Trying to control a situation which was already out of reach, Ted Buckley a Correctional Officer at the State Prison Complex in Florence, was twenty-six when he was killed on June 22, 1973. Buckley went into a cell block after Officer Dale Morey had been attacked and beaten to try and regain order to the unit. Buckley was killed attempting to help Officer Morey, who also died in the violence.

Buckley served in the Army for 8 years as a member of the Military Police. During his time in the military, he was stationed in Korea and Germany. His last duty station was at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona.

Ted Buckley joined the Department because of his desire to stay in the law enforcement field. He is survived by his wife, Sun Cha, his 3 children, Theodore Jr., William, Ann, and his brother William, who is a Deputy District Attorney in Denver, Colorado. All 3 children worked their way through college and graduated from the University of Colorado.