Law enforcement agencies pay respect to late Shelley officer

The funeral for late Shelley Police Sergeant Kent Swanson was held Wednesday afternoon. He died of a heart attack while on duty last week.

It was an emotional afternoon for everyone who attended Sgt. Swanson’s funeral. There were more than 1,000 people at the funeral, many of them from law enforcement agencies around the state.

The gloomy skies were fitting as family, friends, and fellow law enforcement gathered to say good-bye to Sgt. Swanson. Agencies from as far as Northern Idaho to south of Salt Lake City came to pay their respects. Sgt. Swanson’s K-9 partner, Magnum, laid near the casket, with many other K-9 officers and their partners close-by for support.

“We show up in numbers here and do the law enforcement honors,” said Sgt. Bryan Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office. “And it’s something that doesn’t happen at many other things besides maybe the military. We do that, pay our respects and it’s all to show the family our support for their loved one and support for them.”

Friends who spoke described Sgt. Swanson as a loving father and husband who was enthusiastic about his job. The grave side services featured a pipe band playing Amazing Grace, a 21-gun salute, and a fly over. Then, his last call.

“Sgt. Swanson, you served everyone you met with compassion and integrity. You were more than a brother, you were our friend. Your memory will live on in all the lives you impacted.”

Citizens lined the street as the procession went by to pay their respects and show their support for Sgt. Swanson’s family.

“Even after this happens, the big show of support here is to let the family know we haven’t forgot about them and their loved one,” Sgt. Lovell said. “And how much their service means to all of us that also do this job and have families at home as well.”

This is hard on the Shelley Police officers as Sgt. Swanson was one of only eight in the department. One officer said, none of it felt real, until today.

The Shelley Police Department and Sgt. Swanson’s family wanted to thank the community for their support over the past week