Every year since 1962, peacekeepers who have fallen in the line of duty have been remembered on Peace Officers Memorial Day, which falls on May 14.
In years before the pandemic, Peace Officers Memorial Day was celebrated, in Longmont, with a ceremony on the front steps of the Safety and Justice Center at 225 Kimbark St.
Last year and again this year, the service was prerecorded by Longmont Public Media and shown on Comcast channels 8 and 880, the city of Longmont and Longmont Public Media’s YouTube channels and on Longmont Public Media’s website.
“Each year our nation loses between 140-160 law enforcement officers in the line of duty,” according to the city of Longmont website.
Colorado lost three officers in 2020, which is the year the service is primarily dedicated to. However, as of May 11, the state also recorded the loss of one officer, Officer Eric Talley.
Talley was the first officer to arrive at a shooting that took place at a King Soopers store in Boulder in March. He was killed while trying to save the lives of victims trapped inside the store during a mass shooting, of which ten people died.
Talley served with the Boulder Police department for 11 years and is survived by his wife, seven children and parents.
The officers who will be remembered from 2020 include Det. Curt M. Holland, Ranger Brendan P. Unitt and Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey C. Hopkins.
Holland died on October 16, 2020 when his department vehicle was struck, head-on, by a drunk driver, according to the Officer Down Memorial website.
Holland was 37-years-old and had served four years with the Commerce City Police Department. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Unitt was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had served with the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources for six months. He was 27-years-old when he passed on August 20, 2020.
He was called to assist a distressed boater on Horsetooth Reservoir during a strong wind event. Officials believe his boat was blown away from the shore by the wind and that Unitt removed his flotation device in an attempt to retrieve the boat before responding to the rescue call. He drowned and was found hours later, according to the Officer Down Memorial website.
Hopkins had served the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for 20 before he contracted COVID-19 while on duty at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center.
He was 41-years-old when he passed and is survived by his wife and parents, according to the Officer Down Memorial website.
The names of these four officers join those of the other 331 Colorado officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty since 1776, according to the city of Longmont website.
This year’s memorial service was recorded with members of the Front Range Chaplains, representing many faiths in Longmont, sharing words of loss and hope.
Interim Public Safety Chief Rob Spendlow gave a moving speech about the dedication officers give to helping others especially in 2020.
The year “2020 was a difficult time in emergency response due to COVID and perhaps more difficult due to the mixed feelings towards police officers throughout the United States as we navigated a pandemic and civil unrest,” Spendlow said.
While communities across the nation struggle with policies set by local police departments, Spendlow announced his gratitude for the community of Longmont having the forethought to implement a different set of policies. Among those is choosing officers who “feel inspired by the role they take in giving back to their communities,” he said.
On Peace Officers Memorial Day, Spendlow reminds the community that officers “unselfishly take to assist a resident without expecting anything in return” while reporting “to work every day not knowing the hurdles or dangers they may encounter.”
“We know that life goes on, but the pain and loss do not go away when we lose an officer, often to a senseless, tragic incident. … The legacy of those we have lost live on,” Spendlow said.
Although not lost in the line of duty, the Longmont Police Department lost five other officers this year. On this day, Commander Chris Schmad, Retired Police Chief Jarry Johns, Retired Captain Jim Stritchko, Retired Sergeant Mike Bell and Retired MPO Mike Violette were also remembered.
The Peacekeepers Memorial Service will air on Channel 8/880 at 5 p.m. tonight. Viewers can also watch here.
