McFarland Police Department, Wisconsin
End of Watch: Monday, November 23, 2015
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: K8435
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: November 23, 2015
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
K9 Officer Ryan Copeland was killed in a vehicle collision on County Highway N, near Bublitz Road in the town of Albion, at approximately 12:30 pm.
He was just beginning his shift and was traveling westbound when a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources pickup truck crossed the center line and struck his patrol car head-on. Officer Copeland succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
It is believed that the DNR vehicle went out of control due to slushy conditions during a period of snow.
Officer Copeland was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the McFarland Police Department for three years.