LAKEWOOD —A year ago this month was one of the darkest days in Lakewood Police Department history.
Agent James Davies died Nov. 9, 2012, fatally shot by another officer who mistook him for an armed threat during an incident response.
He was the first Lakewood police agent lost in the line of duty.
Today, a memorial to that loss and those yet to come sits next to the building that houses police headquarters and the Lakewood Municipal Court.
Police and city officials dedicated the Lakewood Fallen Officer Memorial during a quiet ceremony Nov. 7, nearly a year to the day since Davies’ death in northeast Lakewood.
The memorial, a granite monument with a police shield swathed in a black band, is on the grounds of the Public Safety Building, 445 S. Allison Parkway. It can also be accessed from the trails in Belmar Park.
Right now, Davies’ is the only name inscribed, but a day will come when more names are added, Division Chief Jim Coleman said.
“The reality is at some point in time we’ll probably lose another officer,” Coleman said. “This is dedicated to all those people.”
Funding for the $15,000 memorial came from department funds and private donations. The base of the monument weighs 11,000 pounds, the badge more than 300 pounds, and had to be put in place by crane, Coleman said.
A committee of sworn officers and civilian personnel worked together with a local vendor on the design.
Davies, 35, was a 6 ½-year veteran of the force and member of the department’s special-enforcement unit. He left behind a wife and two children.
“Not having an officer killed before, everyone was searching to find a way to express ourselves,” Coleman said. “It pays tribute to the profession and the people who sacrifice everything and their families.”
Emilie Rusch: 303-954-2457 or erusch@denverpost.com
