Michael Owen Conley
Agency patch
Officer

Michael Owen Conley

Estes Park Police Department — Estes Park, CO
Accident
End of Watch July 31, 1976
The Vigil Panel 117 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Michael Conley and Trooper Hugh Purdy, of the Colorado State Patrol, drowned while assisting victims of the Big Thompson Flood. Officer Conley was off duty at the time and in the area of Big Thompson Canyon when he heard of the need for help. He offered his assistance and was responsible for the rescue of at least 60 people before being killed in the flood.

Survivors

Officer Conley was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-FC615D93
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Conley served with the Estes Park Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Estes Park community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Conley.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Estes Park, Larimer County, CO
Platform Identity eppd.larimer.co.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 31, 1976
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Officer Michael Owen Conley is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In CO, 101 of 360 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.1% of this state's fallen. That is 28.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Estes Park Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Accident
CO — Statewide
101
of 360 officers
28.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Owen Conley's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Michael Owen Conley Compares

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Owen Conley is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Estes Park Police Department are honored on badge.nw.