December 3 – MINNEAPOLIS – The Front Line Foundation
a Minnesota-based organization that aims to support law enforcement recently announced that it will award a $20,000 death benefit to the family of Red Lake Department of Public Safety officer Jesse Branch.
Branch was killed in a car accident while on duty responding to a call on the morning of Nov. 27 on State Highway 1, east of Red Lake. The occupant of the other vehicle involved in the crash, Alan Lussier Jr., was also killed in the collision.
Branch, a 17-year public safety veteran, is survived by a friend and her children.
According to a TFLF press release, Branch’s $20,000 death benefit brings the total amount TFLF has paid out to families since its inception in 2018 to $615,000.
In 2024 alone, TFLF has paid out seven death benefits to the families of first responders who died in the line of duty. This is the highest number of death benefits TFLF has paid out in a single calendar year, the release said.
“The dangers of protecting and serving come at a very high price,” Suzanne Holt, president and CEO of TFLF, said in the release. “Officer Branch risked his life for the safety of others and unfortunately he paid the ultimate price.”
Founded in late 2018, the Front Line Foundation was created to support law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs and National Guard members throughout Minnesota to provide financial assistance to families of first responders killed in the line of duty.
“It is our honor to support our first responders,” Holt said in the release. “Officer Branch is committed to public safety, and we are privileged to support his family in this time of grief and need.”
For more information please visit
www.thefrontlinemn.org.
