Santa Fe
Today, three New Mexico law enforcement officers were honored at the New Mexico Department of Public Safety's (DPS) Law Enforcement Memorial. Their names were unveiled on a black marble memorial wall dedicated to the memory of 206 New Mexico law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.

In a ceremony that included a 21-gun salute, bagpipes, a flag folding ceremony, and a law enforcement helicopter flyover, Officer Jose I. Chavez - Hatch Police Department; Officer Clint E. Corvinus - Alamogordo Police Department; and, Deputy Ryan S. Thomas - Valencia County Sheriff's Office,
were honored by hundreds of law enforcement officers, dignitaries and citizens.

Officer Chavez, 33, was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on Friday, August 12, 2016, on Franklin Street, Hatch, N.M. at about 3:40 pm.
One of the vehicle's passengers exited the vehicle during the stop and opened fire on Officer Chavez, wounding him. Another officer who witnessed the incident immediately called for assistance and pursued the subjects at high speeds for several miles. Two of the subjects were identified as fugitives wanted for murder in Ohio. Officer Chavez was transported to University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, where he succumbed to his wounds. Officer Chavez had served with the Hatch Police Department for two years.

Officer Corvinus, 33, was shot and killed during a foot pursuit of a subject in the 600 block of South Florida Avenue, Alamogrodo, N.M. on Friday, September 2, 2016. He and a rookie officer he was training had conducted a traffic stop of a wanted felon. The man fled on foot during the stop and exchanged gunshots with the officers. Despite being wounded, Officer Corvinus returned fire and killed the subject. Officer Corvinus succumbed to his wounds. He was with the Alamogordo Police Department for more than four years. He is survived by his daughter and parents.

Deputy Thomas, 30, was killed in a single vehicle crash near the intersection of Manzano Expressway and South Del Oro Loop on Tuesday, December 6, 2016, at about 9 pm. He was responding to a call for service when his patrol car left the roadway and overturned. He suffered fatal injuries when he was ejected from the patrol car. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and Colorado Air National Guard, he had served with the Valencia County Sheriff's Office for one year and had previously served with the Alamogordo Police Department for two years. He is survived by his expectant wife and one child.