Loveland Police wrap badges in black
LOVELAND- While Loveland Police and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office members did not respond to the scene of the shooting at a King Soopers in Boulder Monday, officers from both departments mourned and honored those lost Tuesday.
Monday’s shooting led to the deaths of 10 people, who were identified Tuesday morning, including Boulder police officer Eric Talley. A 21-year-old man from Arvada, who was arrested and identified as a suspect, entered the south Boulder grocery store in the afternoon and open fired, causing shoppers and workers to flee the building and the gunshots inside. The suspect, who was arrested on scene and transported to a hospital for injuries sustained during the incident, faces 10 counts of murder.
According to Tom Hacker, information officer for the LPD, officers were not sent to the active scene Monday or to the following procession. He added that Tuesday every Loveland officer badge was wrapped in a black mourning band that honors the Boulder police and their loss of a fellow law enforcement officer.
In an email to his staff, Loveland police chief Bob Ticer said the department’s hope Tuesday was to support the Boulder Police Department and Officer Talley, adding “today is a tough day for our profession, and your community supports you now more than ever.”
“I know that line-of-duty deaths not only affect each of you but also our families,” Ticer wrote to the department. “Please have a safe day, stay strong, and do the guardian work that each of you are charged with and do so exceptionally well.”
Loveland police are also expected to stand in vigilance during Officer Talley’s memorial, and LPD officers in their vehicles will participate in the procession afterward.
David Moore with the Sheriff’s Office said, like the LPD, LCSO officers were not sent to the scene or part of the Monday night procession. However, Larimer County Regional SWAT team was activated and placed on standby in the event Boulder needed additional assistance. He said the office also had additional staff ready to cover any Boulder County or Longmont area calls for service if requested by either agency.
“Turns out they had everything covered and our folks were not deployed to Boulder/Boulder County,” Moore said in an email.
Sheriff Justin Smith said in a comment to the Reporter-Herald that the mass murder Monday serves as a “stark reminder of the threats that communities face from deranged killers.” He added that the Boulder Police, Boulder Sheriff and surrounding agencies responded immediately, but 10 people still lost their lives.
Smith said the state has witness “an explosion in murders across our state for some time,” adding, “the data is there for all to see.”
“I pray that the members of our state legislature and our governor will put a halt to the dangerous bills that they continue to promote creating new rights for criminals, while creating more and more barriers to dedicated and brave police officers trying to do their jobs to serve and protect their communities,” Smith said. “Colorado is at a crossroads and I hope and pray we take the right path, because the consequences for bad decisions by our leaders are high.”
Loveland officials also honored those killed in Monday’s attack. Loveland mayor Jacki Marsh asked for a called for a moment of silence at the start of Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
“It’s incomprehensible the pain that these people are in,” she said. “We all offer our condolences, are our sympathies, our thoughts and our prayers.”
Austin Fleskes for the Reporter Herald
