EL PASO COUNTY — As members of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office are paying their respects to fallen deputy Andrew Peery at his funeral services, other local police departments are helping to keep the office running.
Colorado Springs, Monument, Fountain, and Manitou Springs police departments are coming together to support the sheriff's office and cover the area in their jurisdiction. They said it's to help take the burden off of the deputies and let them focus on honoring their fallen brother.
"On a day like today, you know, we don't recognize a patch or a badge. It's just all the local PDs and the sheriff's office. They're just trying to walk each other through this tragic incident," said Monument Police Chief Sean Hemingway.
Fountain Police are covering the southern districts while Monument Police are helping out on the north side of the jurisdiction.
Hemingway said despite the tragic incident, his officers are feeling a sense of pride in knowing they're out serving with Deputy Peery's community.
"There's a tremendous sense of pride in properly honoring Deputy Peery and, you know, so they're, they're proud to be out there serving, you know, with his community and helping this great sheriff's office," he said.
The Fountain Police Department said their decision to help out was automatic and that the department had stepped up to cover area when Deputy Micah Flick was killed in 2018.
The departments are covering the area until around 8 p.m. Monday night.
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