Organizers expect 20,000 to attend the memorial at the Tacoma Dome, with about 1,500 law enforcement and fire vehicles taking part in a 31/2-hour procession from McChord Air Force Base, past the Lakewood police headquarters and into the flag-draped Tacoma Dome.
The procession will start at 10 a.m. from the north gate of McChord near the scene of the Nov. 29 shooting that took the lives of police Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and officers Tina Griswold, 40, Greg Richards, 42, and Ronald Owens, 37.
The procession will travel through Lakewood and stop at the Lakewood Police Department to pick up family members and colleagues of the four officers. It will then follow South Tacoma Way down to the Tacoma Dome for the memorial service.
The procession’s route will be closed beginning at 9:30 a.m. and will stay closed until about noon.
About 1,000 members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will attend the memorial service, along with police and fire departments from as far away as New York and Boston. Also attending will be FBI Director Robert Mueller and Gov. Chris Gregoire.
Friends, family and co-workers of the four officers are expected to speak at the service, which is likely to last at least 21/2 hours.
About 2,500 seats will be available inside the Dome for the public. The seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For those not able to come to the Tacoma Dome, several remote viewing sites will show the memorial broadcast, which also will be aired on local television stations and Web sites.
Brian Everstine, The News Tribune
The public memorial service today for the four slain Lakewood police officers will be preceded by a procession leaving McChord Air Force Base at 10 a.m. The procession is expected to arrive about 1 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.
• North gate of McChord to South Tacoma Way
• South Tacoma Way Extension
• 108th Street
• Lakeview Drive Southwest
• 100th Street Southwest
• Lakewood Drive Southwest, stopping at the Lakewood Police Department
• Steilacoom Boulevard
• South Tacoma Way
• East 26th Street
• East C Street
• Tacoma Dome
