Regional law enforcement remembered local officers who have been killed in the line of duty and honored their surviving family members Friday.

Seven officers have died in uniform while serving Southwest Colorado since 1906. Officials recounted their stories during the Peace Officers Memorial Day celebration at the Durango Police Department.

“We are the watchman over the memories of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Lt. Darryl Robertson.

The celebration also honored the more than 22,000 law enforcement officers killed since 1791 nationwide. If law enforcement deaths were ranked alongside armed conflicts, they would rank as the seventh deadliest war, he said.

Robertson described an ongoing struggle with very little hope of a peace accord.

“There is very little victory in what we do,” he said.

Across the country, tensions have been high between law enforcement and communities, particularly in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore where high-profile shootings of civilians sparked protests.

“There is no doubt we are in a period where there’s harsh public opinion about law enforcement,” Robertson said in an interview.

But Robertson began planning the peace-officer memorial long before the shootings. While national events can affect a department’s relationship with a community, he doesn’t believe that they have in Durango.

“I think we’re very well-connected to our community,” he said.

As some of the tumultuous events were unfolding, the Colorado Legislature passed a handful of new laws to increase oversight of law enforcement.

For example, the Legislature now requires a broader review of officer-involved shootings to try to eliminate potential conflicts of interest.

The lawmakers also updated the state training curriculum to include classes on de-escalation tactics and better community relations, the Associated Press reported.

Many of the laws passed already are policy at the Durango Police Department, Robertson said.

“Most of our policies are ahead of the curve,” he said.

The most recent law enforcement officer who died on the job was Joseph Ynostroza, a Colorado State patrolman, who died in car crash in 1989.

The only Durango police officer to die on the job is Cpl. Gale Emerson, who was honored separately with the unveiling of a new granite memorial in the department’s lobby.

“This should have been done years ago,” said Chief Jim Spratlen.

Emerson was 24 when he died in a fire on Main Avenue while trying to evacuate residents from an apartment building in 1974.

Retired police captains Dale Smith and Gary McKnight recalled Emerson as a natural police officer.

“It’s a great honor, for a great police officer,” Smith said.

The fire was set by an arsonist, Smith said. The blaze destroyed six buildings and also killed firefighter Nick Parks III and injured firefighter Ben “Butch” Gomez.

Much of the work on the memorial was donated by different businesses in the community.

Robertson said he was inspired to bring the peace officers memorial to Durango because he came from a police department that actively recognized Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week.

“A lot of the recent things that have occurred to impact public opinion about law enforcement happened long after I started planning this,” he said.

He worked with the police department’s historian to invite family members of the fallen to the ceremony, where they were recognized. The department’s chaplain, Jon Alsdorf, also blessed the survivors and those who have died.

“No greater love exists than one who lays down their life for another,” he said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com