Slain Wayne State police officer Collin Rose will 'always be a part of us'

By Madison Bennett | MLive

AUGUSTA, MI - Collin Rose will be remembered for a lot by many, but his infectious smile is one thing those who knew him will surely hold onto.

"He never didn't have a smile and he was ... the light in the room," Lt. Patrick Saunders of Wayne State University Police said Friday, following a funeral mass for his fellow officer.

Rose, 29, was shot while on patrol near the Wayne State campus in Detroit Tuesday, Nov. 22. He had called dispatch for backup after stopping a man on a bicycle in an area that has experienced a jump in larcenies from vehicles. Rose died the following day and a Detroit man has been charged with first-degree murder for his death.

Rose, who had been on the Wayne State police force for five years, graduated from Gull Lake High School and before going to Detroit worked in the Richland Police Department. 

Friday's service at St. Ann Catholic Church in nearby Augusta was the last of a number of services, memorials and visitations held this week. Family, friends and police from across Michigan came to Kalamazoo County to attend Friday's service, attended by over 500 people.

Fr. John Fleckenstein, pastor of St. Ann, said the family wanted the remembrances of Rose to look past the tragic incident that took his life.

"They (Rose's parents) wanted this to be, and this is how I wanted it to be, now let's look forward to not only eternal life as we describe, but to begin to carry on the things that Collin did for so many people," Fleckenstein said.

Richland Police Chief Jeff Mattioli said that before becoming an "amazing officer," Rose worked as an intern at his department. "We tried to talk him out of becoming a police officer because he was smarter than us," he said.

Mattioli said Rose could accomplish anything, including his dreams of moving onto the Detroit area and becoming a canine officer.

"Collin was able to calm people down with his smile. He had a big smile, it lit up the room," Mattioli said. "And unfortunately, as I said before, it didn't work for him that night."

The Richland Police Department plans to hold a memorial for Rose in Richland Square Park on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 11 a.m., when a tree adorned with blue ribbons will be planted in his memory. Anyone is welcome to attend.

"We'll never forget him, he'll always be a part of us, but we do have to move on," Mattioli said. "He did his job, he died doing his job. He died serving the public and we're going to continue to do that."

This post originally appeared Dec. 2, 2016 on MLive.com.