Off-Duty Guardian Angels Watch Over Colorado Schools

Del McFarland wanted to find a way to change from responding after active shooter incidents happen in schools to deterring and lessening the damage of an attack. He asked fellow veteran officer Dan Thompson for help, and now a non-profit group of armed, off-duty officers known as the Rocky Mountain Guardian Angels watch over Colorado schools.

“As law enforcement, we’ve gotten really good at responding to these incidents, but we’ve got to get ahead of the situation,” McFarland said. “If we can get ahead of it, we can stop or mitigate the loss of life.”

McFarland and Thompson, along with four other officers, guard schools when they’re off-duty from their positions at the State Patrol. The Rocky Mountain Guardian Angels are not affiliated with the State Patrol.