Wis. Police Officer Dies in Head-On Collision

McFARLAND, Wisconsin -- A McFarland police officer was killed Monday in the town of Albion in a head-on crash with the driver of a pickup truck from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The Dane County Sheriff's Office identified the officer as Ryan P. Copeland, 33, of Janesville. Copeland joined the McFarland Police Department in 2013 and served as a K-9 officer.

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association issued a statement extending condolences to Copeland's "loving family."

"Prior to joining the proud ranks of the McFarland Police Department in 2013, Ryan served our country for 10 years in the United States Army, the last seven of which as a Special Forces Green Beret and sniper," WPPA executive director Jim Palmer said in the statement.

In October 2014, the McFarland community raised thousands of dollars to secure a German shepherd named Boris and Copeland began his role as K-9 officer, Palmer said. 

The crash occurred around noon on Highway N near Bublitz Road, about 3 miles northwest of Edgerton. Copeland had just come on duty and was driving west on Highway N, according to Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer.

The collision occurred when a Ford F250 pickup truck, registered to the DNR and driven east on Highway N by Colleen M. Sutheimer, 25, of Fitchburg, crossed the center line and hit Copeland's squad car, Schaffer said. Copeland died at the scene. 

Sutheimer, who was working as an employee of the DNR at the time of the crash, suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital in Janesville.

The Dane County Sheriff's Office is investigating the cause of the crash, with citations pending, Schaffer said. No details were available regarding what kind of citations were being considered.

“We have our reconstructionist out there," Schaffer said late Monday afternoon. "We’re trying to figure out what caused her to cross over. The roads are a little bit slushy, but there's nothing to indicate that was the cause.”

Schaffer said there have been 49 traffic-related deaths of U.S. police officers so far this year according to National Law Enforcement Memorial website, making motor vehicle crashes the leading cause of on-duty police deaths. That's a 23 percent increase from this time last year, the site showed.

The WPPA said Copeland was the 274th police officer to be killed on duty in Wisconsin's history and the 35th caused by a motor vehicle accident.

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