Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Zachariah Templeton succumbed to injures sustained the previous day when he was struck by a vehicle.
Trooper Templeton and another trooper had stopped in the median of I-76, near 96th Avenue in Commerce City, to help a man re-load two plastic farm chemical tanks that had fallen off a trailer. As they were loading the containers, a vehicle heading east left the roadway and struck both troopers.
They were both taken to Denver Health Medical Center where Trooper Templeton succumbed to his injuries the following day. The other trooper suffered serious injuries.
The driver was sentenced to two years probation after pleading down to a charge of careless driving resulting in death.
Trooper Templeton had served with the Colorado State Patrol for four years and was assigned to the 1D Troop in Adams County.
Trooper Templeton and another trooper had stopped in the median of I-76, near 96th Avenue in Commerce City, to help a man re-load two plastic farm chemical tanks that had fallen off a trailer. As they were loading the containers, a vehicle heading east left the roadway and struck both troopers.
Trooper Templeton had served with the Colorado State Patrol for four years and was assigned to the 1D Troop in Adams County.
Survivors
He is survived by his 3-year-old daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CO-A2D99784- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Templeton gave the Colorado State Patrol 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Colorado. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Templeton.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Zachariah Earl Templeton 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%.
At Colorado State Patrol, 19 of 30 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 63.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Zachariah Earl Templeton's cause is highlighted.
How Zachariah Earl Templeton Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Zachariah Earl Templeton is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
29 officers from Colorado State Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
