Officers who made 'ultimate sacrifice' remembered

Speakers at Friday’s memorial service for fallen local law enforcement officers remembered those who were lost and were thankful that another year has passed with no officers killed in the line of duty.

“With the help of God, we won’t add any of your names to this list,” said state Sen. John Morse to the hundreds of officers from agencies throughout the Pikes Peak region who attended the Peace Officers’ Memorial Day Service. The solemn service in America the Beautiful Park included a roll call of the names of the 27 local peace officers who have died in the line of duty since 1895.

The most recent of those deaths happened in 2006 when Colorado Springs police lost two officers: Jared S. Jensen and Kenneth C. Jordan. Since that year, there have been no other local officer deaths, though officers are often in dangerous situations, said Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers.

“I think of the countless times we encountered a deadly force situation and survived,” he said. He noted a February incident when Officer Ryan Jacobsen was the first on scene to a burglary in progress. When one of the burglars pulled out a gun, Jacobsen fired at him, killing him. Then he chased and tackled the other burglar.

“We express a prayer of gratitude that Ryan isn’t on the list,” Myers said.

The past year has been tough for many of the agencies, as budget cuts have forced them to do the same job with less people, said Morse. But still, the officers always put their duty ahead of their frustration, he said. 

 “The community continues to ask for your sacrifice, but doesn’t want to make a sacrifice of its own,” said Morse, a former Colorado Springs police officer and Fountain Police chief before being elected to the Colorado Legislature.

The ultimate sacrifice, Morse said, came from the officers who were killed while upholding that duty. To those families, he said, giving thanks is not enough.

“We must never forget that we owe you a debt that can never be repaid.”