Procession brings out thousands

First responders, public line streets to say goodbye to Lakewood officers

Lee Giles III

of the Gateway

The bitter cold seemed appropriate. As the Puget Sound region remained numb from last month’s killing of four Lakewood Police Department officers at Forza Coffee Co. in Parkland, thousands of first responders and the public braved the elements on Dec. 8 to pay their respects in Tacoma.

Those involved in the memorial procession and service at the Tacoma Dome couldn’t imagine the support of people who joined in the grieving process. The procession alone brought out 370 different police, fire and emergency medical service agencies and their workers who drove through both Lakewood and Tacoma.

Along the route, thousands of mourning citizens saluted the fallen officers and those involved in the procession. While many held homemade signs and large American flags, school children waved as an endless stream of first responders passed.

A heavy security presence was both palpable and tangible as police officers walked K-9 German Shepherds and SWAT team members from many agencies were dressed in full gear and held assault rifles.

Included in the sobering procession was Gig Harbor Police Chief Mike Davis, six patrol cars and Gig Harbor police officers.

It was a procession that neither Davis nor his officers had ever experienced before, and they don’t want to relive it.

The stop-and-go nature of the procession provided Davis time to get a look at the people who packed the sidewalks and overpasses along the route.

“I couldn’t help but be overcome by the despair I saw on everybody’s faces throughout the day,” Davis said. “From the thousands of citizens lining the procession route standing at attention in sub-zero temperatures, waving American flags, to the officers from law enforcement departments throughout the country standing tall, working the intersections for over two hours.”

Those faces seemed as much apologetic as grief-stricken. For a moment, gone was the public’s concern with petty traffic tickets. All the worry had manifested as concern for public safety officers.

“This experience underscores the importance of continuing to build partnerships between police and community,” Davis said. “The outpouring of support all of us in law enforcement received this past week has provided some solace that we are not in this alone.

“Knowing our communities are behind us, watching our backs, has been a source of inspiration and comfort. I believe we will all emerge stronger as a result.”

And as the Forza Coffee shop reopened on Saturday and officers across the nation return to duty, a looming question remained: What next?

With a swelling of support for law enforcement and the circumstances of suspected cop killer Maurice Clemmons’ history, Davis said changes are needed to make sure a procession of this magnitude never happens again.

Just weeks earlier, in a separate incident on Oct. 31, Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton was shot and killed while he was on duty.

“The senseless executions of our five Washington State officers (including Brenton) must serve as the perfect storm to initiate changes that may prevent something like this from happening again,” Davis said. “In a time when budgets are being balanced by closing jails, releasing inmates early, cutting probation services, slashing mental heath services and laying off police officers, we must consider the potential consequences of these actions.

“To do anything less will render the murder of our four Lakewood officers as truly senseless,” he said.