ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) – The funeral for Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Flat Irons Church, 355 W. South Boulder Rd., in Lafayette. Beesley was killed in a shooting in Olde Town Arvada Monday night. While the memorial service is not open to the public, we will be livestreaming the service on FOX31 NOW.

Thousands of law enforcement officers from around the country are expected to attend. The Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation is planning the service.

“We organize very formally,” said President Stephen Redfearn. “We are very structured, we have a logistics section, an operation section, a finance section, a public information section, all of those groups operate independently under one incident command system. There’s a lot of traditions and customs, dating all the way back to the first police (death) ever in Ireland and different customs only reserved for line of duty deaths.”

They are working with Arvada Police Department and Officer Beesley’s family to honor him.

“Our motto is we only get one time to do this right, so we take it so seriously. Our team right now is working 16 hour days every day to make sure every detail is perfect. Everything we do is to support the family. A close second is the department because especially in a smaller agency like Arvada, they haven’t had a line of duty death in over 40 years, they’re a very tight knit family,” Redfearn said.

Amy Moden knows what Officer Beesley’s family and friends are going through. Her husband, Colorado State Trooper Will Moden was killed in the line of duty two years ago. 

“So my heart has been so heavy since Monday, just broken for that family,” Moden said. “Watching what was happening in Arvada, where I grew up, my mom lives in Olde Town. Seeing it just flash social media was immediately overwhelming and triggering because another family is now going through what I have had to face, all of my family has gone through.  Seeing my law enforcement family, not only State Patrol but other agencies having to respond, it brings you right back to your incident.”

She shared a powerful message on Facebook of what a fallen officer’s family goes through in the week leading up to the funeral. 

It said in part, “Planning a funeral for a police officer is so different from planning a funeral for another family member or friend. Her life is no longer private. She now shares her grief with her state, with her community, with her blue family, with her friends, and with her family. Every morning right now until her beloved is buried she wakes up to a patrol car in front of her house. It’s such an honor to be watched over and I’m sure it brings tears to her eyes, but it’s also painful because you know why. It should be him protecting you and not them.”

Moden worked with the Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation to created a line of duty benefit guide on how to support families and agencies during these types of tragedies.

“What breaks my heart is its already been dispatched twice in three months,” Moden said.

She is thankful for the community that surrounded her, and that includes the support of the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation. 

“Their mission and what they do to provide that support during this very tragic, overwhelming time – there is just something so beautiful about it,” Moden said.

Monetary donations to Officer Beesley’s family can be made through the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation. Non-monetary donations may be made by completing the donation form here.