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New Mexicans Honor Fallen Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement officers pay tribute to fallen comrades Tuesday during the Mew Mexico Law Enforcement Memorial Service.
Kevin Meerschaert
/
KSFR-FM
Law Enforcement officers pay tribute to fallen comrades Tuesday during the Mew Mexico Law Enforcement Memorial Service.

Law enforcement from around New Mexico and families of the fallen gathered at the Law Enforcement Academy in Santa Fe on Tuesday for the annual Memorial Service for officers who died in the line of duty.

Seven new names are being added to the Memorial Wall including Santa Fe Senior Officer Robert Duran who was killed last year in a collision on I-25 while pursuing a suspect and Bernalillo County Sheriff officers Lieutenant Fred Beers III, Undersheriff Larry Koren and Deputy Sheriff Michael Levison who were killed in a helicopter crash helping victims of the Calf Canyon-Hermits Peak Fire.

During the ceremony Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told families of the fallen that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.  

She says the bravery of officers just last week in Farmington where three elderly women were killed and several including two officers were wounded in a mass shooting shows how much New Mexicans appreciate law enforcement.

“The fact is that tragedy could have in fact been much worse had it not been for the bravery of those responding officers,” she said. “In fact that’s what you do. While we run away from danger, you run toward it. That danger is ever present and real.”

Also memorialized at the service were Curry County Deputy Sheriff Charles Vannatta and Colfax County Undersheriff Jeffery Montoya who both died of COVID-19 and New Mexico State Police Sergeant Thomas Vitale who died shortly after assisting emergency responders transport an uncooperative and combative suspect for a mental evaluation. With the seven additions there are now 217 names on the memorial wall at the Law Enforcement Academy.