20,000 expected at service for slain officers
TACOMA, Wash. -- The memorial for four slain Lakewood police officers is expected to pack the Tacoma Dome on Tuesday afternoon, drawing delegations from police forces as far away as New York.
A three-hour procession of about 2,000 emergency vehicles, including the families' motorcade and cars from the Lakewood Police Department, will leave for the arena from McChord Air Force Base on Tuesday morning.
The memorial service comes just over a week after the officers were gunned down in a coffee shop before the start of their shift.
Killed were Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42.
Gov. Chris Gregoire, who will speak at the service, has directed that flags at all state agency facilities be lowered to half-staff Tuesday.
Several police guilds and nonprofit organizations have donated $20,000 to cover the costs of the memorial service. A number of UPS services donated the 25,000 programs printed for the event.
Maurice Clemmons was shot to death early Tuesday by a Seattle police officer after a two-day manhunt.
Authorities said Clemmons singled out the officers and spared employees and other customers at the coffee shop in Parkland, a Tacoma suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle. He then fled but not before one of the dying officers shot him in the torso. Prosecutors said several members of a network of family and friends have been arrested for allegedly helping him elude capture.
Several candlelight vigils have been held for the officers since the shooting. Tuesday's memorial service is believed to be the largest in state history.
The memorial service is expected to begin about 1 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome and could last as long as 3 1/2 hours. Roads surrounding the Tacoma Dome and along the procession route (see map) will be shut down for several hours.
The mayor of Lakewood and the Lakewood police chief is set to speak at the memorial, as will family and friends of the slain officers.
In preparation for the large crowds expected at the memorial, organizers have designated four overflow locations where the memorial service will be aired live.
Olson Auditorium at Pacific Lutheran University, Christian Faith Center in Federal Way and Phillips Hall at University of Washington, Tacoma will open its doors at 9 a.m.
Rainier View Christian Church in Tacoma will open its doors at noon.
Heavy security measures planned for procession, memorial
Organizers have tackled two security concerns in preparation for the event, one dealing with the procession and the other surrounding the memorial itself.
More than 1,500 police and funeral vehicles will depart from the McChord Air Force Base Tuesday morning, and travel between 10 to 12 mph to the Tacoma Dome.
With the procession traveling at such a slow speed, organizers fear the vehicles may be an easy target for anyone with bad intentions.
As a precaution, every intersection along the route will be shut down, and officers will scan the crowd of thousands expected to line the streets to the memorial.
The congregation of some 20,000 law enforcement officers at the Tacoma Dome also calls for increased security. Organizers said sniper teams will be positioned on nearby rooftops.
The FAA will issue a temporary flight restriction over the Tacoma Dome, and only police helicopters and state patrol planes will be allowed directly overhead.
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We will have live coverage of the procession and memorial online, on TV and on the radio beginning at 10 a.m.
More news from Lakewood
A three-hour procession of about 2,000 emergency vehicles, including the families' motorcade and cars from the Lakewood Police Department, will leave for the arena from McChord Air Force Base on Tuesday morning.
The memorial service comes just over a week after the officers were gunned down in a coffee shop before the start of their shift.
Killed were Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42.
Gov. Chris Gregoire, who will speak at the service, has directed that flags at all state agency facilities be lowered to half-staff Tuesday.
Several police guilds and nonprofit organizations have donated $20,000 to cover the costs of the memorial service. A number of UPS services donated the 25,000 programs printed for the event.
Maurice Clemmons was shot to death early Tuesday by a Seattle police officer after a two-day manhunt.
Authorities said Clemmons singled out the officers and spared employees and other customers at the coffee shop in Parkland, a Tacoma suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle. He then fled but not before one of the dying officers shot him in the torso. Prosecutors said several members of a network of family and friends have been arrested for allegedly helping him elude capture.
Several candlelight vigils have been held for the officers since the shooting. Tuesday's memorial service is believed to be the largest in state history.
The memorial service is expected to begin about 1 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome and could last as long as 3 1/2 hours. Roads surrounding the Tacoma Dome and along the procession route (see map) will be shut down for several hours.
The mayor of Lakewood and the Lakewood police chief is set to speak at the memorial, as will family and friends of the slain officers.
In preparation for the large crowds expected at the memorial, organizers have designated four overflow locations where the memorial service will be aired live.
Olson Auditorium at Pacific Lutheran University, Christian Faith Center in Federal Way and Phillips Hall at University of Washington, Tacoma will open its doors at 9 a.m.
Rainier View Christian Church in Tacoma will open its doors at noon.
Heavy security measures planned for procession, memorial
Organizers have tackled two security concerns in preparation for the event, one dealing with the procession and the other surrounding the memorial itself.
More than 1,500 police and funeral vehicles will depart from the McChord Air Force Base Tuesday morning, and travel between 10 to 12 mph to the Tacoma Dome.
With the procession traveling at such a slow speed, organizers fear the vehicles may be an easy target for anyone with bad intentions.
As a precaution, every intersection along the route will be shut down, and officers will scan the crowd of thousands expected to line the streets to the memorial.
The congregation of some 20,000 law enforcement officers at the Tacoma Dome also calls for increased security. Organizers said sniper teams will be positioned on nearby rooftops.
The FAA will issue a temporary flight restriction over the Tacoma Dome, and only police helicopters and state patrol planes will be allowed directly overhead.
---
We will have live coverage of the procession and memorial online, on TV and on the radio beginning at 10 a.m.
More news from Lakewood