Retiring CPW Wildlife Manager recounts highlights of nearly 40-year career
LA JUNTA, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife is paying tribute to District Wildlife Manager Steve Keefer, who is set to retire after nearly 40 years in law enforcement.
For a long time, Keefer has served the La Junta South District where he is a staple in the nearby communities.
When asked why he has served the community for so many years, he narrows it down to one snowy night in 1982.
That night, he found a car that slid into a ditch. When he went to check on the occupants he found a young woman and her baby and helped them to safety.
Years later, Keefer said a woman approached him asking if he recognized her.
"She was the one in the snowdrift. And she introduced me to her daughter, who gave me a big hug. And thanked me for what I had done," Keefer said. "And I didn't do anything that any other officer wouldn't have done. But you couldn't have given me a medal that would have meant more than that."
“You couldn’t have given me a medal that meant more than that.” Steve Keefer emotionally recounts helping a woman and her baby that were stuck in a snowbank and meeting them again years later. #RideAlongwithCPW pic.twitter.com/kPNWAv13Iq
— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) August 9, 2022
Keefer went on to say that to him, being in law enforcement means taking care of people, and that's why he has stayed in community service for 40 years.
