EATON, Colo. (KDVR) — This month’s Support the Shield honors go to Detective John Torres of the Eaton Police Department. He was raised here, has a family here and has no plans to leave.

Seven miles north of Greeley, you will find the picturesque and all-American town of Eaton. That’s also where you will find Torres.

He’s been a police detective here for almost 11 years.

“Being a police officer, and protect the people that I grew up with, and serve on to this day: That is what I love about this community,” Torres said.

Founded in 1892, Eaton today is one of the top 10 safest towns in Colorado. It is far from a crime-ridden metropolis, but law enforcement can be dangerous here, too. He recalled an incident in 2021.

“It was a domestic violence situation. Officers responded. He (the suspect) pulled a rifle and started shooting at our officers, and thankfully, none of our officers were injured,” Torres said. No one was more thankful than his wife, Erin.

“When I got the call, they said, ‘Hey, we need you to come in.’ She definitely worried for the next couple of days,” Torres said.

Low turnover at Eaton Police Department

Eaton Police has 13 full-time officers. Turnover is low. Torres said it is a great town in which to live and work.

Torres would know — he was raised here.

“I grew up here, went to school here, played sports here,” Torres said. “He’s real. What you see is what you get with John. That is what I think makes John a genuinely good officer,” Eaton Police Chief Kevin Sturch said.

Just like the cottonwood trees that shade the residents here, Torres has roots here in Eaton. He loves this town and the town loves him back.