Tears and laughter filled a north Phoenix church during Wednesday’s memorial service for Officer Zane Coolidge, who was killed in the line of duty.
“I never imagined I would meet the love of my life in jail,” said Kristin Coolidge, Zane’s wife.
Kristin Coolidge was a nurse at the 4th Avenue Jail when Zane brought in a man experiencing mental health issues. She said Zane tried to talk him down and stayed in the cell with him to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. After Kristin gave him a sedative, the man, labeled as a 918 inmate, slouched down.
“I remember Zane looking at me and asked, ’Is he OK?’ His professionalism, his kindness, his empathy towards each inmate was proof of the value he brought to this world, 918 inmates, often being difficult, Zane treated them with respect,” she said.
Addressing the group of mourners at Dream City Church, Coolidge’s mother, Debbie Coolidge, said she was proud of the kindness and empathy her son showed others.
“And a good friend of his from the academy class he was in shared recently that on their 6- or 7-mile runs in the academy, Zane would double back to run with the stragglers to make sure no one was left behind,” she said.
Debbie Coolidge described her son as a rule follower. “When I said it was time to do homework, he was the first one at the table ready to start.”
Kristin Coolidge experienced Zane’s rule following when she tried to give him her phone number. Kristin was taking a new job and wanted to stay in touch with him.
“I handed him a pink paper folded up with my number on it, which he kept and I still have, and asked him to text me because I enjoyed talking to him. He said, 'No, I can't,' with no explanation as to why. I'm thinking, well, this is awkward. Is he married? Does he not feel the same way?”
Police officers are not supposed to give or accept phone numbers while on duty. Kristin Coolidge said she was grateful Zane broke the rule and texted her three days later.
“We went on a date, walked around downtown Phoenix, went back to his place and talked for over 12 hours about our lives,” she said. “That's when we both discovered we were both twins. I knew in that moment that he was the one I'd build a family with.”
Even knowing the outcome, Kristin Coolidge says she would choose the path again because the last four years with her husband and their 5-month-old daughter have been the best days of her life.
“In our profession, we understand the risks, but that doesn't make moments like this any easier,” said Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan, who described Zane as a compassionate protector and a role model for all who wear the badge.
"Yet his most cherished role was husband to Kristin and father to Emma. His love for both was boundless," Sullivan said. "Today, I promise, on behalf of our department, that Emma will know the kind of officer and man Zane was, and that she and the entire Coolidge family will always remain part of the Phoenix police family.”
Kristin Coolidge thanked her husband’s partner, Officer Matt Haney, who was also shot while they responded to a burglary call.
“Thank you for giving us three more days with Zane by your heroic act of providing immediate lifesaving measures,” she said. “Alongside Zane, you will always be our hero.”
A 2013 graduate of Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, Coolidge earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Arizona State University. He served five years as a Phoenix police officer and a field training officer in the Mountain View Precinct.
