STARK: As per the Commissioner of Safety, Levi D. Frye, 30, died while on duty as a North Country Fish and Game Conservation Officer. The state should give his young family a $100,000 death benefit.
On October 2, 2024, Frye killed himself.
When it meets on Wednesday, the New Hampshire Executive Council will be asked to agree to the money for him, his wife Shannon, and their young child.
Under RSA 21-I:29-a, II, Robert L. Quinn, who is the commissioner of safety, found that a death benefit is due.
He found that Fish and Game Conservation Officer Levi Frye’s death was an accident that happened in the line of duty.
The law says that “the commissioner of safety shall obtain the available records related to the circumstances, cause, and manner of such death and the decedent’s status as a police officer… and shall make a determination as to whether the death qualifies as a line-of-duty death and who is entitled to the death benefit.”
“After going over the records that were collected during this investigation, I have decided that Conservation Officer Frye was killed in the line of duty, as the law says:
When a police officer is “killed in the line of duty,” it means that he or she died while doing his or her job because of an event, accident, or violence that directly or indirectly caused death. This includes suicide. Suicide death will be seen as a work-related cause of death.
“The overwhelming amount of evidence I was given leads me to believe that Conservation Officer Frye was “killed in the line of duty,” and as a result, his family is entitled to the death benefit.”
Under RSA 21-!:29-a II, the State Treasurer must give the family of a police officer killed on the job a $100,000 death benefit on top of any other benefits given under this chapter.
Friends of Fish and Game and people who knew him for his service were shocked by his death. Fish and Game Col. Kevin Jordan told everyone who is hurting to get help.
His death notice said that Levi Frye was a loving husband and a great dad to a one-year-old.
“He was a fierce brother and friend.” It said, “He loved his family more than words can say and made sure they always had what they needed, no matter what.”
Levi graduated from Fall Mountain Regional High School in the southwestern part of the state.
He then went to the University of Maine to get a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology. He ran on the college cross-country, indoor, and outdoor track and field teams at UMaine. In Botswana and South Africa, he did an internship as a skilled hunter.
Frye passed from the 175th NH Police Academy with the best grades in his class. In 2018, he was sworn in as a Conservation Officer and began working in Hillsborough County. Later, he moved to Coos County. He was in the Honor Guard and Advanced Search and Rescue Teams. He taught people how to use firearms, was in charge of field training, and ran physical agility tests. He was also a member of the Conservation Officers Relief Association, whose job it is to help conservation officers and their families.
His patience, understanding, and creativity made him a valuable member of these teams. The obituary said, “He was involved in dozens of advanced search and rescue missions where his knowledge and insight into the process led to good results, giving so many family members of the patients he worked with peace of mind.”
His acting skills were also seen in the TV show North Woods Law.
He was about to get an award for helping a woman whose car went into the river right before he died.
“He turned every case into a mission and kept looking for fair answers.” Without giving up, he worked hard to make sure that he was a great cop for his agency. He was the perfect example of being ready and organized. His obituary said, “He was naturally serious, but his kindness and calm demeanor helped people through the worst situations they could be in.”
He was known to celebrate special events with cigars, and many of his fellow officers have fond memories of sharing one with him after a hard task or a job well done.
The benefit was most recently given to the family of Bradley Haas, who was killed while working as a security guard at New Hampshire Hospital.
Frye was going to get the “Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award” because he helped save a woman from Lancaster whose car had crashed into a river.
Col. Jordan and Frye’s family want people to know that there are places where people who are having a hard time can get help with their mental health.
“With his family’s permission, we wanted to use this chance to let people know about all the resources in New Hampshire that can help stop tragedies like this,” Jordan said. “We hope that people who are fighting demons like this will use these resources to stay safe.”
Pick up the phone and call 9-8-8 to reach the national suicide hotline. You’re not by yourself.
