Families of fallen peace officers gathered at the Peace Officers Memorial monument at Memorial Park to honor the 36 Southern Colorado officers whose names are etched into it.Among those in attendance were Tim and Chenoa Flick, w hose son, Deputy Micah Flick, was killed in the line of duty in 2018. The couple returns to the ceremony each year, not out of obligation, but because of the bonds formed through shared grief."We're familiar with this now. We're in a club that we didn't want to be in," Tim Flick said.The sight of the ceremony still brings the weight of loss rushing back."When we drove in and saw the big flag and fire department there to support us, of course it takes us back to the day of Micah's memorial," Chenoa Flick said.Tim Flick said those connections keep the family coming back."It is a close bond we have with those people and we will the rest of our lives," Tim Flick said.This year's keynote speaker was Rachel Swasey, widow of UCCS Officer Garrett Swasey, who was killed on Nov. 27, 2015, while responding to the Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado Springs. He was 44 years old. Rachel Swasey said it was the first time she had spoken publicly about her loss."For the last 10 years I've not really said much publicly about losing Garrett, and there's several reasons for that. One of which was there was a prosecution case ongoing, and I understood that talking about the case could negatively impact it, and I was very much waiting for justice. And as some of you may know, that case was recently resolved. It has been dismissed, and I am at peace with the ultimate outcome," Rachel Swasey said.In addition to his career in law enforcement, Garrett Swasey was also a part-time pastor. Rachel Swasey said he always made clear what mattered most to him."Garrett for his part, reassured me. He told me that he knew that the most important part of his day every day was to come home to the kids and to come home to me," Rachel Swasey said."I lived in the confidence that would in fact come home. Until the day he did not," she added.In the years since his death, Rachel Swasey said the community's quiet acts of support helped carry her family through grief."Did you know that someone from CSPD helped give that first gentle notification to my family? Someone from El Paso County Sheriff's Office came that 1st December to our driveway and shoveled deep snow. Someone from UCCS escorted me to the police memorial in Washington DC," Rachel Swasey said.Those experiences shaped the message she brought to the ceremony."All these things that have happened in the past inform me that no matter what happens next, I do not have to be afraid. I do not have to stand alone," Rachel Swasey said.She also offered a message to those still serving."Let the people around you know that they are the most important part of your day," Rachel Swasey said."The second idea is consider what can give you such peace that lasts through any storm in this life or the next," she said.She also reflected on how the community helped her family navigate loss."How has the family done navigating grief? And I can tell you this community has been a good place in which to do something that is so hard," Rachel Swasey said.El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal said the ceremony serves a purpose larger than any single loss.As the sheriff of El Paso County and responsible for nearly 900 people, this is a very scary reminder, and it needs to be of what our job may call upon us to do. Roybal said.For the Flick family, the reason to return is simple."He's not forgotten," Tim Flick said.The ceremony also recognized a broader statewide effort to honor the fallen. On May 1, 2026, the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial in Golden formally added 24 names.21 officers who died in the line of duty in 2024 and 2025, and 3 historical line-of-duty deaths not previously engraved. The additions brought the total number of names on the memorial to 389.The El Paso County Sheriff's Office Mounted Unit and members of the Regional Honor Guard delivered the wreath of remembrance during the ceremony, a symbolic tribute to officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. ...read more read less