Luther Frederick Klug
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Luther Frederick Klug

Felonious
End of Watch July 16, 1996
Age 36
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Badge 1140
The Vigil Panel 142 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Luther Klug was killed when a drunk driver ran a stop sign and struck his patrol car on the driver's side at the intersection of Highway 316 and 200th Street, in Hastings. The impact of the crash pushed the patrol car into a nearby ditch. Deputy Klug was flown to Ramsey County Medical Center where he died shortly after 1:00 am. The 37-year-old suspect was convicted of vehicular homicide and sentenced to only four years in jail. He fled from his previous home in Oklahoma a year earlier to avoid a drunk driving charge. Deputy Klug had served with the Dakota County Sheriff's Office for six years and had served in law enforcement for a total of 15 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-648D369B
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Klug gave the Dakota County Sheriff's Office 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hastings community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Klug.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location Hastings, MN
Platform Identity dcso.dakota.mn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 16, 1996
Tour of Duty 15 yrs
Age 36
Badge Number 1140
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Automobile; Alcohol involved
Offender Sentenced to 4 years

Deputy Sheriff Luther Frederick Klug is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In MN, 173 of 293 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59% of this state's fallen. That is 4.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Dakota County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Dakota County Sheriff's Office
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
MN — Statewide
173
of 293 officers
59% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Luther Frederick Klug's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Luther Frederick Klug Compares

Age at End of Watch
36
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
15
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

Sentenced to 4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Luther Frederick Klug is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Luther Frederick Klug was killed by automobile; alcohol involved.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Dakota County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.