STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Steamboat Springs Police Department will honor Detective Sgt. Jeff Wilson with a special procession and service Saturday. Wilson lost his battle with cancer nearly a year ago.

“The pandemic was rapidly expanding, gatherings were limited, so we couldn’t come together as a department to honor Detective Sergeant Wilson,” said Police Cmdr. Jerry Stabile in a news release. “On the anniversary of Jeff’s passing, we’ll be able to recognize him, his family and his service to our community, and we hope the community will join us.”

Wilson’s one-year, end-of-watch anniversary will be marked with a procession of public safety personnel who will gather at 9:45 a.m. at the Combined Law Enforcement Facility. The procession will travel along U.S. Highway 40 east to the Steamboat Christian Center where a memorial service will be held, featuring the Routt County Color Guard and a bagpipe player.

Individuals wishing to pay their respects to Wilson and his family can gather along U.S. 40/Lincoln Avenue during the memorial procession.

The vehicle escort will include members of Steamboat Springs Police Department, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue, North Routt Fire and many other first responder agencies from Northwest Colorado. The Classic Air Medical helicopter also will join the slow-moving procession overhead.

“Being able to have a positive impact on the community we serve is a big reason many of us join the force,” Stabile said. “Jeff’s influence is still being felt every day within our department and across the community. It’s hard to believe it has been a year since he left us.”

As Steamboat Pilot & Today’s John Russell reported, Wilson got his start in law enforcement with the Hutchinson, Kansas, police department in October 1998. He then spent 10 years with the Hesston, Kansas, police department before moving to Steamboat Springs in November 2011. He was a patrol officer before being promoted to patrol sergeant in 2013. In 2018, he became the department’s first detective sergeant and worked several high-profile cases.

In addition to his work as an investigator, he was responsible for coordinating rapid response training sessions across the county and surrounding area to ensure that first responders, including police, fire and medical personnel, were prepared for the worst-case scenario of an active shooter. He also was a volunteer with the North Routt Fire Protection District.