A bicyclist fatally struck by a semi in central Minnesota was longtime law enforcement officer Robert Ringstrom, whose career included leading the Sartell Police Department.

The collision with a semitrailer truck occurred about 7 p.m. Friday in St. Joseph as the big rig was heading east on County Road 75 at the intersection with SE. 20th Avenue, police said.

Police Chief Dwight Pfannenstein has so far declined to release the identity of the semi's driver.

"We were saddened to hear that Retired Police Chief Bob Ringstrom was killed while riding his bicycle," the Sartell Police Department posted Monday on Facebook. "Bob was a respected leader to his staff and the community. He remained connected with much of our staff after retirement, and he will be missed."

The posting credited Ringstrom, who was 74, with creating officer assignments inside Sartell public schools and "leading us through an era where professional standards were enhanced and turned the job of policing into a profession."

Ringstrom began his career in Hutchinson, Minn., according to his online obituary, where he was a police officer from 1978 to 1990. He then joined the police force in Sartell and retired as its police chief in 2004.

Ringstrom was born in Devils Lake, N.D., and graduated from Jamestown (N.D.) High School. He entered the Marines in 1968, served in the Vietnam War and was part of the security detail with the Marines protecting the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.