Cheyenne Police Chief Remembers Fallen Officers With Video

Standing before the plaque in front of the Cheyenne Public Safety Center that honors the city's fallen officers, Police Chief Brian Kozak on Tuesday took a moment to reflect on Police Week and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Officers like Charles Henry Edwards, Jr., who was stabbed on his 32nd birthday (Jan. 19, 1907) while attempting to arrest a man who'd thrown another man through a window at a local saloon.

A doctor dressed Edwards' wound and it was believed he was going to survive, but he came down with pneumonia and died four days later.

"On his death bed, he married so that his son would have a mother," said Kozak. "He'd been on the department for two years."

Kozak also remembered Hugh C. Petrie - End of Watch: 1919; Charles Gatza, Jr. - End of Watch: 1934; Jack Norwood Jernigan - End of Watch: 1954; Dennis M. Shuck - End of Watch: 2006; and George "Bill" Stanford - End of Watch: 2007.

"People always ask me what keeps me awake at night, it's the fact that on this plaque there are empty spots," said Kozak. "We're doing everything we can as a department to make sure our officers are well trained (and) have the resources they need to do their job safely."

"So if you're down here this week, especially on Friday when these flags are brought down to respect the fallen, remember the officers on this plaque ... and also remember the officers who are inside this building behind me," he added.

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