SENATE MEMORIAL 147

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2017

INTRODUCED BY

George K. Munoz

A MEMORIAL

HONORING OFFICER HOUSTON JAMES LARGO AND RECOGNIZING HIS ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.

     WHEREAS, Navajo Nation police officer Houston James Largo, age twenty-seven, was tragically killed in the line of duty and died on Sunday, March 12, 2017; and

     WHEREAS, on Saturday night, March 11, 2017, Officer Largo responded to a domestic disturbance call in the rural Casamero Lake area; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo pulled over a vehicle on county road 19 and was shot twice by a passenger in the vehicle; and      WHEREAS, Officer Largo was flown to the university of New Mexico hospital in Albuquerque, where he died the following day; and

     WHEREAS, Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye stated that Officer Largo's life "brings to mind the situations our officers face every day in responding to calls, getting in their unit and putting their lives on the line"; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo was a decorated officer who was hired by the Navajo Nation police department on August 27, 2012 and served for four years and six months; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo graduated from Thoreau high school in 2012 and attended the university of New Mexico, studying criminology; and  

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo got his first job in law enforcement with the Gallup police department in February 2010, and he started patrolling the streets of Gallup on foot; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo was named the Gallup police department's "Officer of the Year" in 2011-2012 for going above and beyond his duties to get the job done; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo graduated from the New Mexico police academy on February 3, 2011; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo was employed as a deputy with the McKinley county sheriff's office from February 2012 to August 2012, prior to joining the Navajo Nation police department; and

     WHEREAS, in 2016, the Indian country law enforcement section honored Officer Largo and two other Navajo police officers for their heroism and life-saving efforts during another domestic violence incident that took the life of a Navajo police officer, and Officer Largo and two other officers were named "Officer of the Year Honorees" for their heroic actions; and

     WHEREAS, serving the eastern agency of the Navajo Nation, Officer Largo covered large rural areas, often alone, and sometimes with poor or little phone or radio signal, as was the case the night he was shot; and

     WHEREAS, friends and colleagues describe Officer Largo as a humorous, smart and very dependable officer who went above and beyond the line of duty to serve and help others; and

     WHEREAS, friends remember Officer Largo as the guy who was always cracking jokes and making people laugh; and

     WHEREAS, although Officer Largo was a "geek" in high school who loved mathematics and solving trigonometry problems, he took the most humble path of law enforcement and became a warrior and protector; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo's body was transported from Albuquerque to Gallup on the afternoon of March 13, 2017, followed by a caravan of law enforcement personnel from local and state agencies; and

     WHEREAS, hundreds of people gathered at the bridges and exits along interstate highway 40 in McKinley county to pay respects and honor the fallen officer as the caravan passed through communities; and

     WHEREAS, Officer Largo is survived by his mother, Maggie Charley; his brother, Roland Largo; and his sister, Tamarra Largo;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Officer Houston James Largo be honored for his bravery and his ultimate sacrifice; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the family of Officer Houston James Largo.

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