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Episode 18 - Honoring Heroes
3 Plays6 days ago
When tragedy strikes a law enforcement agency, the loss is felt by everyone. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn, president of the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation, has made it his mission to ensure no department faces that pain alone. The nonprofit steps in when an officer dies in the line of duty — helping coordinate funeral arrangements, providing critical resources, and offering support to the fallen’s fellow officers and family as they navigate their grief together.
If you wish to donate to the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation, please visit cofallenhero.org.
Do you have questions? We want to answer them. Send us an email to CommunityConnections@AdamsSheriffCO.gov
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast and Adams County Sheriff's Office
00:00:24
Speaker
All right, welcome back to another episode of Breaking and Adventuring, where we explore the world of the Adams County Sheriff's Office and beyond and share the background stories and experiences of the men and women in the Sheriff's Office, the law enforcement community, and the greater public safety community. So
Chief Redfern and the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation
00:00:37
Speaker
today, I'm here with Chief Steven Redfern of the Boulder Police Department, ah who not only with duties of leading that department, but also is a part of an organization called the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation. So I appreciate being here with us, Chief. Absolutely. um So yeah, just looking into discuss the mission of the foundation and the people who carry on that mission and who are part of it. So yeah, absolutely. Well, thanks for having me. um the Yeah. You know, you mentioned I'm a police chief. That's great and everything, but the ah probably the best thing I've ever done in my career is, is being a part of the fallen hero foundation um kind of from the beginning. And, and really our main goal from day one has been to have a team that can respond anytime an officer is killed a line of duty in Colorado. And that's,
00:01:21
Speaker
know, our mission is to make sure we're taking care of the survivors and that's, you know, the surviving family, of course, is the priority, but also the agency. And we haven't always done a great job of of doing that just in general, because a lot of times it's well-intentioned people just don't have the a skill set to to know all the intricacies of planning a police memorial. And so um when we set out, our main goal is to make sure that the small town officer is is honored just like the big city officer. And we've done
Chief Redfern's Law Enforcement Journey
00:01:48
Speaker
both. We've done very little department now to big agencies, including Adams County. And it's been just an incredible thing. um
00:01:57
Speaker
It's grown into some other areas we can talk about, but mostly our main goal is to get their attuned department. And that includes jumping on a plane to Southern Colorado in those first, first hours to kind of help. And then just really planning that memorial service. So the agency can grieve and ah do what they have to do sometimes even dealing with the criminal case.
00:02:17
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's incredible. And yeah we definitely go into it. Um, cause I've, I've seen on both ends now, um, and ah unfortunately, but luckily enough too. Um, but just a little bit about how'd you get there? So I don't know if you want to start a little bit about your law enforcement career and then what led you to this, to
Foundation's Inspiration and Growth
00:02:33
Speaker
this role.
00:02:33
Speaker
Yeah. So I, I've been lucky. I've been one of those, those guys that's known from early on that I wanted to be a cop. I was a police explorer, police cadet, and then a 911 dispatcher. And then the moment I could, uh, apply to be a cop at 21, I did. And so I got, I was lucky enough to get hired by the Aurora police department. I worked a lot with Adams County in Adams County and, uh,
00:02:54
Speaker
did everything there and and um i left there in 2021 to go to boulder as as deputy chief and now chief but as in my time in aurora ah after the 2012 theater shooting that i was heavily involved in and we realized we needed to do a lot of things different when it came to peer support and taking care of our cops and so i got really heavily involved into kind of the wellness peer support area and i was a lieutenant kind of informally overseeing a lot of the peer support things um And our former chief, Nick Metz, at the time had come from Seattle. And there's an organization in Washington State called Behind the Badge Foundation.
00:03:30
Speaker
um And they've been around 20 plus years. They're incredible. They do exactly what we do and a lot more. And we'd had, you know, back then we we saw, we're um we're talking about 2016, you know, the five officers killed in Dallas. There's other, you know, bigger events, but also then we're just seeing more ambush killings of law enforcement and and we just, the impact it had. And so we'd had a couple of close calls in Aurora where officers had been shot that didn't die, thank God. But we're like, man, we got to, got to tighten this up. And so Nick, the chief Metz at the time said, you know, let's, why don't we do what Washington state does?
00:04:03
Speaker
And see if the, the sheriff's association, the chief's association of Colorado want to do more formal team. And so we met with, and and Sheriff McIntosh at the time with Adams County was heavily involved in that.
00:04:14
Speaker
um We met with um the sheriffs and chiefs and said, Hey, is this something you guys would want to do in in Colorado? And they all hands down said, yeah, And we just kind of started just whoever would show up. yeah And now we've, we've moved into where we have a big team with a lot of defined roles.
Immediate Assistance and Training Offered by the Foundation
00:04:31
Speaker
And we've, we said from day one, we didn't want to get good at planning police funerals, but we've gotten really good at it. And it's a,
00:04:38
Speaker
It's just a really, ah that all the chiefs and sheriffs say that I've talked to say, they number one, they don't know how they would have gotten through it without our team. But number two, those who haven't had a line of duty death, luckily have said they you know they sleep better knowing if, God forbid, that day comes that we're around.
00:04:53
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's an incredible lift. And just seeing the work behind the scenes, and but also with all that, the dignity and care that is taken with every single step is incredible. So yeah, very, very performing.
00:05:07
Speaker
But you mentioned it. So when tragedy does strike and a law enforcement offers lost in line of duty, So what role does the foundation step into play and and kind of I guess, in the variety?
00:05:18
Speaker
how does that How does that work with the home agency? So one, well, preface it by saying one of the things we're doing now is trying to do a lot of training on the front end. And we've been going all over the state and actually now been asked to go around the country a few times to teach agencies on how to bidder be better prepared for a line of due death before it ever happens. Talking about changing policy, procedure, yeah And really just having the conversation similar to police suicide. I feel like we haven't talked about, we don't want to talk about it. It's depressing, yeah um but that's doing a disservice to everybody. And so it's on the front end. Now we're trying to do a lot more of like, we have a guide book for chiefs on how to handle it and sheriffs, whatever.
00:05:54
Speaker
um But when, when we get word of a line of duty death, we've got, so we're a nonprofit and we've got a board. I'm fortunate enough to be the president of that board. And and so we've got a team and we have two part-time employees as well. Our executive director and a family sport coordinator.
00:06:08
Speaker
we've got that core group of the the foundation board of and our nonprofit. And then we've got a extended group, I think that you've been part of ah that's, you know, gosh, 50, 60 people around the state that have said, Hey, I'm interested in helping.
00:06:19
Speaker
And so when we get that initial call, we don't just show up. It's, you know, we wait. Sometimes myself or Nick Metz we'll, we'll so shoot a text or, or phone call to the chief or sheriff just saying, Hey, just a reminder, we're here if you need us. Yeah.
00:06:33
Speaker
We've actually been on the last few, we're getting called right in those first early moments, which wasn't our initial plan. We thought we'd maybe show up once the dust settled. Yeah. um And then we we, you know, if they're not familiar with what we offer, we we tell the chief or sheriff or designee, like, here's all the things we can bring to you. Yeah.
00:06:52
Speaker
Most of the time, that chief of sheriff says, please, handle everything. um However, if they were like, yeah, we're good with this, but we just need help with the the public information side or the honor guard side, then we will we will we will cater that to whatever they need. But really, it's to be there as quickly as possible to to help with the family and all the things that happen.
00:07:11
Speaker
And then now we' we're fortunate enough, due to donations and fundraising, that we also provide immediate financial assistance to the families, oh wow whether we're asked to assist or not.
Foundation's Role in Honoring Officers and Supporting Agencies
00:07:20
Speaker
Um, and so that's been another thing that we're really proud to be able to do. That's incredible. And that's one thing, uh, you know, I'm glad you mentioned cause you know each agency and each jurisdiction kind of has their own, you know, subculture and just the family and and what they want. So yeah, having that home agency, be able to kind of dictate how much help if from as very little to everything yeah is important just so they still have, um you know, can really honor that officer and that that family. and Right.
00:07:47
Speaker
And all the survivors in that way. Yeah. That's an incredible, incredible way to do it. And one thing I just thought of, you mentioned how important is it, or I guess, how does it help having essentially ah a board and a group of peers who are coming in instead of just this unknown, but it's, you know, you've walked, you've unfortunately just in your career, you've been involved in many tragedies, as you mentioned, but having those peers step in, who can help guide those chiefs and sheriffs. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we're not unknown, we're not an unknown commodity that just shows up, um you know, where we're all, especially in the in that moment, very protective of our people.
00:08:20
Speaker
um But there's agencies, you know, that have called us for several line of duty deaths now. And it's, we're that We're a familiar face, but even if we're not, we can show up and and and people have heard of us for the most part. We try to train new chiefs and sheriffs.
00:08:33
Speaker
So most of the time it's coming in and it's weird there's already a relationship, which is super important in this profession. And so um even when it's not, in fact, the first time I met my former chief in Boulder, Maris Herald, I'd never met her before. I met her at the scene of King Soopers where Eric Talley was killed that day. and And she didn't know me from Adam, but Chief Jokers with CUPD and go way back and Doreen, Chief Jokers said, here,
00:08:56
Speaker
Maris, who was just dealing with a lot right then, you need to talk to this guy for a minute. and And Maris said, well, okay, who are you and what can you do? And literally in a minute I said, here's who I am, here's our organization, and if you didn't trust us with helping, we can have our team here to worry about yeah planning Eric's memorial because obviously they had to deal with the mass shooting and it's just a ton. and And she said, and you know basically it was like, Doreen, you vouch for this guy? And she said, yep, all right. And ah so sometimes it's like that um and because Chief Harreld was new to Colorado, but a lot of the time it's we already know each other very well.
00:09:27
Speaker
Yeah. Um, you what are some of the specific ways of foundation helps departments, families,
Balancing Logistical and Emotional Support
00:09:33
Speaker
communities? So you mentioned a little bit, um, you mentioned like the PIO role, like, ah like, like King supers, for instance, not only you're got all the victims and their families, but then you've got your downed officer and their families, but plus just the mass media entrance and community interests that is there.
00:09:49
Speaker
Um, so what are some of the the specific ways that you guys step in? Yeah. so we have the luxury in many aspects of ah a line of duty death where we come in we help. And then at the end of it, yeah most of the time we just kind of quietly leave after the memorial services open is over, but we can also be the ones to have tough conversations because the home agency stays there and whatever happens they have to deal with. And so sometimes we can come in and be the bad guy and have tough conversations.
00:10:14
Speaker
We can step in and be a buffer with the media and really leave um the home agency to have good relationships. And so What we can do, for example, with with the public information officer group is um um almost every time we have 20 or 30 PIOs show up that have done this before, and we've gone to agencies that don't have PIO. And so we can even, you know, a couple in rural Colorado, we can bring in a group, um you know, of course we're paying for lodging and sometimes airfare even, but we can bring that group and set up and say, we've got this, we've got your social media, we've got teletypes, we've got communication. And so we're
00:10:49
Speaker
uh with PIO and other areas we really are just able to pick up show up wherever the jurisdiction is and and and and get to work and so you know for example a 10 10 officer sheriff's department that we assisted with the line of duty death in southern Colorado the sheriff himself worked to patrol the sheriff didn't have time to sit there and worry about logistics and stuff and we're you know there's a level of trust yeah um and and some control that's given up but we're able to come in in and and and worry about that that stuff, even on a big department to allow the agency members to grieve and and and focus on what we're seeing many times now. There's usually a lot of times now a criminal component to a line of duty death. So um it it takes a burden off for sure. Yeah. I think honestly, that's one of the things that connected with me is,
00:11:33
Speaker
uh, coming in is we're basically circling up to, to protect that home agency and their families. and Yeah. Yeah. We'll take all the arrows. We'll be the bad guy for sure. Um, and, and then also to side note with that, just like the logistics and operations team, just all the moving parts. Right.
00:11:48
Speaker
Um, and just, and it, the teamwork and camaraderie, but again, with that mission and dignity in mind, honoring, uh, that officer in the family is just incredible to yeah to witness and be a part of.
00:12:00
Speaker
How does the foundation balance emotional support, logistical help, and ceremonial duties during such sensitive moments? That's a good question. And we've some of it's believe we've learned the hard way. And there's you know lots of examples of you know we're charging full speed ahead because we we kind of have an idea of what this should be like. And and you know the family's like, hold on, time out. That's not at all what we want. i mean, we're prepared for the hasn't happened in Colorado, but we're even prepared where the family may say, no, we don't even want a police funeral situation.
00:12:27
Speaker
because they're upset about the circumstances that led to a line of duty death. um Our big thing is is trying to approach it in a way that comes off as, number one, we're not coming in to tell you what to do. We're coming in to share what we can do.
00:12:39
Speaker
What we ask for a lot of times is to partner with, a lot of times ends up being command members from that agency, as we're planning this. And so it comes down to where, you know, the night before the funeral, let's say if the funeral is on a Friday, Thursday night, we've got an 80 page, uh, instant action plan that will brief the chief or sheriff on. And, and, and I know sitting in that seat, giving them a lot of confidence that they can go to the funeral and not worry about is the limo going to arrive on time or do we have proper security at the venue?
00:13:07
Speaker
And then there also is that emotional piece. We assign the chief for sheriff, um, an executive liaison, someone like myself, chief Matt's Heidi print up that have been through this. Um, they can help them cause they've got to keep the agency together, but also we have a great team and connections with psych services, with code for counseling and others where sometimes I think they're there as much for our team as, as the agency.
00:13:29
Speaker
um but we've been able to make sure because we've done this a lot that we, we also know what to watch for and be like, Hey, here's some suggestions, chief or sheriff on ways that you can help
Community Support and Engagement
00:13:38
Speaker
your agency right now. And, um, you know, most of the time those suggestions are taken.
00:13:43
Speaker
um Up to and including, though, we had one where we had to have some really tough conversations with the chief that was engaged in some things and saying things. And you're like, let's take a walk. You know, it's a fine line, but you'll see any range of emotions and things that happen during that time. And they're all understandable. And it's we just we we like to be able to come in and and just kind of quietly and respectfully point things out and say, hey, here's something to think about.
00:14:05
Speaker
Yeah. And even amongst the team itself, you know, starting each morning of, all right, you know let's remember why we're here. Right. And, but also being calculated, like take breaks, let's, you know, do that just so you can keep the mission in mind. We say two things every morning, as you probably remember is number one is assume good intent, which is probably something we all should remember day to day yeah um because emotions get raw and it's a very, you know, long, and and long days and then stay in your lane. And that's very important in these situations is, know,
00:14:31
Speaker
you have a task. Don't, don't be running all over the the place, stay in your lane. and And, and, know, we have very firm ways we do things and we find those things help when we remind those folks of why we're here and that everyone's here for the right reasons. and Yeah.
00:14:46
Speaker
So you referenced some of the relationships you have with other agencies across Colorado. What is, what are some of the work that are the pre-work behind the scenes to build those relationships? You mentioned just reaching out. um Do you like host trainings? do you attend like statewide or even nationwide conferences? Like what does that look like for the foundation? So kind of all of the above. um You know, when we started, we had no money. We're a nonprofit. We were doing going to all corners of the state to raise money.
00:15:11
Speaker
Now we're doing pretty well financially. We have two big fundraisers a year that kind of keep keep us comfortable where we're not worried about if we have line of duty death or multiple or two in one week. And, you know, are we going to be able to do it?
00:15:23
Speaker
So that is not a worry. So the right now, our focus and attention has really turned to how we can better prepare departments for it. Like I mentioned earlier. So we will go to, we've done several in 2025 alone, uh, trainings in different regions of the state. I went in Montrose, went in Durango, we've done some in the metro area and we invite anybody that wants to come. And it's not just the police, it's the civilian support staff, everybody who yeah who might get involved. And we, we go through, we'll do tabletop exercises, all that kind of stuff. So,
00:15:50
Speaker
That we find is very helpful. In fact, we had we had one where we were in Durango and did a training for Durango PD. Then two weeks later, an officer was killed in Cortez down the road. The guys who um we'd done the training with in Durango were able to go right into Cortez PD, know how we work, jump in and help us immediately. And and and and kind of what we find is every time we do deploy,
00:16:12
Speaker
members of that department then say, well, you guys were so amazing with us. I wanted to sign on to help the team win the next one and pay it forward. And so, um, that's, that's a big part of how we're doing it. But yeah, I've been asked to speak. I go every quarter and speak at a leadership school down at Fletzi, the federal law enforcement training center. And it's really teaching law enforcement executives from all country, how to be better prepared and have those tough conversations. And we do a lot locally.
00:16:36
Speaker
So yeah, Those have all been helpful just to, because anytime a new group comes on the scene, people are like, all right, what are they doing? What are they here for? What's the catch? And and so it's it's about you know just saying, look, we're there's no catch. We're a nonprofit. We're just here to help.
00:16:48
Speaker
um Tends to kind of take the temperature down because when this happens, the chief or sheriff's phone, everybody's reaching out. I mean, hundreds of people reaching out. It's like who's who and what's what. And that's why we try to make sure they all have our numbers to to call us when the time's right. Yeah. And that you mentioned it too. You can almost be like that filter for them just to take some of that pressure off. We've had some tough conversations to include a high level, a level elected officials of like, yeah, these are the family's wishes. Sorry. and And again, in the agency kind of is able to maintain what they need to maintain. It's important.
00:17:25
Speaker
So what kind of response do you see from like the broader community when a line of duty death occurs and how does the foundation help channel that support? That's a great question. and And I will challenge anybody that says the majority of the community doesn't support the police. I think um everywhere I've worked, the majority of people are very supportive of law enforcement.
00:17:45
Speaker
Unfortunately, when things happen, we all get painted with the broad brush. But I think when we truly, when we lose an officer, we truly do see how much people care. um You know, now that you might get a more positive media that week and then it kind of goes back to the regular cycle yeah the next week. But I think when we, when the community truly comes out and shows up and and it it depends on the community, um you know, built the the the financial ability to support or just be there physically, um you know, we we we set up donations. and we We take donations through our foundation, and funnel them back to the department
00:18:17
Speaker
um And we've you know we've received large donations, but we've we've had ah ah you know ah a kid walk up, a young kid walk up to the memorial and give us five bucks. All of those are meaningful. um And we try to make sure that all of that, you know the all the cards and all that get to the family.
00:18:32
Speaker
It's also about awareness. It's telling the story of the fallen officer and Again, a small department that doesn't have a big team that does a lot of the media things, we're able to come in and help you know bring awareness to that and and and always always remind the community, like, all right, let's when you might want to not be supportive of law enforcement, even even you know maybe when it might not be, but is deserved, yeah remember the sacrifice that any officer in the department could have been the one that gave their life and they'll do it again. today if we had to. And so part of it is messaging and part of it is is not trying to take advantage of an opportunity, but really just highlighting um the sacrifice. And part of that is is by putting the service together the way we do and ensuring the family has the videos, pictures, all the things that that is publicly streamed as well. So it's it's not a not a quiet conversation in the dark. Typically, it's ah we're going to make sure that this is everywhere and everybody gets to know the the person behind the uniform that gave their life.
00:19:27
Speaker
Yeah, no, and just from what I personally experienced with when we lost Heath, it was, you know, there was people coming, um food everywhere, support, just his car covered with any and everything.
00:19:39
Speaker
um People would ask, you know, in passing would just ask questions about him or they already knew about, ah or maybe they were friends of him, but just, and and seeing the foundation just respectfully like, okay, you know, we're going to take things, set them aside for the family. um and even set up, like you mentioned some of the donation sites and so that we don't have, you know, imposter ones pop up. I mean, the foundation does so much to make sure the family, the agency truly gets what the community is, is there yeah and and wishing to support. And, but yeah, seeing that, that outpouring of love to where,
00:20:12
Speaker
in this career, it's so easy just to, you know, you're dealing with the, the negative side so much to lose sight of that. So unfortunately during tragedies like that, that is the one, uh, you know, silver lining for me was just like, wow, this, this love is out there for, for our agency and our personnel.
00:20:27
Speaker
Yeah, we hear from the small number of... It doesn't matter the community. We hear from a small number of people the majority of the time that likely don't represent the the broader population. And so I would assert that it shouldn't take an officer losing their life to to get people to to step up and speak up and in support of the police. But I think we're seeing it more and more.
00:20:43
Speaker
But it's also to remind our officers when you know this job is tough and they're it's easy to get ah frustrated with politics and all the things. But it's also...
Chief Redfern's Personal Motivation and Experiences
00:20:52
Speaker
A good reminder of, hey, remember when the officer was killed, when the deputy was killed, how much support was there. And and you can't you can't argue with it. it's yeah And it's genuine.
00:21:02
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, that I remember doing, because similarly, we were doing the parallel criminal investigation at the same time. And so I was out with a group of detectives, but we're doing canvassing and people are just coming up in tears and and I'm trying to do my job and I'm tearing up and just, but you just, yeah, just such that mutual outpouring was, was very good to have that community support from, you know, service, service area. Incredible. And just knowing that that impact is out there. So for all the law enforcement, you know, all the guys and girls out there,
00:21:32
Speaker
There's so much love for you, whether you see it day in day out. Absolutely. So in general, this work requires a deep compassionation compassion resilience. What motivates you personally to be part of this mission?
00:21:45
Speaker
It's good question. And at the beginning, I wasn't really sure other than I think it was the highest ranking guy in the room when Nick Metz proposed the idea. But ah you well part of it for me is I think, um i think for well, I know for sure that in 2012 when we responded to the Aurora Theater shooting at the time, was the largest mass shooting in U.S. history.
00:22:04
Speaker
i was a young sergeant, hair on fire, didn't, I mean, yeah, peer support, wellness, I'm good. you know Yeah. ah but would it That really smacked a lot of us upside the head and said, man, um we've got to do so do something different in light this to take care of one another. And that's really where I really got heavily involved in and peer support and wellness and kind of revamping the the program at Aurora at the time.
00:22:25
Speaker
And then, you know, losing officers that I worked with in Aurora, seeing things like, you know, just very high profile incidents around the country where officers were just killed for doing their jobs,
00:22:37
Speaker
um it really, to me, motivates, I think, all of us to to want to do something. And this gives us the ability on our local in Colorado to do something. and And we're never going to stop law enforcement officers from being killed. It's been that way since the very first police officer. But if we know that there's things we can do better on the backend, to me, that's been one of the most rewarding things and it's tough. And our team, you know, when you're standing in a family's living room that you've never met and they just lost, you know, their loved one, it's, ah it but it is, it's incredible.
00:23:10
Speaker
And we form relationships for years to come with the the survivors, the surviving family members of departments. And so, Um, that's, that's the motivation for me. And I don't get to get as intimately involved now because of my new role, but knowing, you know, that we've set up this team that will be probably going on long after I'm retired from this job. Um, that's, that's really special. And then seeing, I mentioned it, but seeing, you know, we go to an agency and the impact is so much so heavy on them that they want to jump on, even though it's going to be tough to help the next department. It just, that's, what's really rewarding about it. And yeah,
00:23:41
Speaker
we all know this in law enforcement is it could have been a any one of us. And, you know, we've all had close calls. We have calls. We don't even know how close we're. yeah And so that's part of it is like, by, you know, for the, by the grace of God, it's, I'm not the one that was in that situation.
00:23:56
Speaker
think we owe it to our brothers and sisters to make sure they're taken care of. Absolutely. No. And i mean, again, just firsthand on both sides, but even at, and we mentioned even the community support, but I remember walking to our, our large meeting room where you guys were, but,
00:24:08
Speaker
We had ah people setting up just chair massages to just donate time for their business, obviously, you know, the food, but just any and everything they could provide. Like, what can we do to help yeah just to give you guys five minutes to go? Because, I mean, for us, I mean, I remember I i went home, shower, say hi to my family, right back to back back at it. so But, yeah, just people thinking of any and everything to help and support was incredible. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
00:24:32
Speaker
What are, ah or I guess, are there particular moments or stories that have stayed with you? so you mentioned these connections with families, like times when you saw the foundations work truly make a difference, like just, you know, anything from yeah small or.
00:24:46
Speaker
So one, one thing that I hadn't thought about in the beginning that has happened and there's other organizations like concerns of police survivors that help survivors. But one of the things that I've seen, Because we do a lot behind the scenes to ah nice things for families. Rockies games, you know, arranging for Santa to deliver gifts and patrol cars at Christmas. That's cool. ah tea at the Brown Palace for for family, for mothers and grandmas and dads. I mean, everybody. But seeing the surviving family members connect has been really um amazing because...
00:25:15
Speaker
there's very few people that truly understand yeah what that's like and seeing two moms of fallen officers connected, you know, those that's been really impactful for me. Um, but also for me on a personal level, having ah chief or sheriff, you know, come up to me at the end and say, we don't know how we, I don't know how I would have gotten my department through this without your team.
00:25:37
Speaker
That's a pretty significant statement. And that's, you know, we don't do this for credit or glory or anything like that. It's, it's not, in fact, it's, it's tough work, but, knowing that, um, it could, you know, again, as a chief now, especially knowing the importance of having that support has been huge. And, and, and that's been really, really important, but just kind of knowing, and again, hearing chiefs and every, everybody say, i sleep better knowing that, uh, you guys are there if that bad day happens, because it always got done, but it was probably two or three people standing in an yeah ER at four in the morning going, what the heck just happened and what are we going to do now? Now, at least we know there's that resource. Um, So anything we can do to to lighten that load is is, to me, absolutely rewarding.
00:26:18
Speaker
Yeah, and you mentioned it. I mean, yeah, we're we're not there to to get credit or get highlighted, but you know in such a dark, I mean, especially if you're doing multiple of these, it's it's so just heavy to deal with. Having those little slivers where it really fills you with that purpose is Yeah. And we have a great team and we've all become incredibly close and we have, uh, it's just, it's an incredible group of people. And, and ah this job, especially since 2020 has been really, really tough. But every time we come together to do a funeral for an officer in Colorado, it's exhausting. But at the end of the week, for me, it actually reinvigorates me to say, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm still all in on this profession. Even
Memorials and Relevance Challenges
00:26:55
Speaker
when those days where I'm like questioning why I'm still doing it, I remember those times of like, no, that's what it's all Yeah. I completely agree.
00:27:02
Speaker
And thinking of just the overall, um, so, you know, the, the, the big event, the funeral itself, why are memorials and various, uh, moments of remembrance so vital, not just for law enforcement, but even the the public in that community?
00:27:16
Speaker
Yeah, I think, so number one, you look at it and statistically, I think this is valid. I've never, don't know how to disprove it, but less than 1% of people in this country have what it takes training, knowledge, skills, ability, background to be cops. Well, this will be on the internet now, so it's going to be true. It's true, sure. It's true. And so number one, it's a very small number of people that are capable and willing to go out every single day kiss their family goodbye. And, and you know, you don't think most of us don't think about it on the regular. You just go to your job afterwards. Sometimes you're like, man, that was, that was scary.
00:27:49
Speaker
Um, but literally lay their life down, die in the line of duty to protect someone who may not even like them or appreciate what they do. That is significant. That is significant. I mean, military different levels, same for me, uh, incredibly significant. Um, and you know, especially when it's a felonious homicide,
00:28:10
Speaker
we've got to do it. The community has to be reminded that, you know, Hey, did you, did you sleep well last night? That's because there's people out out there to willing to do a job that most, most folks are not. And most folks don't want to do. um But it's also for the family. It's really, I mean, everything we do is for the family and the department, but for the family, especially um it's, they give up a lot as family members of law enforcement as well. And, you know, God forbid they they've all thought about that. What if that knock at the door comes at two in the morning? and And it's, I think that's understated of the impact that being a police officer's family member is as well. And so I think it's for all the groups, but I love that, you know, you brought up, it's for the public and it's a, it's a reminder for the public of what um any day, any jurisdiction, anywhere in this country, men and women are willing to do.
00:28:55
Speaker
Yeah, no. And I, to me, that element is is important too, because for that reminder, but, and a reminder for us too, because even like with some of the processions, just having every road and sidewalk full of people. yeah i mean, I, there was a few where I saw total, you know entire companies would empty their, their building and they would all line up together to to honor that officer and their family as, ah as they went by. It's the way it should be.
00:29:18
Speaker
Absolutely. and And it's that collective honoring of, of their service and that gratitude. Yeah. as important I'm glad you mentioned that. And thinking of a lot of these things, what are some of the biggest challenges the foundation faces as it continues this mission?
00:29:36
Speaker
we have a lot you know We have a lot more benefits and positives than we do challenges. Part
Future Plans for Training and Community Involvement
00:29:41
Speaker
of it is just, ah it it may sound strange, but thankfully we go through periods of time where we don't lose an officer in a long period of time, and that's the best. Absolutely. We would love to have no work.
00:29:51
Speaker
And so sometimes um people forget about us. And you know we we are if we only run through donations. and we want the chiefs and sheriffs to remember who we are. So we never want it to be where we're on the news every two weeks, because we've had that, um where we've had back-to-back lineages.
00:30:06
Speaker
So part of it is just remaining relevant because as a nonprofit, we don't have a regular cadence of activities like most nonprofits. and We really come together when something bad happens. So part of it is also finding other ways we can support.
00:30:19
Speaker
you know, when it's not a time of crisis as well as is a challenge. And I think, but I think we're doing all right. We've got, you know, on our website, you can see there's tons of different things we're doing and um our big gala every year, golf tournament, those help us immensely financially. So um it's, it's just maintaining that momentum when we're not having work, which we never want work.
00:30:40
Speaker
Awesome. Uh, and speaking about that, are there anything, is there anything upcoming, whether it's kind of new initiatives, things you're thinking of, um, to keep these relationships going or, uh, partnerships or programs that you're excited about?
00:30:54
Speaker
You know, we're really focused now on continuing the trainings. and We'd love to get to where we do a several day training um every day, you you know, ah once a year. we Bring agencies in.
00:31:04
Speaker
um You know, we're always figuring out scholarships, things like that that we can do that are or better. Our golf tournaments in May, um it's such a great course. And then our gala is every October. And those are all, you know, on our website, on our Facebook. And so um really, I just encourage people to watch our social media, watch our website to to see what may be coming up. um businesses to sponsor things like that. Absolutely. What's the, uh, the web address of people. Yeah. It's a CO fallen hero.org.
00:31:32
Speaker
Um, and we're also on Facebook, Colorado fallen hero. Perfect. And we'll put links to all that. Um, and the information. Great. Awesome. And um that's a great where people get involved. Um, now you mentioned, you know, with with, with the donations, how else can the public get involved, whether through volunteering donations, uh, obviously spreading awareness, what's some of the best ways. Yeah, ah but just briefly, the the public can help us out. If you own a company, if you own a bus company, reach out to us, say, hey, if something happens, we'd be happy to help.
00:32:03
Speaker
We're not asking for you know free stuff, but were we're it's nice in the moment, and we've gotten... better about it to have those connections when I'm lost or, Hey, I've got a bunch of airline miles. I'm not going to use. Can we donate them the foundation for you to help fly family members in?
00:32:17
Speaker
um a lot of it is goods and services that we need when something happens, but we've also got plenty of opportunities for volunteers to plan our gala, to be a part of that. Just people, you know, maybe retired law enforcement that wants to continue.
00:32:29
Speaker
um there's a little bit of a vetting process to make sure, you know, you're who you are, but happily we'll add you to a list that you can help. ah when things happen. That's incredible. Yeah. Now continuing to just branch that divide and just having that partnership back and forth. as um If you could leave our listeners and viewers with one message about what Colorado Fallen Hearing Foundation stands for, what would that be?
00:32:52
Speaker
We exist to make sure that, i kind of mentioned earlier, that ultimately the family. I mean, it's all about the family, um but and the agency. and And a lot of times the agency was getting left out of this. It was the the agency planning their own person's funeral. you know Agency members sitting on the side of the road doing traffic control during the funeral.
00:33:11
Speaker
We really want to come in and take the load off that department. But also then, in the immediate and long term, make sure we're connecting with the family. and taking care of the family financially as needed and then connecting them with other organizations. um We are all in for it. The cool thing with our organization is it's not related to just one jurisdiction. yeah um It's statewide and we have officers like state troopers that are not just one jurisdiction. and So when, you know, when people want to support and donate, it it goes all over the state. um You know, there's plenty of local organizations that are absolutely viable and and and and good to donate. But if people are looking for, you know, a way to support all of law enforcement in Colorado,
00:33:49
Speaker
we are that agency and and we just will make sure that no officer sacrifice does not go in vain and is is honored just no matter where in the state they are. Awesome. I couldn't agree with you more. That's incredible. And being being a part of an agency who we had that opportunity, any and everybody who wanted to be there for these memorials and services and just grieve as an agency family, we were able to do that because of the work
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:34:16
Speaker
that you guys did. It's great. from From us personally, thank you very much. Absolutely.
00:34:20
Speaker
The back end, and as you mentioned, paying it forward, it was an honor to be a part of that, to give that to the other agencies, unfortunately. appreciate that as well. yeah Well, thank you, Chief, for making time to be here. And please go to the website, go to the social media, participate, check it out. It's an amazing, amazing cause.
00:34:37
Speaker
um And for ongoing episodes, you can follow us on our YouTube page, our social media, and you can reach out to us at communityconnections at adamsheriffco.gov for any episode, ideas, questions, comments you'd like to make. Until next time, see you later.