Rio Rancho will honor law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty at the department’s annual Fallen Officer Memorial on Thursday morning.
The Rio Rancho Police Department hosts the public ceremony at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 14, at Veterans Memorial/Monument Park, 950 Pinetree Road.
Last year’s ceremony drew uniformed officers from RRPD, New Mexico State Police and Corrales Police alongside community members. RRPD Chief Stuart Steele honored officers killed statewide, including NM State Police Officer Justin Hare, shot during a welfare check near Tucumcari in 2024, and Las Cruces Police Officer Jonah Hernandez, stabbed while responding to a trespassing call the same year.
The ceremony specifically remembers three RRPD officers killed in the line of duty:
Officer Germaine Casey (End of Watch: August 27, 2007)
Casey died after crashing his motorcycle while riding in a motorcade as President George W. Bush prepared to leave Albuquerque following a fundraiser.
The motorcycle was near the front of the motorcade, and the president saw the wreck as he drove past on the way to the airport.
President Bush released a statement after Casey’s death.
“It is a high calling to choose to serve and protect your fellow citizens, and I will always be indebted to Officer Casey’s service,” the president said, adding that the officer’s wife and two teenage children were in his thoughts and prayers.
The 40-year-old Casey had been with the Rio Rancho Police Department since 2005 and had previously worked with campus police at the University of New Mexico.
Officer Anthony Haase (End of Watch October 26, 2014)
Haase was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Rio Rancho while responding to a domestic violence call.
During the response, Haase’s vehicle left the road and struck a ditch.
Haase was sworn in as a police officer only five months earlier, but had worked for the Rio Rancho Police Department for one year. Haase, who was also a standout baseball player at Rio Rancho High School, was 24-years-old when he died.
Officer Gregg “Nigel” Benner (End of Watch May 25, 2015)
Benner was shot and killed while making a traffic stop in Rio Rancho.
Benner saw a vehicle driving erratically with a female driver and her boyfriend, who were looking to burglarize a home. After stopping the vehicle, the passenger gave false identification and then fled with the driver during questioning. Benner pursued them until the passenger shot his girlfriend and pushed her out. Benner stopped to help her before resuming the pursuit. The suspect then shot Benner multiple times. Mortally wounded, Benner asked the female for the suspect’s name before collapsing.
Benner was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Rio Rancho Police Department for four years. He is survived by his wife, two children and three stepchildren.
“My hope is we acknowledge officers as human beings with families who love them. My hope is that every person comes alongside our officers, that we will rally to better this profession,” Steele said. “My hope is we come to see police officers as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, and as friends.”
Attend the Fallen Officer Memorial
- When: 9 a.m., Thursday, May 14
- Where: Veterans Memorial/Monument Park, 950 Pinetree Road, Rio Rancho
- Free and open to the public