Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

A few words for a great cop and an even better man!



The Thing that He expected, But the One We never accepted.

For those who summoned him on the darkest of night, believing and trusting that he would be there to make it right.

Being there to help and comfort them, not even considering what they thought or cared of him

-These are the things that he always expected, when we he wasn’t there in time, it was something he never accepted.

For those who scorned him and analyzed his every move, judging him, as if there was something against him to prove.

And those who resisted against his mighty hand, when the time came for him to take a stand,

To them I say, He wore the badge with pride, each and every day, encouraging fellow officers to follow in his way.

-And these are the parts of the job that he always expected, but sometimes wondered why and never accepted.

And for those of us who walked beside him on that line, who knew he would always be there for us, every time

Knowing that each day could be our last, but left wondering why, so sudden, it came his time to pass

-These are the part of the job that we all expected, but will always wonder why and never accepted.

And for his children, who he held closest to his heart, who now must feel that there is only dark,

He loved you most and loved to watch you play, and will always look down on you, each and every day

And as he sits in heaven watching over his wife, the one part that he always considered his life,

Know that as he now stands among brave men, waiting for the day that he shall hold you again,

--Always remember…. That leaving you is something that he never expected, but knowing that he will see you again, I’m sure, is something that he has accepted.






Dedicated to the Memory of Nicholas Heine
Farewell Friend....
May you walk beside us always…………

Officer Christopher Flores
Pueblo Police Department

June 30, 2008

My prayers are with Nick, his entire family and his family at the Pueblo Police Department. I met Nick before his career with the department and I am extremely proud of his endless efforts and goals to pursue a career in law enforcement. I am thankful for his hard word and efforts to serve the community of Pueblo and as a brother in law enforcement. His honor will follow with the men and women who serve the public and Officer Heine will always be remembered as a great officer and a great man.

God Bless you.

Crystal Butkovich
Bureau of ATF, Detroit Field Division

June 30, 2008

who has lived well, laughed often,
and loved much; who has enjoyed
the trust of pure women, the
respect of intelligent men and the
love of little children; who has
filled his niche and accomplished
his task; who has left the world
better than he found it whether by
an improved poppy, a perfect poem,
or a rescued soul; who has never
lacked appreciat ion of Earth's
beauty or failed to express it; who
has always looked for the best in
others and given them the best he
had; whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction."
Bessie A Stanley, 1904

T.F.S.

June 30, 2008

The Florida Police Chiefs Association would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Nicholas Heine, and the Pueblo P.D. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this time of great sadness. Please take comfort in knowing that your extended law enforcement family grieves with you. Officer Heine, we thank you for your service. You will not be forgotten.

Members and Staff
Florida Police Chiefs Association

June 30, 2008

Hey Nick;

Its sounds like you were a true inspiration to many people that met you. A "man's man" A "true gentleman".
God Bless You Son.

From Sydney Australia

Detective Sergeant Fab Furia
New South Wales Police Force Australia

June 29, 2008

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.

Bessie A Stanley, 1904

T. Segura

June 29, 2008

My thoughts & prayers are with you all. My brother was also 30 years old when he left us. Rest Easy.

Cindy, Arkansas
sister of slain Officer Randy Basnett, eow 9/24/1976

June 29, 2008

Rest in peace, Sir! You will never be forgotten.

Police Officer

June 29, 2008

First of all, my heart pours out to the Heine family. I know how this feels and God and Nick are watching over all of you to pull you through this. Trust me there will be days when you feel the gentle touch of Nick's hand on your shoulder and you will know that everything is going to be okay. By the Grace of God, Nick will be giving you strength to move on. Just keep your faith in God.
Nick! I was not able to get to know you when you worked in investigations for a short period of time. All I knew is when you walked into the ID Section, You were very quiet, but respectful and nice. I feel as though after listening to all of your friends praise you and honor you, that I missed the opportunity to get to know a good man and to make another friend in our department.
You will be very missed Nick, but somehow, you have had another impact on this department. You have started bringing us all back together as a family. I truly believe we all will be tighter than ever. I know I will be putting 100% effort into expanding my family of my brothers in blue.
Nick! I know you are with God and you will be with all of us. There is no question about that. Please rest in peace and we will se you someday, My Brother in Blue.

Detective Nikki Thomas
Pueblo Police Department

June 29, 2008

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Officer Heine as well as the brotherhood of the Pueblo Police Department. May you rest in eternal peace our brother!

Detective Mark Techmanski
City of Syracuse, NY Police Department

June 29, 2008

Dear Nick,
It was an honor to have known you and to have answered calls with you. You taught me how to treat EVERYONE with respect and compassion and you are a true inspiration to every person whose life you touched. Until we meet again, watch over us all and keep us safe. Peace be with you.

Emergency Med. Officer-Bernie Jesik
Pueblo Fire Dept

June 28, 2008

Thank you for your service OFC. Heine. May God bless and watch over your family. Rest easy brother.

Security Officer
FBOP

June 28, 2008

Dear Family, Friends, and Co-Workers of Police Officer Nicholas Heine,

We are so sorry to here about your tragic loss of Police Officer Nicholas Heine. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you in support during this very difficult time. We know that sometimes there is little comfort that comes from words. Keep focused as you can on the memories and joyous times for these things may bring you comfort. Rely heavily on family, friends, and other law enforcement for support. Honor your fallen loved one, for their sacrifice will not be forgotten. Police Officer Nicholas Heine is a hero.

Respectfully,

Alissa Scott
Widow of Beryl Wayne Scott
E.O.W. 09-10-02

Lisa Schultz
Widow of Don Schultz
E.O.W. 05-12-04

Co-Founders of Survivor Help Network

June 28, 2008

I pray that you’re Wife, Girls, & Mom will always remember that a HERO! was needed by GOD in HEAVEN that day, more than anywhere else. All My Love, Condolences and heartfelt Respect to NICK’S family…PPD SAFE UNIT-JR.

June 28, 2008

Nick,

Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to are recruit class during arrest control. You pushed hard and we are all better because of it. I can still here you yelling at the class saying " You have only been running fifteen minutes yours till got forty-five more to go. The world is a darker place without you. You were a great teacher and a officer that we should all strive to be like. Rest in peace Officer Heine

Darren Adams
Trinidad Police Department

June 27, 2008

This is tough to take and even more unimaginable. Don't know what His plan is, but God needed you to take care of some business for him. He couldn't have picked a more devoted and good hearted guy.

Your girls will be fine. Because I know during the time you spent with them you built a strong and honest foundation for them to build their lives on. And you have the best seat around to watch them and everyone else that you touched.

It won't be the same without you pal, and we'll all miss seeing you every night and hearing your voice on the radio. I guess you finally got off graveyard.

You will never be forgotten and the void you left us with will never be filled. Later Nick. I'll see down the road.

Partner on the North
Pueblo P.D. Watch III

June 27, 2008

To the friends, family and co-workers of Officer Heine. My heart goes out to each one of you. On behalf of my agency, you have our support.

Deputy R. D. Brandt
Adams County S.O. Brighton, Co

June 27, 2008

Nick,

This has been an extremely difficult time, but in your death I’ve seen more togetherness in this department than I have ever seen. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to see and speak with others who have the same purpose in life and who we would probably not have hugged, touched or greeted in a long time or ever. Thank you for helping us to realize we need to stop and take the moment to appreciate each other. Thank you for reminding us that we are in this together and we have so much support and love within and from everywhere.

You would have appreciated the sound of silence as we drove through town with only lights on. The support from all over the State and the sidelines was unbelievable. It seemed as if the town stopped at the lunch rush for a time and everyone was grateful for the police and what we do. The whole department pulled together with no question. The service was incredible, tears of sadness and so much love filled the entire church and outside.

I heard someone speak about the cooling breeze that we felt when we stood at attention at the graveside. After the breeze, the tree’s leaves seemed to shimmer and bring a calmness, peaceful feeling over the entire group.
Thank you Nick, rest in peace.

Detective Patsy Smith
Pueblo Police Department, SVU Investigations

June 27, 2008

I was fortunate to meet Nick during my ride alongs with the Pueblo PD, and see the professionalism he displayed during his duty and the comradery he gracefuly shared with his crew. A shining example for us all. Thank you Ofc. Heine. My sincere thoughts and prayers are with you, your family, and fellow officers. Peace be with you.

Paula Moore
Henderson, NV Police Department

June 27, 2008

Nick, I will always remeber you for the great loving husband and father that you are, also I want everyonr to know that you are a stand up cop that did his job the best you could, thanks Nick.
I will also miss our elk hunting trips, but know that you will be in my hart every time I go hunting.
Rest well my friend, my God bless you and your family.

Rick and Eric Valencia.

Coprporal Richard (Rick) Valencia
Pueblo Police Department

June 27, 2008

I knew Nick from years ago when we were in the academy together, though I only got a chance to run into him now and then since the academy, I will miss him. He was an upbeat, compassionate and loving person then, and it was appearant to me that he stayed that way over the years.

My heart goes out to his family, his Department, and all his friends who got a chance to know and love such a great guy.

Amy
CDOC Parole

June 27, 2008

Nicholas Karl Heine

These past few days have been filled with stories about Nick and his life as a Police Officer. The stories have been from the heart and told with laughter and through tears from fellow officers. One of the officers from our crew said it best when he said, “Nick never backed down from a fight and he never left one of us hanging on a call.” Nick always had our backs, always.

In 1991 I was working a walking beat with a fellow officer at the Colorado State Fair when a little boy with bright red hair, big brown eyes and a face covered in freckles came running towards us. The little boy reminded me of Opie from the Andy Griffith Show.

The boy ran up to my partner and placed her in a bear hug. My partner was Pat Heine and she introduced me to her son, Nick. I talked to him about school and Nick was so excited about going back because he loved band. Pat told him that it was time for us to move along, and Nick asked if he could follow and he said he would ‘watch our backs’. Truer words were never spoken.

I would see Nick once or twice a year after that and I saw him grow from a little kid into a big kid. One night Pat asked if Nick could go on a ride-a-long with me and I said, “Sure.”

We talked about his school and how he was going to go to college and how much he loved playing music with his brother Jason. He asked me if I liked being a Police Officer and told me how proud he was of his mother for being an Officer. He seemed interested in becoming a Police Officer, but I still saw him as Opie and never imagined him ever becoming a Police Officer. Boy was I wrong.

After Nick attended college, I learned that he was applying to the Pueblo Police Department and later that he had been accepted into the academy.

While teaching the new recruits in the academy, I saw that Nick was no longer that little boy resembling Opie, but instead had turned into a tall, strong, young man with dark red hair, big brown eyes, and a face covered in freckles. Little did I know he would later become one of the best officers in the department.

As a field training officer, I had the honor of Nick becoming one of my recruits and I had an opportunity to watch him grow from a timid and soft spoken Police Officer, eventually blossoming into a kick ass and mostly soft spoken Police Officer.

After Nick passed his probationary period, he was assigned to the eastside of town on the graveyard shift. One night he had a ride-a-long and he introduced me to his fiancée, Melissa. Nick couldn’t wait to marry Melissa as he loved her so, and later on I was invited and watched him marry the love of his life.

When Nick’s first daughter, Nichole, was born, I never saw a prouder or happier dad until a few years later when his second daughter, Rebecca, was born. Then I saw the same man smiling and gloating all over again.

Nick loved his family and loved taking care of them even driving by his house at night to check on them as they slept. In loving his family, Nick never backed down, would never leave them hanging and always had their backs.

As a patrol officer, Nick always worked graveyard, eastside of town on the north crew and seemed to know all of the bad guys on a first name basis. We shared a lot of calls together from homicides, robberies, burglaries, assaults and Domestic Violence all the way down to drunks wanting a ride to DETOX. Whatever the call, even if it went bad, I always knew Nick would never back down, never leave me hanging, and he was always watching my back.

As the years went by, Nick became an instructor in the Pueblo Police Academy and a Police Training Officer for new recruits coming out onto the streets, all the while growing into a leader on the crew.

Most Police Officers have a saying that they will always go home at the end of their shift. For the north crew, it is more of a pact. For that reason, we always went the extra mile to cover an Officer even when they said they were 10-14, which means, ‘everything’s fine’. We have been in funny situations, sad situations, scary situations and crap your pants situations. But the one thing we knew was that Nick would never back down, he would never leave us hanging, he always watched our backs and at the end of the shift, we would all be going home.

This last Friday night going into Saturday morning, Nicks brother and sister officers learned that there are bigger forces than us, even the biggest of us, and sometimes we can’t always be in control of the situations that happen in life. As hard as everyone tried that night Nick couldn’t be kept here. Nick has gone home. What Nick would want all of us to remember, what Nick would want all his family to remember, all his friends and all of his brothers and sisters in blue, is that Nick will never leave us. He will never leave us hanging, will never back down from loving us, and he will always, always watch our backs.

See ‘ya, Nick.

(copyrighted 062408)

Corporal Kenneth E. Rhodes
Pueblo Police Department

June 27, 2008

It's very rare and far between when your a "Rookie" on the force and get treated with class and respect from an Officer thats got years on you. Officer Heine was an extremelly respectful Police Officer with a large amount of class. He embraced who was around him in the most positive manner and negativity was never in the picture. He will be missed and always remembered.

Patrol B. Beauvais
Pueblo Police Department

June 27, 2008

Final Call
An Angel In The Sky Must Leave His Place Of Rest,
Gently Tucking His Wings Beneath His Armored Vest.
For Duty Has Called, There Is Much Work To Do
Little Did He Know, This One Is Dressed In Blue.
Arriving on the Scene, He Knows Just What to Say, Follow Me, Fallen Brother, I'll Show You the Way.
Your Duty Has Ended; Your Work Is Now Through.
Come Hand Your Hat Beside Mine. I'm A Cop, Too.
— AUTHOR UNKNOWN

We would like to thank all of our brothers and sisters who have traveled from all over the state, surrounding counties, and other agencies near and far to help us during this difficult time. We know that many of you have brought your families, and many of Nick's friends are here too - truly, thanking you, for being here with us to celebrate the life of our brother, Nick Heine.
One of the things you'll notice about us cops if you spend enough time with us is the way we use the term brother - it seems clichéd in this day and age, but even though we fuss at each other like all families do, the Law Enforcement brotherhood is truly a force in all of our hearts, and our lives. The bond develops not only because of the difficult work we do and the horrible things we see, but also as a simple fact of life - who else do you know that has Wednesday and Thursday mornings for his days off? Nick truly was our brother, in every possible way. We all had keys to each other's houses and cars, and pretty much came and went at will - they say that in lieu of owning a pickup truck, the second best thing is having a brother that has one. No matter what you needed, if Nick had it, then you had it. Tools, hunting gear, help putting up a deck on Monday morning. Brothers.

Nick had a tremendous impact on people's lives - usually through his love, generosity and willingness to help. And sometimes with a flashlight. Nick was a cop's cop. No matter what, no matter where, almost invariably Nick would show up, called upon or not. Nick checked up on all his brothers, no matter what they were doing - it didn't matter if you had three thugs up on a wall, or a grandmother with a broken tail light, Nick would roll by and check on you. Nick was a cop's cop - you could mention that you were looking for Joe Smith, and the first words out of his mouth would be "oh, him. He's still got that girlfriend over on 18th that drives the silver Lincoln - want me to pick him up?" Nick knew everybody on the street, and everybody on the street knew him. People knew that if you needed help, Officer Heine would help you - and if you got out of line he'd run you in. Period. Nick loved being a cop. He was one of those guys that just wanted to spend his days being part of the solution, instead of part of the problem. Sometimes we feel more like we're just cleaning up the mess, but Nick always knew he was truly making a difference, and he showed up every night.
Nick volunteered for the graveyard shift, not because he liked the hours, but because he wanted to help stop crime, and he stayed all those years because he really wanted to help out the folks who needed it the most, even if it meant chasing drunks and breaking up bar fights. Not everyone loves us when we meet them on the street, but everyone knew that when the met Nick they would be treated fairly.
Though Nick loved being a cop, his greatest love was his wife Melissa and his two daughters Becca and Nichole. Although Nick worked the graveyard shift the entire time he was on the job, he could always find time after his shift to go out to Melissa's place of work and spend hours talking with her. (and boy did he love Romero's burritos). He'd then head home to catch a few hours sleep, and afterward would take his girls to the pool, park, or wherever they wanted to go so that he could spend quality time with his kids. Nick and Melissa was not only a couple; they were the best of friends. Nick absolutely loved to push Melissa's buttons no matter where they were, but it was always because he loved her. Nick also had a deep love for his mom, Pat. During his stint as a detective he spent many a lunch hour with his mom not just to spend time with her, but also learning how to be a great and caring detective. Nick and Pat had a great relationship, both on and off duty. Many people don't know of Nick's love of rock music, but his brother Jason did. Nick and Jason often jammed together not only to play music but more importantly because Nick just wanted to listen to Jason play guitar. Nick told us many times how amazing Jason was and how he loved to hear him play.
Nick was a true family man in every sense of the word - he slept an average of four hours a day so that he could spend time with the people he loved -1 could go on for an hour talking about all the people in Nick's family he talked about - and I mean all the time. He loved everyone close to him, and he'd do anything for them.

Nick joined the force to give back to his community. Most people would think that working the night shift as a Patrolman would be more than enough of a contribution, but not our Nick. Nick especially loved working with kids and was an integral part my of three sons lives, be it coaching or giving my oldest son Conner advice on how to deal with me. Though Nick never played high school football, when he was attending UNC on a music scholarship, Nick actually walked onto the UNC football team. Nick made the team and played special teams for a year. Knowing this I asked him to help coach my middle son Brandon’s football team - Nick had the heart of a lion and was the type of mentor all coaches should strive to be. Nick impacted every player he came in contact with and my son Cameron is going to be his quarterback this year. He loved his Uncle Nick both on and off the field and I’m sure Cameron and Brandon will hear Nick telling them to hit hard the whole season. This year was to be his first year as a coach for the Roncalli Shamrocks and he was so looking forward to it. He made every spring practice with me this year and began to instill the heart he had into our players. He will be with us on the field at every practice and every game, and we dedicate this season to him

Nick had so many friends on the department, as well as in the community. Nick worked the north side of town on the graveyard crew, and they all loved him. The Officers on the north crew knew that if they needed someone Nick was there, and Nick knew that no matter what, they would be there for him too. After Nick was injured during an arrest he was put on light duty and did some time in investigations. During his short stay he earned more respect from his fellow Detectives than most earn in their entire tour. It didn't matter where Nick worked; he was respected and loved by pretty much everyone. Nick, Dave, Jimmy and I worked, played, and lived our lives together. We shared holidays, birthdays, barbecues, and our children have grown up together. Every year we spent time walking around the woods above Gunnison together because we're not great hunters, although we did our best. Those memories represent some of the best days of our lives.
Nick Heine was a gentleman. He was a good, decent, honorable man, husband father, son, friend and a fine Police Officer. It was a privilege having him as a friend and a colleague, and the world is a darker place without him. It's next to impossible to summarize a life in a few pages, but Nick's life was a life well lived. He was a man of honor who loved his country, his family, his friends, and he spent his days serving his fellow citizens. He gave his life doing what he loved, and wouldn't have had it any other way. He was truly an example to all of us, and we miss him terribly. Our brother is now one, but the people he helped, the good that he did, and the example he set will ever remind us of the friend we've lost.
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. Good men must die, but death cannot kill their names.
We love you Nick. (Together)

Det Jim Martin, Kevin Buck, Dave Beshany
Best Friends

June 26, 2008

Nick, Thank you for your dedication and service to our community, not only as a police officer, but as a coach, a friend, and as a true family man. Its not often that you will find a man willing to give up his time to coach a youth football team even when he does not have a child on that team. You will truely be missed by all of the kids that you helped develop good skills and ethics on and off of the field, as well as all of us parents of those kids. From Steve, Kristie, Michael, Nicholas, and Christopher Cervi and all of the players we thank you and we will always remember you. Godspeed and rest in peace

Medical Officer Stephen J. Cervi
Pueblo Fire Dept

June 26, 2008