The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will forever remember K-9 officer Graffit.

The 10-year-old German shepherd has been memorialized by the sheriff’s office with a statue outside the office near the rose garden in Golden, the department announced Wednesday in a social media post.

“This memorial stands not only as a symbol of Graffit’s bravery and service, but also as a reflection of the overwhelming support we’ve received,” the office said in the post. “From the generous community contributions that funded this project, to the gifted artist and dedicated builder who brought it to fruition —thank you. Your support means more than words can express.”

On Feb. 13, 2023, the Golden Police Department — along with campus police at the Colorado School of Mines and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office — were pursuing a drunk-driving suspect near the campus.

Officers stopped the suspect’s vehicle — later identified as 31-year-old Eduardo Romero — in the middle of the road. Romero then rammed patrol cars and took off, running down the street.

The suspect pulled a handgun on the officers, stopping the pursuit. Golden police officer Chris Whyte contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for assistance, with the department bringing out Graffit.

Graffit and crew tracked the suspect onto the campus. The dog began letting the officers know that the suspect was nearby as they climbed a hill. Graffit was shot and killed at the top of the hill before the officers got there.

“The suspect, later on in an interview, admitted he was waiting for us to cross the hill. He was going to shoot and kill us all,” Whyte told The Denver Gazette in September. “Graffit paid the ultimate price and took the bullet for us that night.”

Romero eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated cruelty to animals, identity theft, menacing, driving under the influence and second-degree motor vehicle theft on Feb. 22, 2024.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, which will run consecutively to another sentencing in Denver, according to a news release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office in April 2024.

House Bill 24-1074, Aggravated Cruelty to Law Enforcement Animals, was signed and became effective in April 2024. The bill created a Class 4 felony charge for someone who “knowingly or recklessly” kills or harms a law enforcement animal badly enough to put it out of commission for at least three months.

The bill came on the heels of HB 23-1286, which was enacted in 2023, just months after Graffit’s death. The bill created a Class 4 felony for harming or killing police or service animals, punishable by up to six years in prison and $500,000 in fines.

“I was truly blessed that night. If it wasn’t for Graffit, I’d be six feet under right now,” Whyte added, pointing out the memorial bracelet he wears honoring the German Shepard.

The sheriff’s office called Graffit’s death “a loss that will forever remain in the hearts of those in our department and in the community.”