Mountain View Police will Attend Funeral of Slain Santa Cruz Officers

It was the Santa Cruz Police Department's first ever loss of officers on the field—and the tragedy has touched police departments across the Bay Area.

"I am so deeply sad for their and the entire department's loss," said Mountain View Police Department Chief Scott Vermeer. "Sgt. [Loran] Baker and Officer [Elizabeth] Butler have many connections to our department including that Sgt. Baker and I attended high school together (we didn't know each other) and Officer Butler attended the police academy with a number of our officers who will attend the funeral today."

Three MVPD officers attended the academy with Officer Butler: Sgt. Saul Jaeger Officers John Renegar and Titus Hammon. Former officer and spokeswoman Liz Wylie did so too.

Wylie told Mountain View Patch that when she heard that Santa Cruz officers had been shot, she couldn't imagine it would have been "Beth." When it was confirmed, she felt a huge pain in her heart. Wylie hadn't seen Officer Butler in a while, but they had shared outings together with their families and knew each other well.

She shared that she'll probably cry the entire time during the funeral.

In total, 20 Mountain View Police officers will represent the department during the memorial procession and funeral service this Thursday.

The Officer Cary Chueh was the last Mountain View officer shot and injured was in 2002.

Related stories:

• Santa Cruz Police Shooting Reaction: 'Time to Stop the Violence'

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