Roger Erickson received the MoorHeart Award Monday. (From left) Police Chief Shannon Monroe, Mayor Shelly Carlson, Erickson, and Officer Brett Musich with K9 Dex.
Businessman Roger Erickson has been honored with the city’s monthly MoorHeart Award for his support of the Moorhead Police Department’s K-9 program. The award was presented by Mayor Shelly Carlson at Monday’s city council meeting.
A lifelong Moorhead resident, Erickson was nominated by Police Chief Shannon Monroe for contributing funds to purchase and train two K9 officers. Monroe wrote, “Roger has been a gracious and unsolicited supporter of the local law enforcement K9 programs. His love for dogs and his community has driven him to support local law enforcement by providing funding for purchasing four dogs for local law enforcement departments, including two for the Moorhead Police Department.”
The dogs and their training cost from $10,000 to $15,000 each.
Erickson first funded the purchase of K9 Zeke. With his handler, Officer Brett Musich, he went on to win the national Case of the Year award from the National Police Canine Association for tracking and helping apprehend the fleeing suspects in a 2022 case.
After Zeke’s untimely death in 2023, Erickson contacted MPD and pledged support for another dog, K9 Dex. The 2-year-old German Shepard and Belgian Malinois mix joined Officer Musich in patrolling the city in June 2024.
Monroe added, “Police canines bring amazing skills to law enforcement and are critical to our work. They are also costly to obtain, train and equip. Roger’s generous support has assisted the city in keeping our canine program running. Roger loves dogs, having his own nearby all the time, and we appreciate his giving.”
Erickson, who graduated from Moorhead High School and Minnesota State University Moorhead, has more than 40 years of business experience— building custom homes in Moorhead and creating several private businesses. His most recent development is Farmstead Senior Living in south Moorhead, which provides health-care services and retirement living.
