LONGMONT — They have seen the worst of what men and women dole out to each other.
Slaps, punches, shoves, yelling, stalking and trashing of property.
Yet, that didn’t stop Longmont police officers Randy and Tori Lucero from getting married in July. The two met on the job and dated for two years before tying the knot in a small ceremony officiated by a police chaplain.
“Everybody saw us together and kept telling us, ‘Oh, you guys are going to get married,’ ” said Tori Lucero. “We said ‘C’mon, you guys are crazy.’ ”
But here they are, completing each other’s sentences and teasing each other. They also seem genuinely happy to be together, which could be why they are so good at helping prevent domestic violence.
“They are very effective,” said Sunset Middle School counselor Lisa Brunner, who invited the Luceros to speak to eighth-graders about abusive relationships. “What those two spoke about, and how they delivered their message, comes along at a very pertinent time in those kids’ lives.”
Their work with domestic violence victims in Longmont garned nominations for the annual Beth Haynes Award, given to a police officer in Boulder County dedicated to ending domestic violence.
Haynes was a Boulder police officer who was shot and killed in April 1994 while responding to a domestic violence call. Her sacrifice saved the lives of four other people.
As it turned out, Randy Lucero lost this year’s award to his wife. Tori, nominated four times before, was singled out for a program she began two years ago that teaches youth about abusive relationships.
Tori said she just wanted to help end the cycle of domestic violence. “We were dealing with the same family four or five times and I just kept wondering about their daughter, who was in high school, getting caught in the same loop. I was worried that she was thinking that all of this wasn’t wrong.”
Both she and Randy point out to youths that what seems fine in a school hallway is, in fact, illegal.
“You see boys grabbing girls by the arm or the midsection and not letting go, or not letting them through a doorway,” said Randy Lucero. Such actions can be considered abuse.
Girls are more subtle but cause as much damage, Tori said. “They text someone constantly or key cars or they sleep with a girlfriend’s boyfriend.”
Tori hopes their message gets through. She recently became reacquainted with a woman who was addicted to methamphetamines with her abusive husband.
“She had gained weight, got her kids back and was back with her husband, who she said she truly loved,” Tori Lucero said. “I truly hope it works out for her.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
