Fallen officer honored at UCCS 50th anniversary

State leaders and staff at University of Colorado Colorado Springs gathered Thursday night in honor of the University’s 50th anniversary.

At the anniversary, a faculty member noted the anniversary was bittersweet, referring to the loss of UCCS Police Officer Garrett Swasey. “We have so much to be proud of but this is also a sad time,” said a faculty member.

Swasey died in the line of duty on Nov. 27 during a shooting at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.

There was a brief moment of silence in honor of Swasey. A moment that sticks with one professor who’s been with the University since almost the beginning.

“I’ve been here 43 years and know of no other case that’s happened like this. He served with honor and made the ultimate sacrifice,” Thomas Napierkowski, English professor at UCCS said.

Mayor John Suthers says in the University’s 50 years he’s seen a lot happen, but this loss will stick with him for years.

“Here we are celebrating the 50th anniversary, this has been scheduled for a long time but we would be remiss if we had a celebration like this without recognizing that a UCCS officer gave his life for our community,” said Suthers.

Gov. John Hickenlooper says the community has grown stronger during this tough time.

“It either hurts the community or it makes the community stronger and certainly what we’ve seen in Colorado Springs is stronger,” said Hickenlooper.

Swasey will be honored again at his funeral service Friday at 1 p.m. at New Life Church.

“This community is going to give him an incredible send off tomorrow, people will be overwhelmed by the support,” said Mayor Suthers.