Leon Panetta

Slain Santa Cruz Police Officers Honored by Thousands at Memorial Service

Shaky, candid home videos and snapshots documenting the lives of two slain Santa Cruz police officers played on a loop inside HP Pavilion’s massive overhead projectors Thursday. The memorial service for Sgt. Loran “Butch” Baker, 51, and Officer Elizabeth Butler, 38, welcomed nearly 18,000 into the downtown San Jose arena, following a motorcade of fire engines, motorcycles, cop cruisers, trucks and limousines that snaked its way down Highway 17. Thousands of onlookers, from first responders to Hells Angels, stood on the roadside to express their condolences, raising signs or laying down flowers on the curb.

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