Everett police chief hopes to rename street ‘Officer Dan Rocha Way’ in honor of fallen officer
Rocha was shot and killed on March 22, 2022, in a Starbucks parking lot while he was investigating a convicted felon moving a gun between two cars.
EVERETT, Wash. – Many people in the city of Everett cannot drive past the intersection of 10th Street and Trojan Road without thinking about that terrible day.
Few people remember it more clearly than Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman.
“Every day we think about Officer Rocha,” Templeman said. “We remember him and we honor him.”
Officer Dan Rocha was shot and killed on March 22, 2022, in a Starbucks parking lot as he was investigating a convicted felon moving a gun between two cars.
Richard Rotter was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murder.
Rocha, a husband and father, frequents the cafe. He is very friendly and loved by many people. Memories of you are forever.
“What I remember most about him is his personality,” Templeman said. “He’s compassionate. He’s respected.”
While the intersection can still be a source of pain for many in the community, Templeman wants to turn it into a place of healing by renaming Trojan Road “Officer Dan Rocha Road.”
Templeman said the family, the mayor and neighboring Everett Community College, whose mascot is the Trojan, were all on board.
“Every time community members or police officers drive by that street, they can remember him and what he did, what he gave, what he gave,” Templeman said. sacrifice”.
Templeman showed KING 5 a memorial that will hang at Everett police headquarters.
It was a solemn reminder of the dangers his officers faced every day.
“Every one of our officers here knows that at some point in their shift, they may have to make the ultimate sacrifice,” Templeman said.
The sheriff said Rocha’s family is still struggling, more than 18 months after the murder.
“It will be forever,” Templeman said. “This is not something that is going to end.”
Templeman vows that the road sign will not be the end of his dedication to the Rocha family.
“We will continue to honor Officer Rocha forever in this department and support his family,” Templeman said.
The name change still must be approved by the city. The Everett Historical Commission will hold a public meeting on September 26.
