A procession of first responders will take place in Minot on Friday following the funeral of Minot Police Department Master Officer Patrick Blanchard Jr.

Blanchard died Thursday. His funeral will be held Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Minot State University Dome.

The procession route will leave the MSU Dome about 11:30 a.m. and go west from MSU on 11th Avenue Northwest. It will proceed south on 16th Street Northwest to 37th Avenue Southwest, then east on 37th Avenue Southwest to South Broadway. From there, the procession will go north on South Broadway to Third Avenue Southwest, ending at Thompson-Larson Funeral Home.

Delays will occur at the listed locations.

Brian Horinka, superintendent of Vehicle Maintenance and Transit for the city, said the procession could cause some delays or detours that might impact passenger transfers.

“We’ll try to shift routes around to avoid conflicts with the procession if necessary,” Horinka said. “We want to pay proper respect to Officer Blanchard while also limiting the potential impact on those who utilize our transit services.”

Any delays or detours will likely be limited to the time between 11:30 a.m. and approximately 12:30 p.m.

According to Minot Police Department information, those attending the funeral service are asked to park in the north MSU Dome parking lot. The service is open to the public. First responders who plan to attend are asked to be at the MSU Dome at 9:45 a.m. on Friday. First responders are also asked to contact Lt. Matt Mcleod at 857-9801 or matt.mcleod@minotnd.org to provide the number of attendees.

“Our department as well as Officer Blanchard’s family and friends appreciate all the support that has been shown during this difficult time,” said Minot Police Department information.

Agencies to assist MPD on Friday

The Minot Police Department administrative offices will be closed Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Police Chief John Klug. Officers from the Ward County Sheriff’s Department, North Dakota Highway Patrol and possibly other agencies will be providing law enforcement services during that time.

The closure is to honor and attend funeral services for Master Officer Patrick Blanchard Jr.

Klug said the department has received the strong support from the community and from law enforcement officers across North Dakota and beyond in response to its loss.

“We will continue to serve the community while grieving our loss,” Klug said. “We will recover. We will grow together as a department — become stronger and a more cohesive unit as we learn from this loss.”