It’s been more than 100 years since the untimely death of Mesa County law enforcement officer and jailer Edward Innes.

A vigil at 7:30 tonight at the Mesa County Courthouse on Rood Avenue in honor of National Police Week will remember Innes and other officers across the state who have been killed in the line of duty.

National Police Week runs through Friday.

The 28-year-old Innes, a former fire chief and the former sheriff’s son, was working in the jail office the night of Sept. 26, 1906, when an inmate struck him from behind with a block of wood. Innes died the next day at the hospital from his injuries.

The perpetrator, George McGarvey, fled the jail, but was soon captured by a rancher in De Beque. McGarvey was in custody at the jail on charges of assaulting a 9-year-old girl in a hotel earlier that year.

The court system, apparently, operated more quickly in those days.

After McGarvey was caught by rancher William McDowell on Sept. 30, he was tried, found guilty by a jury, sentenced and hanged only a few months later, on Jan. 12, 1907, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department said.

In more recent history, acting chief Daniel Dalley at the Fruita Police Department was killed while on patrol after being struck by a vehicle that failed to yield at a stop sign.

Chief Dalley, 30, a 10-year veteran of the department, later died of his injuries June 3, 2001, at St. Mary’s Hospital. Dalley was riding his motorcycle home from work when a vehicle turned in front of him on U.S. Highway 6 near Loma.

Both Dalley’s and Innes’ names are listed among the more than 15,000 fallen officers nationwide at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in Washington, D.C. This year, Colorado honors the deaths of 238 fallen officers.

Also to be honored at tonight’s vigil are former Aurora police officer Doug Bryne, 37, who was killed March 25, 2007, after his car hit a median and flipped while en route to a call. Colorado State Patrol Trooper Zachariah Templeton, 27, was killed on October 12, 2007, when the patrol car he was riding in was hit by another motorist.

The event is hosted by the Colorado State Patrol, Palisade Police Department, Grand Junction Police Department and Fruita Police Department. Families are encouraged to attend. For more information, call 244-3929.