Family members and colleagues gathered Wednesday to remember a Lakeland police officer who was killed last year.

Ofc. Arnuldo Crispin was killed December 2011 while searching a group of teenagers in a park.  He had been on the job for just 18 months when he was killed.

"It was his dream," Crispin's brother, Frankie, said. "I remember the day that he called me and he says, 'I want to go with you to church and I want you to pray and ask the pastor to pray that my application gets approved at Lakeland Police Department.'"

Crispin's death devastated his family and peers, who said they think of him every day.

"We wear this uniform, we're sworn to the city and Arnie's watching over us," Ofc. Carlos Cortes said. "That's what makes us stronger every day."

Cortes said he still keeps a photo of Crispin in his squad car.

"The job is very stressful but he was always smiling," he said. "It didn't matter how busy we were, if we couldn't even go to break - he was always smiling."

Remembering Crispin's enthusiasm helps keep Cortes moving forward, which is something Crispin's family said he would want.

"If he was alive, he'd want his family to be doing good and he'd want us to keep going forward, and I never forget that," Frankie Crispin said.

After the ceremony, the Crispin family invited members of the community and police officer to a church banquet to thank them for all of their support over the past year.