Eric Talley was respected by fellow officers and the community in Boulder, Colorado.  They knew him as a man who loved his job and his family, and would do whatever it took to protect the community he was sworn to serve.  He looked out for his little sister when they were kids. He quit a high-paying job in IT to become a police officer when a close friend was killed by a drunk driver. And he lost his life responding to a report of a shooting at a nearby supermarket.

90% of police work is routine: traffic control, paperwork, noise complaints, and often a good deed. In 2013 Talley and two other officers rescued a family of ducklings that had become trapped in a storm sewer. But each officer knows that every day, when they leave home, there is a chance they will not return. Talley left behind his wife and 7 children, and a grieving community. When the call went out that there was an active shooter at the Boulder King Soopers market, Talley rushed to the scene and ran into the market to save lives.

Talley had many interests: board games, flying drones, technology and more. But his favorite interest was his family, and kids, ages 7-20.  He inspired his kids to serve; he taught CPR to all of them, and one son had to use it to save a brother who had inhaled a quarter. For Christmas in 2019 they wrote him this poem:

Dad, our unsung hero,
You never know the cost
Whatever we need is never too much
But our praises have never been enough.
 
Dad, our unsung hero,
You daily risk your life at work
To guard and care for the welfare of the needy.
Oh, our praises could never be enough.
 
Dad, our unsung hero,
Who provides so well for us,
We’ve not realized all you do for us.
Our praises have not been enough.
 
Dad, our unsung hero,
you’re never too busy to help.
You’re always there when we need you.
Our praises could never be enough.
 
Dad, our unsung hero,
Who guards and guides our way,
We love you, and we thank you
On this Christmas Day,
 
May the Angels watch over you
And guard you on your way.
May God bless and protect you
And bring you home each day.
– Talley family children

 

 

References:

Officer Down Memorial
Boulder Police Department