Officer Down Memorial Page

Beth, you are remembered not only for your untimely & violent death but for the kindness and compassion you showed victims of crime. I remember being called out on a domestic assault late one night. We met you at the designated place where you sat in your patrol car for the next hour talking with the young woman who had been assaulted by her boyfriend. As Victim Advocates we were there to help counsel and calm the young woman, but you had already succeeded in that endeavor. So unlike any of the other officers on the force at the time, you went above and beyond and displayed immense compassion.
And I will always remember the night you were killed. Living across the street as I did back then, I heard every gunshot, every patrol car siren's wail racing toward our little neighborhood from all corners of the city.
After being up all night at the station working with the 2 little children whose lives you probably saved, and making sure they and their mom had a hotel room to stay in, I went to the parking lot where you were killed. I looked for signs of you there, signs that would signal to my disbelieving mind that your life had ended and I was not dreaming.
Nor will I forget the grand outpouring from the communities along the funeral route, where 1000's of people lined the roads holding signs, and flowers that expressed their grief, shock, love, and support.
No one should die the way you did Beth and yet that was the life you chose for yourself. A life where every day means putting yourself at risk for the benefit of others. Your contribution in that vein, however short, was outstanding and that is why I and so many others will remember you until the day our lungs no longer sustain life.

R.O. Victim Advocate (former)
Boulder PD
April 9, 2017

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