Golden – Five names were added today to the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial, joining those of 206 other officers who died in the line of duty.
During ceremonies at Camp George West, two officers who died last year and three historical deaths were honored by numerous police agencies.
The skirl of bagpipes opened and closed solemn rites marked by a 21-gun salute, dove release and placement of a wreath at the memorial, located the Colorado State Patrol Academy.
Such ceremonies are a celebration of “lives that are among the best,” said keynote speaker Richard H. Truly, former National Renewable Energy Laboratory director and NASA astronaut.
Honored officers are:
Denver police Detective Donald Young II, 43, who was killed on May 8 while providing security at a baptismal party.
Jeffrey Alan Christensen, 31, a National Park Service ranger, who died July 29 in a fall on a back-country patrol in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Brighton Night Marshal James Delmar Ellis, who died in 1908.
Oak Creek town Marshal Clem Eller, who died in 1927.
Evans police Chief Richard Ware, who died in 1953.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
