A 30-year-old Pueblo police officer who died in the line of duty last year was among those memorialized this morning at a law-enforcement ceremony in Golden.
Pueblo patrol officer Nicholas “Nick” Heine collapsed from heart failure while running to an early morning street fight on June 21.
His name and those of three other Colorado officers killed years ago in the line of duty were added today to the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial at Camp George West as part of the ceremony.
“We’re grateful for their service to our great state, and this is our humble way of memorializing them,” said Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener, who acted as master of ceremonies.
Heine, a trim and fit officer, worked the graveyard shift and also trained rookies on how to make arrests. Before collapsing, he had shown no signs of health issues related to his heart.
He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and two young daughters, Nicole and Rebecca. His mother, Patricia Heine, is a corporal with the Pueblo Police Department and oversees the crime-prevention program.
Pueblo Police Chief James Billings said Heine showed great promise to be a detective.
“Nick’s loss really hit us hard. None of us ever would have anticipated that something like this would have happened to him,” Billings said.
Billings said Heine’s wife wants to become a Pueblo police officer and is working toward that goal.
Also honored at the service were:
Today is Colorado Law Enforcement Day and also the 30th anniversary of the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
