Even as Dennis Jensen rose through the ranks of the St. Paul Police Department to become an assistant chief, he never stopped patrolling the city’s streets.
He loved being an officer on patrol, his family said.
Jensen, who was a St. Paul police officer for 24 years and then worked for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, died Wednesday at home in Inver Grove Heights. He was 63 and had battled early onset Alzheimer’s for five years.
He fought through a heart attack at age 38 to return to the police department, but had to retire after a second one at 48. He recovered for a year and went to work for the sheriff’s office, taking the lead on homeland security and counter-terrorism matters until his career was ended again by health problems.
“He wasn’t afraid to take on additional work, even though his health had been jeopardized, but he also carried grace with him through those challenging periods,” said Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher, who also worked with Jensen at the St. Paul Police Department.
A sergeant told Amy Jensen, Dennis’ wife, that even as he achieved high-ranking positions, he never lost the appreciation for what it was like to be a street cop.
Jensen was born on Oct. 22, 1956, in Minneapolis. He grew up in Eagan and became interested in law enforcement because his father was a volunteer firefighter.
He spent years working in narcotics enforcement, became commander of special investigations and narcotics, and was Police Chief William Finney’s chief of staff for two and a half years.
When he was senior commander of the Eastern District in 2004, he was a finalist to become St. Paul police chief. He was appointed assistant chief, a position he held until his 2006 retirement.
Jensen earned his master’s degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2006 and, as an outgrowth of his master’s thesis, the St. Paul Police Department received a grant for an outreach program with the Muslim and Somali community. The work that Jensen initiated still continues, said Police Chief Todd Axtell.
“He always had a way of making people laugh and lightening the work environment through well-timed jokes,” Axtell remembered. “His contributions to the St. Paul Police Department will be felt for years to come and he will be greatly missed.”
In addition to his wife, Jensen is survived by daughter, Danielle Baumann, and siblings, Doug Jensen, Suzanne Edstrom and Jay Jensen.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, and 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday with service to follow, all at O’Halloran & Murphy Funeral Home, 575 S. Snelling Ave. in St. Paul.
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January 04, 2020 at 04:03AM
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Retired assistant St. Paul police chief who never forgot what it was like to be a street cop dies at 63 - St. Paul Pioneer Press
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