The Good Life Magazine – September-October 2023

PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: BILL AHLFELDT
Ultimately, the couple decided Ahlfeldt would move back to Fargo so
his wife could finish her schooling. The North Dakota Highway Patrol
offered him his seasonal vehicle inspection job back, which was slated
to end in October 2001.
“In the middle of all that, 9/11 happened and they started opening up
job positions everywhere,” he said. “Fargo opened up and they had
shelved my name when I put my application in previously.”
Ahlfeldt was hired on December 19, 2001.
“I really didn’t know where I was going to go. I knew my calling was in
law enforcement, and I wound up here in Fargo as a city cop,” he said.
“I’ve just had the wonderful opportunity to do many things.
That’s my second big life lesson: you can plan all you want, but the plan
isn’t always going to work out. You have to be flexible and be able to
regroup and make sound decisions about life.”
Lesson Three: Support matters.
Ahlfeldt says he’s always worked hard to grow as a police officer and
treat people fairly.
“I was a young cop, and I made mistakes,” he said. “You learn from
mistakes, and everything you do, and that makes you better.”
But officers have a lot to overcome when working with their communities
— especially in a climate where events around the country can make
that job even more difficult.
“Law enforcement, we say police work is the front seat to the craziest show
on Earth,” Ahlfeldt said. “And it is, but when you get a little bit older and
have 22 years under your belt, you sit back and think that’s not all it is. I
can think of some really crazy stuff but also it’s this incredible opportunity
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