Roll of Honor
Brendan Patrick Unitt
Incident
Ranger Brendan Unitt drowned while responding to a distressed boater on Horsetooth Reservoir near Soldier Canyon Dam at about 9:30 pm.
Ranger Unitt had been conducting a foot patrol at the campgrounds on the west shore of the reservoir when a strong-wind event occurred. He was dispatched to assist a distressed boater, but when he returned to his boat he discovered it had been blown off of the shoreline. It is believed that he removed his flotation device in an attempt to swim to the boat to retrieve it.
A massive search was undertaken when he failed to arrive at the distressed boater call or respond to dispatchers. His body was located at approximately 3:30 am the following morning.
Ranger Unitt was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources for six months.
On behalf of the Ohio Attorney Generals Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation, our thoughts and prayers are with the immediate family Ranger Brendan Unitt and the extended law enforcement family of the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources, Colorado.
End of Watch Friday, August 20, 2020.
Rest in Peace brother and watch over us. We will protect and serve from here on in your honor.
I fight not for glory or fame, for they are momentary. I fight for those who can't. I fight for Justice. I fight for the oppressed and the down trodden. And if I should lose my life for these just causes, then I have no regrets, For I serve to protect the innocent. It matters not where or when, for evil knows no boundaries. Be it fire, flood, or the threat of tyranny, I will not flee. Justice is my weapon. Faith is my shield. Hope is my armor. Cry not at my passing, for it was my Honor to fight for you. Shed not tears of sorrow, But tears of joy, for now, I stand with God.
By Jon F. Hooper
"Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Superintendent Joe Morbitzer Ohio Attorney General, Bureau of Criminal Investigation September 15th, 2020
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Ranger Unitt served with the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources.
Thank you for your service to the Loveland community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Brendan Patrick Unitt served in the Marine Corps (2011â2015) before joining law enforcement.
Ranger Brendan Patrick Unitt is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 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 2.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Brendan Patrick Unitt's cause is highlighted.
How Brendan Patrick Unitt Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Brendan Patrick Unitt is highlighted in Aug.