“Police Week” is being celebrated nationally from May 11 to May 17 this year, coinciding with Peace Officer Memorial Day on May 15. On Thursday, the Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder Police Department, and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office will hold an event at the Longmont Civic Center Mall at 4:30 p.m. and the Weld County Sheriff’s Office will hold an event at 6 p.m. at Bittersweet Park in Greeley in honor of the national observance.
The events will honor the 165 U.S. police officers who died in the line of duty in 2024. This includes Golden Police Officer Evan Dunn, who died on November 6, 2024 after being struck by a drunk driver. Officer Dunn was investigating a crash on Highway 58 at the time of the incident. Stephen Geer, a professor at the School of Mines, was charged with vehicular homicide and was found to have a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit. A trial date has not yet been set and Greer was released on a $250,000 bond.
The Longmont event information said they will also honor Patrol Officer Dale Coski who died last year after succumbing to injuries sustained in 1983 when she was assisting someone with a flat tire on I-70.
President Donald Trump issued a proclamation for Police Week and called for American flags to be flown at half-staff for Peace Officer Memorial Day. “On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we honor our brave officers who serve on the front lines to protect our families, safeguard our communities, and shoulder a burden of responsibility that most Americans cannot fathom,” the proclamation said. “This week and always, we honor the courageous men and women serving in law enforcement and memorialize those who sacrificed their lives defending the thin blue line.”
There were 165 officer deaths last year among approximately 720,000 officers in the line of duty, which is 22.9 deaths per 100,000 officers. In 2022, the homicide rate for the general population was 7.7 deaths per 100,000.
The Weld County Commissioners issued a proclamation honoring police officers for being the “guardians of life and property and the individual’s right to be free.”
