Fallen Law Enforcement Officers Honored At Memorial

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4)- It was a solemn ceremony in Golden on Friday to honor men and women law enforcement officers who gave their lives promising to protect and serve.

The names of four officers killed in the line of duty in 2015 across the state were added to the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial on Friday.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Sean Renfro died after he was struck while directing traffic at an accident on Highway 285.

State Patrol Cadet Taylor Thyfault was hit by a man who was fleeing a traffic stop near Longmont and promoted to trooper posthumously.

State Trooper Jaimie Jursevics died when she was struck by an alleged drunk driver on Interstate 25 after a Broncos game.

University of Colorado- Colorado Springs Campus Police Officer Garret Swasey was killed in the deadly shooting at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.

Their four names were added to the memorial which total 302 officers killed in the line of duty in Colorado.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers attended Friday's ceremony. For some, four officers is the most they can remember honoring in one year.

Each of the four families was presented a Colorado flag followed by the 21-gun salute.

For some, the ceremony offered closure.

"It means the world to me. It's an honor to my son, it's an honor to all law enforcement officers who sacrifice themselves every day and it brings to light how we should honor each and every one of the law enforcement officers out there," said Thyfault's mother Carole Adler.

"He died while helping a stranded family and he was having a very good day that day, he was doing what he loved, and it's only right that his name is on a memorial such as this," said Renfro's mother Linda Renfro.

Law enforcement hopes there will be a year where they won't have to hold a memorial ceremony but there is one name that will be added next year, Park County Sheriff's Cpl. Nate Carrigan who was shot and killed while serving an eviction notice in Bailey earlier this year.

Officers at the memorial said it's unfortunate and a constant reminder there is no such thing as a routine stop.