Det. Josh Brown’s supervisor at the Forest Lake Police Department said it’s hard to remember a time when Brown wasn’t smiling.
“He was constantly smiling, always smiling,” said Det. Sgt. Jonathan Glader. “I don’t know where they came from. He was just always genuinely excited to see the person that he was walking towards. He was genuinely excited to come in the doors of the police department and see his co-workers. He was genuinely excited when we would get together outside of work hours.”
Det. Josh Brown. (Courtesy of the Forest Lake Police Department)
Brown, 41, died unexpectedly Monday morning at his home in North Branch, Minn. Officials are still waiting for the cause of death from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, but there were “no suspicious circumstances and no trauma,” Glader said.
Glader found Brown’s body around 11 a.m. Monday when he went to Brown’s house at the request of Brown’s wife, Jennifer, who was out of town visiting family and couldn’t reach him. Brown, who was attached to the department’s narcotics unit, did not show up for work that day.
“It’s a tough one,” Glader said. “Josh was such an amazing guy. He obviously enjoyed his job. He loved his family. Deeply. He loved everybody around him.”
Brown, a 2002 graduate of Forest Lake Area High School, had served on the police department since 2017. Prior to that, he worked for two years as a patrol officer with the Wyoming (Minn.) Police Department. He also served eight years with the Minnesota Army National Guard.
Extra mile(s)
More than 1,400 people have commented on a Forest Lake Police Department’s Facebook post about Brown’s death. “He served with dedication and tenacity as a patrol officer and detective during his career,” the post states. “Detective Brown will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and the whole law enforcement community.”
One woman commented that Brown picked her up on the freeway at 4 a.m. one morning when both her car and her cellphone had died.
“I had to go on foot,” she wrote. “I walked to a nearby exit to get help. But he picked me up, and he went extra miles. He called his sergeant to get approval to see if he could drop me off all the way home because I couldn’t find a way to get home if he left me at the nearest gas station. So yes, so did take me home and made sure I was safe. I will never forget that. He had a heart of gold. May he rest in peace. Many will miss him and the good deeds he did.”
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Brown “could always be counted on to have good interactions with the public,” Glader said. “He was just so positive.”
Brown was an avid fitness enthusiast and amateur body builder who regularly worked out at Anytime Fitness in Forest Lake, Glader said. He had recently competed in a bodybuilding competition – the National Physique Committee’s Twin Cities Open at Mystic Lake Casino – and placed second in the Men’s Physique’s “True Novice B” division.
A procession was held Wednesday morning to accompany Brown’s body from the medical examiner’s office to Mattson Funeral Home in Forest Lake.
“Line the route, wave a flag, or place your hand over your heart as the procession passes,” the police department wrote on Facebook. “Let’s show his family and fellow officers that his service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Funeral services are pending.
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