SAE At UCCS Honors Officer Slain In Planned Parenthood Shooting

Alex Buscemi10 years ago

A token of gratitude from a group fraternity members made huge waves in a mourning community.

The shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs last November left three people dead and shook the nation. Among those killed was Officer Garrett Swasey, who died while responding to the scene. The 44-year-old officer meant a lot to the community he gave his life defending, including students at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Swasey was a campus security officer at UCCS for six years, and many brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon were close to him.

To honor their fallen friend, the fraternity wanted to do something special for the campus public safety department. They worked their magic and got a U.S. congressman to fly a flag above the capitol in Swasey’s name, and held a ceremony where they presented a certificate to the chief of police.

From The Gazette:

They arranged for U.S. Congressman Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado Springs, to have an American flag flown over the Capitol in Washington, D.C., in Swasey’s honor.

Fraternity members presented the flag and a certificate encased in a shadow box to Brian McPike, executive director of public safety and chief of police, at a ceremony Friday.

“We wanted to do something unique for the officer and for the department of public safety,” Tafoya said.

The flag will be displayed in the department’s office on campus.

The seemingly small gesture undoubtedly did wonders for Swasey’s noble legacy and helped ease his passing for both the campus public safety department and the UCCS community..

[via The Gazette]

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