Law Enforcement Memorial-Michael A. Rosa.

26LSO-0382
2026
State of Wyoming
26LSO-0382
Numbered
2.0

House JOINT RESOLUTION NO. HJ0005

Law Enforcement Memorial-Michael A. Rosa.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Washut, Harshman, Larson, JT and Webb and Senator(s) Kolb and Landen

A JOINT RESOLUTION

for

A JOINT RESOLUTION encouraging the Wyoming Peace Officer Memorial Committee to enshrine the name of Patrolman Michael A. Rosa on the Wyoming Law Enforcement Fallen Officer Memorial.

WHEREAS, Patrolman Michael A. Rosa, at the time of his death, was twenty-nine (29) years old, was married and was the father of two (2) daughters and a son; and

WHEREAS, Patrolman Rosa was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War and with the Rock Springs Police Department for eight (8) months as an undercover narcotics officer prior to his death; and

WHEREAS, on Saturday, July 15, 1978, at approximately 1:00 a.m., Patrolman Rosa was shot and killed while seated in the backseat of an unmarked police vehicle; and

WHEREAS, the case was diligently and thoroughly investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the report was reviewed by the Sweetwater County prosecutor and the person believed responsible was charged with murder; and

WHEREAS, after a fifteen (15) day long preliminary hearing, a justice of the peace in Sweetwater County determined that there was probable cause to believe that Patrolman Rosa was murdered by this individual and ordered that the first degree murder case move forward to trial in the district court; and

WHEREAS, the charged individual was represented at both the preliminary hearing and the trial by a renowned trial lawyer in the state and he was ultimately found not guilty of the crime; and

WHEREAS, Patrolman Rosa's name has never been included on the Wyoming Law Enforcement Fallen Officer Memorial at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy in Douglas, Wyoming, which was dedicated on August 6, 1986; and

WHEREAS, the conviction of charged individuals has not been a requirement for inclusion on the Wyoming Law Enforcement Fallen Officer Memorial, evidenced by the inclusion on the wall of Deputy Tom Majors of Natrona County who was murdered on November 2, 1919, and whose alleged killers were acquitted at trial; and

WHEREAS, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., requires a form be completed and signed by the head of the agency for which a fallen officer worked, and forms lacking that signature will not be processed; and

WHEREAS, cases submitted to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial must be approved by the names committee and then the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial research staff contacts the respective agencies and surviving families for verification; and

WHEREAS, Patrolman Rosa met these stringent criteria and his name is included on the national memorial; and

WHEREAS, the Officer Down Memorial Page is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the lives and sacrifices of America's fallen law enforcement officers; and

WHEREAS, with over twenty-seven thousand (27,000) officers lost in the line of duty since 1776, the Officer Down Memorial Page preserves officers' legacies by providing a meaningful platform for surviving families, fellow officers, friends and the public to remember and pay tribute to fallen officers' courage and service and Patrolman Rosa's name is included on this page; and

WHEREAS, Wyoming law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty are remembered at annual memorial services held around the state by having their names read aloud at a public ceremony, and at least one such ceremony held in 2025 recognized Patrolman Michael Rosa's name among those proclaimed for remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING:

Section 1.

That the

Wyoming Legislature encourages the Wyoming Law Enforcement Memorial Committee to rectify the omission of Patrolman Michael A. Rosa's name from the Wyoming Law Enforcement Fallen Officer Memorial, and on or before the next Wyoming Law Enforcement Fallen Officer Memorial service, appropriately enshrine the name of Patrolman Michael A. Rosa of the Rock Springs Police Department on the Wyoming Law Enforcement Fallen Officer Memorial at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy at Douglas, Wyoming.

Section 2.

That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the Governor, the Attorney General, the director of the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy and the Wyoming Peace Officer Memorial Committee.

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HJ0005