I began this journey back in 2012 when I took part in the very first COPS Walk Southwest. I now have a total of TWELVE COPS Walks under my feet!! Thank you each and every one of you who have been a part of “Team Joellen” for all these miles, and I’m hoping you will once again come alongside me for the next 25 miles. If this is your first year joining up with me, thank you, and know that you are making an impact in many lives with your support.
   
Always first and foremost in my heart, is my father-in-law Leroy Dale Brown, Cochise County Sheriff’s Department, Arizona, killed in the line of duty on December 6, 1969, in Bowie, Arizona. Deputy Brown was shot and killed by a man he had arrested several months earlier. Deputy Leroy Brown was survived by his wife, two sons, parents, one brother and four sisters.

Other Fallen Officers I would like to honor and remember for their sacrifice:

Osvaldo Albarati – Lieutenant, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Government.  End of Watch - February 26, 2013

Eric Williams - Senior Officer Specialist, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Government.  End of Watch - February 25, 2013

Samuel Steele Hicks – Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Government. End of Watch – November 19, 2008

Jose Rivera - Correctional Officer, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Government. End of Watch – June 20, 2008

Erik David Hite - Police Officer, Tucson Police Department, Arizona. End of Watch – June 2, 2008

Jason Schwartz - Deputy Sheriff, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado. End of Watch – September 28, 2001

Scott James Williams - Senior Officer Specialist, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Government.  End of Watch – April 3, 1997

Manuel Hurtado Tapia - Sergeant, Arizona Department of Public Safety. End of Watch – January 8, 1991

Martha Dixon Martinez – Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Government. End of Watch – November 22, 1994

Kent Donald Swanson - Sergeant, Shelley Police Department, Idaho. End of Watch – May 21, 2018

Burke Jevon Rhoads – Police Officer, Nicholasville Police Department, Kentucky. End of Watch – March 11, 2015

Darian Rey Jarrott – Patrolman, New Mexico State Police, New Mexico. End of Watch – February 4, 2021

Bradley Steven Henry Johnson – Deputy Sheriff, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama.  End of Watch – June 30, 2022

Dillon Micheal Vakoff – Police Officer, Arvada Police Department, Colorado. End of Watch – September 11, 2022

Eric Jason Autobee - Correctional Sergeant, Colorado Department of Corrections, Colorado. End of Watch - October 18, 2002

Mary Katherine Ricard - Sergeant, Colorado Department of Corrections, Colorado. End of Watch - September 24, 2012

Thomas Lynn Clements - Executive Director, Colorado Department of Corrections, Colorado. End of Watch - March 19, 2013

Lisa Mauldin - Corrections Officer, Miller County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas. End of Watch - December 19, 2016

Come alongside me, as I get ready to walk another 25 miles. It’s the least I can do as a way to honor and remember the fallen officers and the survivors left behind. It’s a way to keep the programs going that Concerns of Police Survivors offers to those survivors. It’s a way to honor and remember Leroy Dale Brown and so many more.