Crime & Safety
SCPD Wears Pins to Honor Fallen Officers
Guess what new members of the department will have to do to earn their uniform pins?
Slain Santa Cruz police officers Sgt. Butch Baker and Det. Elizabeth Butler are never far from the minds of their fellow officers, and now the memories of Baker and Butler will remain close to officers' hearts while they work.
The department issued uniform pins honoring the fallen officers to its ranks this month and, on Wednesday, lined up for a complete staff photo in front of the lighthouse. Included in the photo shoot where full-sized photos of Baker and Butler, according to an account of the event posted on the SCPD blog.
The gathering was the first time the full SCPD force has been together since the memorial service for Baker and Butler in March. The pair were fatally shot Feb. 26 by Jeremy Goulet, a suspect in a misdemeanor sexual assault case.
The pins contain the officers' badge numbers, the "thin blue line" symbolic of police work and the date of the "end of watch." They will be a permanent part of the SCPD uniform their legacy.
According to the blog post:
New members of the department will be required to earn their pin by completing a research project on Butch and Elizabeth, the concept of honor, and their own responsibility to honor the legacy of Butch and Elizabeth in all that they do as they serve this community.
On Facebook, fans of Santa Cruz Police, said the pins were an awesome idea.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
