May
5, 2014 marked the enrollment ceremony for the California Peace Officer’s
Memorial. The Santa Cruz Police
Department was on hand to witness the enrollment of Sergeant Butch Baker and
Detective Elizabeth Butler. Their names are
now forever engraved in bronze upon the memorial wall.
Chief
Kevin Vogel was invited by State Attorney General Kamala Harris to be the
ceremony keynote speaker, and he did not disappoint. Chief Vogel “knocked it out of the park” with
his speech honoring all the California officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice
in 2013.
"The names we enroll here today serve as reminders of the best and brightest among us – the ones who chose one of the most complex and difficult of professions, the ones who don the uniform and accept the greatest risk of all.
We can never replace those we lost, but by honoring their sacrifice and remembering what made them special, we can keep them close and make them part of our everyday lives.
We must never stop telling their stories, never stop taking inspiration from their courage and never forget the families left behind."
This portion of his speech can be seen here on our YouTube Channel:
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| Chief Vogel addresses the crowd on the Jumbo-Tron |
The
day started at 5:15 AM where we traveled in a large caravan from Santa Cruz to the CHP Academy
in Sacramento. Even young Marcel Cathrein was feeling the strain of the early morning travel time.
With all the cars and personnel, we only had one vehicle casualty, as Lieutenant Dan Flippo’s motorcycle suffered a
flat rear tire on Highway 5 just outside of Lathrop.
Thankfully, we had the amazing Ken Morse from
Lifesaver Towing along to rescue Dan.
Ken towed Dan to the CHP Academy.
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| Lt. Flippo with his Rescuer, Ken Morse of Lifesaver Towing |
We were able to get a plug in Dan's tire, so he could participate in the procession. After the ceremony and before riding back, we got Dan’s tire
replaced at Mid-Cal Cycle, a local shop.
At the CHP Academy, we met up with a couple hundred officers from agencies throughout the State. We participated in a procession from the CHP Academy to the State Capitol for the ceremonies.
At the CHP Academy, we met up with a couple hundred officers from agencies throughout the State. We participated in a procession from the CHP Academy to the State Capitol for the ceremonies.
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| SCPD Motor Team leads the procession in |
SCPD participated in a gauntlet of officers to form the “Walk of Honor” for families of the fallen officers.
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| SCPD Team forming for the Walk of Honor Gauntlet |
The SCPD Honor
Guard posted the colors for the opening of the ceremony.
In
addition to our own Chief Kevin Vogel, the speakers included Governor Jerry
Brown, California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, and
Attorney General Kamala Harris.
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| SCPD Team at CHP Academy |
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| Chief Vogel with the Motor Team |
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| A few of our amazing civilian staff here at SCPD |
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| Mayor Robinson with the Classic 1961 Chevy Biscayne patrol car |
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| Brother Zach just lookin' for a hug |
It was a great day to join our fellow officers from across the State to honor Butch and Elizabeth. So, finally in the words of Chief Vogel:
We know that even though your watch has ended, the freedoms we enjoy today are because of you and those enrolled here before you.
My fellow law enforcement professionals, my fellow Californians, we must never forget the example they have set for all of us.
We must never forget their smiles, their laughs or their many achievements serving the communities they loved so dearly.
These brave officers leave unfinished work in our hands and I am confident that we are up to the challenge.
