When Denver police Cpl. William Bastien IV saw a gun barrel pointed toward him, it looked as wide as the mouth of a coffee mug.

The world went silent as he watched a 14-year-old aim at him.

Bastien, though, did not fire his gun. Instead, he realized he had enough protection from his car and ordered the boy to drop the gun.

The boy listened, dropped his pistol and lay on the ground. The incident, which unfolded in a matter of seconds in a park in Montbello, ended peacefully.

“I didn’t want to shoot a kid,” Bastien said Thursday. “He had the drop on me. He was ready. Hopefully, he never forgets that day. Hopefully, he remembers me for the rest of his life and it stops him from doing stupid things.”

On Thursday, Bastien was one of eight Denver Police Department officers given the Preservation of Life medal, an award created in 2017 to recognize officers who show restraint and de-escalate situations rather than using lethal force. Chief Robert White created the award, and it puts the department in line with other agencies such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia police departments that award similar medals.

The awards have been controversial in other communities, including Los Angeles where the police union cautioned it could lead to more officers being hurt or killed because they waited too long to react in dangerous situations. In Denver, though, the award is welcomed by officers, Bastien said.

“No one thinks this is a silly award,” he said. “It makes me feel good.”

The medals were given out during the Denver Police Foundation’s awards luncheon, where a total of 34 officers were recognized for their heroic actions, being wounded in the line of duty or for their community service.

Denver Police Denver Police Officer Benjamin Austin

Denver Police Denver Police Officer Brett Lane

Denver Police Denver Police Sgt. Gary Ayers



Denver Police Denver Police Cpl. Daniel Felkins

Denver Police Denver Police Sgt. Damon Bowser

Denver Police Denver Police Officer Randy Yoder



Denver Police Denver Police Officer Edward Mejia

Other officers who received the Preservation of Life medal are:

Officers Benjamin Austin and Brett Lane, who used a Taser to disarm a man who was destroying his elderly father’s house, carrying a large knife and taunting the officers to kill him.

Sgt. Gary Ayres and Cpl. Daniel Felkins, who responded to a call to a fight between a father and son where the son was having a mental health crisis and threatening to kill his father with knives. The son wanted the officers to kill him. Instead, they used less lethal weapons to disarm him.

Sgt. Damon Bowser and officers Randy Yoder and Edward Mejia, who used a Taser to stop a woman from stabbing herself even after she charged them with a knife. Then they held her until paramedics arrived to take her to the hospital.

The other awards given to officers were:

Above and Beyond Award

Sgt. Carla Havard, who displays exemplary professionalism on the job and volunteers with multiple organizations and reaches out to help people in the community even when she’s not at work.

Officer of the Year

Detectives Adam Golden and Louis Estrada, both homicide investigators

Purple Heart

Detective Rachel Eid and officers Andrew Gropp and Aubree Thompson

Distinguished Service Cross

Sgt. Bryce Jackson, Det. John Crowe, Tech. John Leuthauser, Officers Craig Miner, Timothy Luke, Jimmy Sheppard III, Jose Griggs, Eric Cardenas and Jeremy Arthur

Medal of Valor

Detectives John Mehrtens and Kenneth Manzanares, Sgt. Robert Stack and Officers Jose Diaz, Kevin Kirby, Robert Stack, Jarrod Tinnin, Robert Greaser, Kevin Burke, Michele Cooper and Michael Clark

Medal of Honor

Detective Rachel Eid and Officer Joseph Stadler