Roll of Honor
Incident
Corporal Gale Emerson was killed as a result of an arson fire at the 800 block of Maine Street in Durango at 4:00 am. Corporal Emerson had just finished his shift at 3:00 am but came back to the station to help when the fire call came in. He and a firefighter were attempting to evacuate an apartment building that was burning. During the evacuation, a wall exploded, killing Corporal Emerson and the firefighter. The suspect was convicted and sent to a mental hospital but was released in 1994.
Survivors
Corporal Emerson was survived by his expectant wife.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-CO-D0F71F4F- Stewardship
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- 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.
Corporal Emerson served with the Durango Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Durango community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Emerson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Corporal Gale Evans Emerson 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. Gale Evans Emerson's cause is highlighted.
How Gale Evans Emerson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gale Evans Emerson is highlighted in Aug.