Dayton Signs Bill Naming Road For Slain Officer

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Gov. Mark Dayton called Tom Decker "a true American hero" as he signed a bill to rename 11 miles of State Highway 23 after the slain Cold Spring police officer.

Decker's wife, Alicia Decker, and several local elected officials participated in the signing ceremony Tuesday. The Legislature passed the bill unanimously last week. Decker was shot and killed on a call in downtown Cold Spring last November.

The bill renames Highway 23 between Cold Spring and Richmond as "Tom Decker Memorial Highway."

Cold Spring Chief of Police Phil Jones says Decker drove that stretch thousands of times.

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