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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- It has been five years since a Colorado Springs Police officer has been killed in the line of duty.

But for those on the force and those closest to the victims, time doesn't make it go away.

Late on the night of Dec. 4, 2006 DUI Officer Ken Jordan responded to help two other CSPD officers with a traffic stop.

No one was aware it would be his last.

"He was a DUI officer that worked on my shift, and I would see him in lineup and he was always a guy that had a positive attitude, always had a smile on his face," Brian Grady, Commander CSPD, said.

Ken was known for being a great police officer who was always eager to help, which is why it was no surprise he responded so quickly to assist that tragic night.

"He had a smile that could light up a room, and he just had this magnetic personality that he could just make friends wherever. People wanted to be near him, he was just that kind of guy," Ami Manivong, Ken's friend, said.

Friends and family said Ken lived for the moment, and that's something everyone can learn from.

"When we think about him, he did live life to the full, he really did. It's not as if he left something for tomorrow," Eddie Jordan, Ken's father, said. "He had a good time while he was here and he enjoyed life."

For Illinois-born Ken, the wild west a perfect fit.

"He was always wanting to go out and go kayaking, go skiing, everything was outdoors, and he was just very 'let's get up and go,'" Judd Tyson, Ken's friend and a fellow CSPD officer, said.

Friends said being a police officer was another perfect match.

"Ken's a natural leader. He likes to take charge of situations, he has a calmness about him, especially when there are a lot of things going on that I don't see in a lot of people," Sue Jordan, Ken's older sister, said.

"He was a good cop. He was really dedicated to what he did, he really enjoyed it too," Tyson said.

But with adventure comes risk, and with a badge comes danger.

"We as police officers stop people all the time. That's what Ken was doing the night he lost his life," Pete Carey, CSPD Interim Police Chief, said.

"He was an expert marksman, he taught me how to shoot, so I always just thought he's safe. I always thought it was a relatively safe city, even though he worked in the not so safe side part of town, he was just good at his job," Manivong said.

"I'll go out and say it, I think he was the best shot in our class as far as firearms go, so to think that something like that could have happened to him you just wonder how?" Tyson said.

On the night of Dec. 4, 2006, 32 year-old Ken came face to face with danger during what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop.

"I was in the station, and I was at the front desk when I heard the 'shots fired, officer down.' That's a chilling thing to hear over the radio," Grady said.

As Ken approached the car 25-year-old Marco Lee started shooting. Ken didn't have time to react.

"He was murdered. Let's just face the facts, he was murdered. The suspect had planned as soon as he got out of the car to shoot him and did exactly that," Grady said.

Manivong said another officer who was a friend of Ken's called her that night and told her Ken has been shot.

"So I'm sitting up in bed and I'm thinking 'there's no way. He got shot in the hand, he's fine. He's fine.' Because I just knew that he was a good aim, and I just thought he can protect himself, and he's got a vest on," Manivong said.

Grady and Carey said there was nothing Ken could have done.

"I don't believe Ken did anything tactically wrong, and he followed the training to be safe the best that he could," Carey said.

The two other police officers on scene returned fire and struck Lee.

Both men were rushed to the hospital and placed in rooms right next to each other.

"When I got the phone call I could just say that I was stunned, totally stunned," Eddie said.

"It was difficult to tend to Ken's needs and his family's needs. Although, I commend the medical staff that they looked after both the best they could, Ken was the one that didn't make it," Carey said.

About fifteen minutes after the first call, Manivong got a second one she'll never forget.

"I could just hear him sobbing, and he said he's gone," Manivong said.

"I will never forget that night. We got a knock on our door about 2:30 in the morning, and when there is a police officer standing there it's never a good thing," Sue said.

Ken's death was another hard blow to an already suffering police department.

"We had lost officer Jared Jensen earlier in the year, and frankly when I got that telephone call, as a commander on the police department, I couldn't believe we were going through that again," Carey said.

Before Jensen's death it had been more than 20 years since a CSPD officer had been lost.

"The last time we lost an officer in the police department was when I was a rookie in the police academy in 1984, so to go that number of years without anything happening, you feel pretty good about what you're doing, and pretty good about the prospects of returning home," Carey said.

Carey said after losing two officers in one year the department became even more focused on safety.

"We got very serious about making sure that we got home at the end of the shift," he said.

"It still hurts you know, you remember it," Grady said.

Ken lost his life serving and protecting his community, something those closest to him say he loved to do.

"He died doing what he loved," Manivong said.

"He took pride in his work, you could tell from he way he conducted his business, on the day in and day out that he was very proud of the work he did," Grady said.

"I just thought of him trying to make the world a little bit better place, one drunk driver at a time," Sue said.

Sue said Ken would go out of his way to help people.

"Ken was someone who you could absolutely depend on. He was gonna be there for you, he was a strong, decent person," she said.

Five years have passed, but Ken is still missed.

"This year is more difficult than the past two or three, I think just the number five, half a decade, it's been half a decade," Manivong said.

"You still miss him. The first year is really bad, the second year too, but life goes on you still have to live, so it gets a little bit easier as time goes on but no, you don't forget," Eddie said.

"You feel cheated, because if he had lived to be 90 years old, lived a great life and traveled the world I think that would probably be a little easier to swallow, but he was cheated of that, and that's what makes it really difficult," Tyson said.

"I miss just being able to call him and he was always there, like I said, dependable, for anything," Manivong said.

While Ken may be gone his memory lives on.

"It's really hard to put into words what he brought into other people's lives as far as his demeanor, his attitude towards people, and attitude towards life in general," Tyson said.

A plaque on the bridge serves as a constant reminder of tragedy and sacrifice.

"You tend to think that only happens to other people, well we found out we were the other people too. It's tough," Eddie said.

A park stands as a reminder of Ken's love for the outdoors and life.

"He never let anything stop him from doing anything, he didn't know the word danger," Manivong said.

"He always pushed himself, and consequently he always pushed me to be better, whether it was we're off on an adventure, climbing a mountain or kayaking on a river, he'd never let you stay just status quo, he always challenged you to be better, and I loved that about him," Sue said.

Family and friends want to make sure he is never forgotten.

"I don't want people to forget him, I want people to remember him like I do," Manivong said.

"Whenever we travel or we go somewhere new or go on some adventure, because he loved to travel and explore and try new things, we bring his ashes with us," Sue said.

Sue said Ken has traveled all around the world since his death and was even part of two weddings for close friends.

"He's been down scuba diving in Mexico, and he's been scattered on the black sand beaches of Hawaii. He's been all over the Caribbean on a cruise, and most recently he's been para-gliding in the Eco Valley, he's always wanted to do that," Sue said.

Ken touched the lives of many and changed others forever.

"He changed my life. He showed me what love was, what hurt was, what a real man is, and all the things he showed me helped make who I am today," Manivong said.

"Be thankful for the time you get to spend with people because you don't know when the last time you're gonna get to see them," Tyson said. "That was the last person I thought that would ever happen to was Ken," he added.

Marco Lee pleaded guilty to first degree murder in Ken's death and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Members of the police force said losing an officer is never easy, and something that can't be forgotten.

"If I were asked about Ken Jordan or Jared Jensen I can, I would have to say there is not a day that goes by that we don't think about those guys," Carey said.