calls for service or traffic crashes to respond to that they are kept from performing more proactive police work.
"The officers are hopping from call to call," Donlin said. "They are much busier than when I started."
Police get spit on, cursed at and generally disrespected, but "they still try to remain professional and respectful," Donlin said.
Kenner's death reminds them of the worst outcome that can happen, but they have to focus on keeping themselves and the community safe, the deputy chief said. He said they can never accept what happened to Kenner and hope to never add another name to the new memorial wall.
"The officers know this is a possibility," he said. "Anything can happen, anytime, anywhere, and we know that."