A proclamation declaring May 15 as National Peace Officer Day and the Week of May 15 as National Police Week.
So use your multimodal options as we think about that. All right. Seeing no other comments, just want to make sure that I didn't miss anybody. Okay, great. Madam Secretary, do we have any presentations then? Mr. President. How about communications? None, Mr. President. All right. We have two proclamations this evening. Councilman Flynn, when you please re proclamation 544. Thank you, Mr. President. I certainly will. Proclamation 17. Dash 544 declaring May 15 as National Peace Officer Day and the week of May 15 as National Police Week. Whereas in 1961, President John F Kennedy issued an executive order declaring May 15 National Peace Officer Day and the week of May 15 as National Police Week. And. Whereas, during its 158 year history, the more than 10,000 individuals who have comprised the Denver Police Department have played an essential role in safeguarding the rights, freedoms, lives and property of the people of Denver. And. Whereas, during its 158 year history, 72 men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives in service to the people of the city and county of Denver. And. WHEREAS, the Denver Police Department and the Denver Police Museum have undertaken a project to place memorial signs to honor our fallen heroes at the locations where they fell. And. WHEREAS, the Denver Police Department and the Denver Police Museum will honor the following fallen officers this coming year with memorials signs. Thomas Durkin, who lost his life on January 17, 1929. Thomas J. O'Connor, March five, 1934. Fred Renovator, October 13, 1938. Virgil Hall, July five, 1945. William Clawson, February 11, 1953. Donald el-Sheik, January 12, 1958. And. Whereas, the Denver Police Department and the Denver Police Museum also plan to hold special memorial ceremonies to mark the 20th anniversary of both Ronald D Herrera and Bruce Vander Jack's sacrifice. And. Whereas, the Denver Police Department and the Denver Police Foundation have recognized the following active officers for outstanding service this past year, including Troy Smith. Preservation of Life. David Timmerman Preservation of Life. David Wiley. Medal of Valor. Craig Miner. Preservation of Life. Alex Solano. Preservation of life. Zachary Currier. Preservation of life. Kyle Sonja. Preservation of life. John Adsit, Purple Heart. Anthony the KENYON Medal of Valor. Roman Rhetorician. Medal of Valor. Adam Boise. Medal of Valor. Anthony Lopez. Medal of Honor. Purple Heart. Jeffrey Jenkins preservation of life. Ron arrest Civic Officer of the Year. Richard Blair. Above and beyond. And Daniel Filkins. For saving the life of Tony Lopez Jr. And. Whereas, it is important that people know and understand the problems, duties and responsibilities of their police department. And that the members of our police department recognize their duty to serve the people by safeguarding life and property, by protecting them against violence or disorder, and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak, against oppression or intimidation. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver, Section one, that the Council of the City and County of Denver declares May 15 and the week of May 15 as Peace Officer, Memorial Day and Police Week to honor the active, retired and deceased members of the Denver Police Department who have faithfully performed their duty to protect and serve the citizens of the city and county of Denver. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Councilman Flynn, your motion to adopt. Thank you. Mr. President, I move that proclamation. Five, four, four. Be adopted. It has been moved in. Second, it comes from rooms of council. Councilman Flynn. Thank you, Mr. President. The resolution of the proclamation rather echoes the very words that President Kennedy used so many years ago to recognize the sacrifices and the work of law enforcement throughout the nation. And we've adopted much of that language here every year when we do this. But it's especially fitting this year for members of the department, but also for those of us who attended the Police Foundation Awards recently to see. The awards that I read that were given out to the current active officers and in particularly the preservation of life awards was so impressive. Mr. President, to hear of the stories and to see some of the dramatizations where police officers have. Not only preserved the lives of others, but themselves and of of perpetrators. Where they have used every bit of their training and restraint. To handle situations that I don't think any of us would ever want to find ourselves in on the street. I've had the pleasure of knowing so many Denver police officers over the 37 years I've lived here and the sacrifices that they make and some of them the ultimate sacrifice, were brought home to me very viscerally. Recently, when Mayor Hancock came down to Laredo Heights and the charter school down there did a ceremonial balloon release for fallen officers of that year. And I had the opportunity to meet the family of Celina House Officer Harless, who was, I think, the last officer who lost her life in City Park a few years ago. And to talk to them and to meet them was just such a moving experience. It's it's just with great pride that I that I sponsor this proclamation. I want to recognize the presence of some of our police command staff, the Denver Police Museum. Mike Hess is here. Pat Nating Almond is here. And we also have representatives of the Police Protective Association and I think Fraternal Order of Police is here as well. So with that, Mr. President, I would urge everybody to join me in adopting this proclamation and consider joining in some of the activities this week. Thank you. Thank you. Councilman Flynn. Well said, Councilwoman Ortega. Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to thank Councilman Flynn for bringing this forward. And I want to thank our men and women of the Denver Police Department for the work that they do day in and day out to protect the the residents and the people who work here and come here to play every single day. And they do that with, you know, with pride. And, you know, we all see and hear various stories in the news. But, you know, when an officer gets up every morning and puts a uniform on, you don't know that you're going to make it home that day. And just knowing that we have had those who were named in the proclamation that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, we owe them a debt of gratitude. I've been honored to be asked to do one of the sign dedications I did one last year, looking forward to doing one tomorrow. And it's a true honor to stand side by side with the families, knowing at that very location is where their loved one died, and to be able to just honor that individual in a way that shares the mutual love and respect for those individuals. So, Councilman Quinn, thank you for bringing this forward. But thank you, Councilman Ortega. Councilman Flynn. Councilman Cashman. Sorry. Okay. I thought Ms.. Councilman knew was ahead of me. I want to thank Councilman Flynn as well for bringing this forward. I certainly want to thank the men and women of our Denver police for the work they do on a daily basis. I'll be honored certainly to join in the memorial for the 20th anniversary of Officer Vander Jack's passing. But when I. Think about this, I think so often of the families. That every day. They send their. Men and women off to work. With the facing the same danger that can come out of nowhere as as benign as the job may be for extended periods of time. All of a sudden, it gets very real. And that fear that these families live. With and I'm assuming. It kind of. Mirrors the commitment of the officers themselves. So I just want to thank the people in service. And again. Thank you for bringing this forward, councilor. Thank you, Councilman Cashman. Councilman New. Yeah. Thank you, Mr. President. Thanks to Councilman Flynn for bringing this up. And we appreciate that. And you just you know, when you talk to our citizens, you know, public safety is the number one concern they have. That's their number one priority in our city. It's just incredible how much they respect and and want. Pleased to have a very vital role in protecting our way of life here in the city. That one thing that we talked about, our officers protect this from violent crimes and criminals and helping protect us in no way. But one thing that we, the officers do we don't get enough attention for is our neighborhood policing, be working with our community, our resource officers and all our staff being out there talking to our residents, working and trying to prevent crime and not having to be react to a crime after it's occurred. So it's just so important that what they do interact with the community as well as protecting us seven days a week, day and night. They're always there looking out for our interests. So I'm just really very proud to be a part of this and look forward to the memorial service tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. New Councilman Espinosa. Yeah. I do want to join the thinking chain here as a representative of the constituents of District one. In my two years on on this body, I have we've seen it all in District one. And I'm grateful that this year I haven't had to experience sort of the the the violence and the level of violence that we did in my first year here. But I just want to say, as that representative going from place to place, I don't shy away from any neighborhood in my district, and neither does Commander Payson. And wherever we go, there's a genuine appreciation of our police. And I just want you to know that I want to thank you all for being the high caliber quality force that this this community deserves and for doing a commendable job in the line of duty. So thank you all very much for serving. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Herndon. Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to have my name added to the proclamation, so I want to make sure that that is announced and just as the thank you that everyone else says. And it's amazing all the things that you don't see that our men and women in uniform do. I think about the example when they brought the mounted patrol to the Isabella Byrd Elementary School where they had the new horse and they let the third graders pick the name for the new horse. And Galaxie is now the new member of the Mountain Patrol. And those are the things you just don't hear about it. Councilwoman Anne Gilmore and I sign certificates for District five, top cops, District two. I had the opportunity to sit on a board where we get to choose all the winners for each month, and every one could just be something that should be on the news. And it's something, unfortunately, that you don't see. So I appreciate us taking this time to acknowledge them, but I think we have a greater responsibility to is to ensure that our men and women in uniform have their right equipment and facilities. So as we have this bond conversation that's going to continue and hopefully the voters will improve in the fall, I hope that we have some safety improvements and enhancements for our men and women in uniform, because that is something that, in my opinion, is in dire need that we need to increase here in the city and county of Denver. So, once again, thank you for all that you do each and every day. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Clark. Thank you, Mr. President. I can't say it any better than my colleagues already have. So but I just wanted to add my thank you to all of our police officers and my deep, deep appreciation to all of the family members of all of our police officers, a true, true service to community. And not a day goes by that I don't remember that. And think about that. And today's an important day because I get to say it out loud in front of a lot of people. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Councilwoman Sussman. Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to add my thanks in particular. Thanks. As a councilman, you often have to call on the neighborhood resource officers and they're so responsive and I've been so grateful for them. And special shout out to the commanders of the two districts that encompass my district commander, Carlo and Commander Dodge. Thanks for all you do. For all of us. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Lopez. Yeah. Thank you, Mr. President. I'm very proud to be a co-sponsor of the proclamation and just wanted to also chime in my share of gratitude for our men and women in the police department. And I got to give a shout out to our former commander, Nagle, and our Dean Christofferson, who used to be our CEO for I had the pleasure of working with them hand in hand in District four and District one and six are in Council District three now. So there's a lot of there's a lot of overlap. I'm happy about that. But the one thing that I really admire the most, aside from just a human element and that that hand raise to say, hey, send me, I'll do it right, I'll, I'll I'll do that is the is the badge. And that badge is special because it has the seal of the people on. And the seal of our city. And that's what makes it absolutely sacred as they do it on the behalf of people in our city. So I to say thank you and thank you to the families. Thank you, Councilman Lopez. Um, I'll just. I'll just send by saying we honor you today. Thanks for being here. Thanks for your sacrifice. And, you know, on behalf of all the city council, we honor and love you guys. We appreciate it. Madam Secretary, roll call. Flynn. I. Gilmore, I. Herndon, I. Cashman can eat. Lopez. I knew. Ortega. Sussman. Clark. Hi. Espinosa. Hi. Mr. President. I pliskova voting in results. 12 Eyes. 12 Eyes. Proclamation 544 has been adopted. Councilman Flynn. Is there anyone you want to bring up to receive this proclamation? You know, coincidentally enough, Mr. President, there is the fact there's quite a few people I wish could could speak, but. And they could speak for a long time, but then we'd have to swear them on the council to give them that much time. So I would like to ask our deputy chief, Matt Murray. And we have some family members here. Jen Kawasaki. And Dan Dowd. And did Robert Elgin come in? From Randy Herrera's family? No. Oh. Okay. Chief. So first, let me just give Chief White's apologies that he couldn't be here tonight. You all know him well, and you know that he was he's very grateful for this and would be here if he could. The second thing I want to tell you is that we work in a profession where you can't really get through a career without knowing someone who died. And oftentimes we know him well. And sometimes in careers, you know, a lot of people who die in the. Line of duty and give their. Life to the city and it hurts. And you know these people as people. And in our case, we've had 70 to 72 police officers gave their life for this city. And this week is about remembering them and about remembering their families. And if you go to a police funeral, and I know many of you have, we always say the same thing. We'll never forget, we'll never forget, we'll never forget. And today we put up a sign at 2810 Downing for an officer who died in 1953. And tomorrow will be one from 1934. And it's it's a great tradition that the museum has started, and we're very appreciative. And I think it's a great symbol for this city and a great way to remember. But I don't really want to end there. I want to tell you all. You know, we know you. We are so appreciative of the support we get from this council and from the people of this city. Laying on of hands in City Park. Being at a police citizen's academy. The tweets going to meetings. We know you. We really do know you. I sat across the aisle from Councilwoman Kennish on the way to Washington, D.C. We know you and we know how you feel about us. And I will tell you, sitting here and the officers who listened to what you had to say, it's so. Genuine. And so sincere. And it means a great deal to us. And we know that you are the people's representative and that that's how this community feels about us as well. And so this this week means a lot to us. It's an important thing we do. But what you're having to say to us, you know, just is very, very touching and means a great deal to the officers of this department. And I want. You to know that. And how much we appreciate this council and the support you continually give us. So thank you. Hi. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. First of all, I just want to give a warm just thank you so much for allowing this the opportunity to preserve the past and look at the present and the future. I am so grateful to live in a country where opportunity is the norm and it's not the exception. I think that we all have opportunities in life and everywhere we turn we can go right or we can go left, we can go straight or we can turn around. But we are met with opportunity here. And I think that every officer that takes this honor to be on our police department absolutely has made a conscious choice, having very slight idea what might what may lie ahead and true the path ahead will be rewarding and it will also be devastating. I'll be happy and sad and it'll be enlightening and sometimes dark and very dangerous. And in my mind, they choose to take this path because of one thing. And that's love. Love for community, love for all people, love for right and wrong, love for the opportunity to see people in the worst and try to make it better and truly a love for his or her brother and is a very special person to show love in this area where sometimes police officers are not seen as love. I stand here today as a survivor of a fallen officer, and I've seen firsthand the love that can pour out of this job. My dad, Donald Bruno, had a love for this job like no other. I've heard through so many stories how my dad helped people, how he counseled people, how he took time to hear them when nobody else would do some. It was a wake up call and of the greatest of all love he could give. He inspired one woman to be a police officer for the Denver Police Department. I believe he joined the Brotherhood of the Denver Police Department to show love. And they also believe on December 5th or December 10th, 1975, that God took one of his earthly angels up to heaven to walk a different beat and to serve and protect from a different post. And as our family gathered to the strength each day to go on, we felt a love like no other from the Denver Police Department and from the Denver Police Orphans Fund. And they took amazing care of our family. And they never, never, never forgot my dad and they never forgot us. Life is really all about love. And I think every single one of our officers, each and every day for the love that they wear on their sleeve. It's not just a badge on them. It's the badge of love on their sleeve. And I'm so thankful. So thank you for giving us an opportunity to celebrate the past, the present, and the future. Hello. My family, and I would like to thank the city council for this proclamation. This is just another thing that the city has done to recognize our farther between the police memorial. And the street sign at 15th in California, it lets other. Officers and residents, the city of Denver see. What our father did while he was a police officer. It takes a special type of person to become policeman. Most people aren't willing to put their life on the line for someone else. My dad was. One of those people who. Did. What everyone needs to know is that not just the police officer, the officer that's serving each day, his family also does wondering if he's in a come back through the door every morning or every night, whatever shift he had. I just hope that no other police family has to get the call that their loved one has given their life in the line of duty. I know this is wishful thinking. Once again, me and my brothers and sisters are thankful to the city of Denver. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, money also take just a moment to to recognize Pat nating Armin in the audience who who lost her husband in 1971. Thank you. And she is now vice president of the Denver Police Museum.