- Utah officers visited the U.S. Capitol on Thursday during National Police Week.
- Rep. Burgess Owens met with and thanked the officers, emphasizing law enforcement's role in national safety.
WASHINGTON — Officers from the Tremonton-Garland Police Department and Box Elder County Sheriff's Office spent part of Police Week walking through the halls of the U.S. Capitol, taking in its history, artwork and deeper meaning.
During their visit, the group met with Rep. Burgess Owens, who thanked them for their service and reflected on the role law enforcement plays in the country.
"This is what makes our state and our country what it is," said Owens. "It's feeling safe. It's being able to dream. It's being able to see outside whatever we're going through and know that we can take the steps we need to take and know we're going to come back home safely."
Owens also spent time with Brittney Estrada, the widow of fallen officer Eric Estrada, along with other family members.
For many in the group, the visit was a reminder that their work extends far beyond the communities they serve back home.
"It does reinvigorate me," said Lt. Alex Evans with the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office. "I mean, being here in the Capitol, it makes me feel like I work for this, for this democracy. I don't see police as law enforcement officers, I see us as guardians of democracy."
That sense of purpose was shared by others on the trip, even though they all knew the reason why they were at Police Week.
"Yeah, it chokes you up a little," said detective Michelle Cluff with the Tremonton-Garland Police Department. "But it's also very empowering to know that, like, we're doing this for these guys that have went before us and continue to do so after."
While the setting inside the Capitol is rich in American history, the experience was even more so for the officers and their families. It was a moment where service, sacrifice and remembrance came together.
