 Good morning. On behalf of the Denver Police Department welcome to the 30th annual following officer memorial ceremony. National Police Week occurs each year during the week in which May 15th falls and serves to recognize the service and sacrifice of US law enforcement. While we had a small memorial event in May it was important for us to do a larger-scale event so we could gather physically to pay our respects. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. Please stand as you are able for the posting of colors by the Denver Police Department Honor Guard and the National Anthem sung by Lieutenant Rob Rock. For work! For work! To see, by the dawn's early, what so proudly at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous, so gallantly. Please welcome Denver Police Chaplain Josue Ponce de Leon for our invocation. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, With a sober heart we come before you to this fallen officers memorial. We pause for a moment and call to mind all the men and women who have died in the line of duty. Dear God, please look with mercy on our brave and selfless brothers and sisters who did not avoid from their task but gave themselves completely to the cause of defending and protecting us all. Bless all who have given their lives for the sake of liberty and grant them eternal rest with you. I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to attend this ceremony today. Most importantly, I would like to give a special thanks to the families and friends of our fallen officers for whom we gather here today to honor. The heroic sacrifices of your loved ones live on in the spirit of service and protection and we carry their memory with us always. Let us move forward with a renewed sense of dedication to the safety of our community and to our brothers and sisters we serve with while always maintaining an appreciation of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And now to say a few words, please welcome Mayor Michael B. Hancock. Thank you all and let me thank all of you for being here this morning for this honor. As always, it's an honor to be here with each of you as we remember and celebrate the lives and services of 73 Denver police officers listed behind us on the memorial. Each of these names, ingrained in perpetuity and stone represents not only an individual who stepped forward to serve and protect, but also the ultimate sacrifice, the last full measure of devotion that was given to their duty. That duty to serve and protect is an oath given and taken with full understanding of what is required to fulfill the duty. Our eternal prayer is that another name need not ever be added to this memorial. We pray that everyone who wears the badge and uniform of our police department, of all of our law enforcement, return home to their families every single night and return safely after a day of keeping others safe. To the families, to the friends and colleagues of the fallen officers here today, on behalf of the city and County Denver, once again and always, we offer our deepest condolences and pray for your comfort. The work of ensuring public safety presents an inherent risk to those as they do their critical work in our city. This is, without question, a calling. And despite that, these 73 fallen officers and the officers assembled here working throughout our city put on the uniform and go toward danger every day. No thank you, no gratitude for that service is big enough to fully encompass the appreciation we have for the men and women of the department. The past and present who answered that call to serve. But the thank you we offer today for answering that call is offered humbly and with full understanding of the sacrifice that has been made and continues to be made by those here today and those who we gather here today to honor. And we will continue to pray that we will never add another name to this memorial because each and every one of you continues to return home safely each and every night. My prayer is mainly the Lord our God continue to cover you each and every day of your service. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Please welcome Executive Director of Safety, Murphy Robinson. Thank you, Commander. I too want to acknowledge the families and friends of those who we've lost but also each of you because that loss hits each of you differently no matter the year of that loss. On this day where we celebrate the lives of those that we've lost in the line of duty I thought about and prayed about what each of these fallen officers would have wanted me to share with you and their brothers and sisters who carry the badge and hold their legacy for generations to come. I believe that each of the fallen officers would have looked out at you and been extremely proud of the work that you have done continuing to answer the call in the midst of an incredibly hard time to serve in this profession of law enforcement. I believe they would harness the strength both mentally and physically on your behalf recognizing that each day as a peace officer in 21st Century Denver brings its new challenges and opportunities that each of you must conquer every single day. I believe that the overwhelming message they would want to send to you is that you are loved. You are loved. You are appreciated. You are loved by your fellow officers that serve with you. You are loved by the leadership that guides you but most of all most importantly you are loved by the people of the city and county of Denver the people of Denver mourn the loss of our fallen officers today but moreover appreciate and value our officers that carry the legacy each and every day that they left behind. Let us all never forget. Thank you executive director. Please welcome Denver police chief Paul M. Payson. I want to thank all of you for being here today as we come together to honor our Denver police family members who have given everything to this city. Some of you are here and you lost a child. You lost a husband. You lost a mother, a father or a friend. All of us here lost a brother or a sister. As we gather today we remember that it is not how each one of these 73 women and men died it is how they lived that is important. Their heroic actions every single day knowing how dangerous this job they willingly raised their hand swore an oath to this community put on a badge and still did this dangerous work. We also acknowledge that the women and men many of which are out on patrol as we speak they recognize this danger and they still raise their hand swear an oath to protect this city put on that badge put on that uniform and do this very dangerous work. To the family and friends of the fallen thank you for sharing your loved ones not only with the Denver police department but with the people of Denver. We recognize the impact of their death on your lives and we pledge to stand with you not only today but always. To all of us here let us not have their sacrifice be in vain. I encourage all of us to do something to honor and keep them with each of us as the days of our lives to celebrate and honor their memory. And to the officers who are here today and those out on the street I say to you thank you thank you for continuing to answer that call to stand up and do what is right and what is just. Remember work hard take care of each other and take care of yourselves and always remember why each of you and our fallen officers took this oath to serve. Thank you and be safe. Thank you Chief Payson. Please stand as you are able for the announcement of roll call for the fallen officers as presented by Officer John Reptar of District 2. James C. Ritchie John C. Phillips Charles F. Warnless Charles A. Holly Gustaf Giesen Altheas J. Moore Wendell P. Smith Thomas C. Clifford William E. Griffiths Stuart K. Harvey Frank Duhlen William Bohana John Spellman William H. Beck William P. Stevens Samuel C. Carpenter Andrew Sandberg William McPherson William H. Cabler Luther McMayhill Frank S. Potestio Peter A. Walsh Emerson L. McKinnon George C. Klein James E. Bogeo Roy O. Downing Willie O. Steem Clarence E. Zietz Forrest Ross Arthur J. Pinkerton Ritchie Rose James Shannon Elmer I. Rich Harry R. Ole Robert K. Evans Thomas J. Durkin Clarence W. Alston William C. Keating George P. Schneider John F. Day Thomas J. O'Connor John J. O'Donnell Clarence E. Fraker Olson E. McCasland Robert M. Campbell Pasquale C. Maranero Forrest E. Sawyer Jacob G. Benner Fred Renovato Earl F. Burns Virgil M. Hall William A. Clayson Donald L. Seek Edward H. Smerdell Daryl J. Sewer Carl B. Cannabi Paul L. Major Paul D. Wilson William J. Wertz Merle E. Nading William E. Smith Donald L. DeBruno Richard Klein David Tefoya Kathleen Garcia Patrick J. Pollock James E. Weir Robert W. Wallace Sean Linen Ronald D. Herrera Bruce Vanderjack Michael E. Dowd Dennis M. Lakata Donald R. Young David Roberts Selena C. Hollis The Honor Bell Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring veterans at their passing. The 1,000-pound bronze bell includes military medals, dog tags, and uniform items from deceased Colorado veterans. The bell will toll seven times, each toll representing one of the seven stages of service. The choice to serve, camaraderie, patriotism, respect, dignity, honor, and the value of life. Denver Police Chaplain Josue Ponce-Aliolm will now give the benediction. Let's pray. Oh Powerful God, we honor today those men and women, or sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers who have laid down their life for their country. Whether weary or encouraged, quiet or defiant, vulnerable already when you call them home, their sacrifice is too humbling for words except this udder in prayer. Loving Lord, bless them forever in your eternal peace. Let the sounds of strife, the cries of battle, the wounds of war become for all eternity in your loving and endless grace. Let these great warriors find rest at last. Ever reminded that we who are left behind cherish their spirit, honor their commitment, send them our love, and will never forget the service that they gave. On behalf of the men and women of the police department and our families, we thank you for your participation and support at today's memorial. This concludes today's ceremony. Thank you and stay safe.