Crime & Safety

Redwood Trees to be Dedicated Thursday in Honor of Palo Alto's Fallen Officers

The Palo Alto Police Department is holding a special ceremony Thursday -- May 15 -- on National Peace Officers Memorial Day to dedicate a grove of massive Coast Redwood trees in memory of the three officers who have fallen in Palo Alto history. 

The event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend to show their support for our law enforcement community.

The short ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. at Cogswell Plaza in downtown Palo Alto.

Chief Dennis Burns and Mayor Nancy Shepherd will be speaking, and the Palo Alto Police Department Honor Guard will be in attendance. 

Officials will unveil a special plaque at the site during the event.

The grove of three Coast Redwood trees, which stand together at the corner of Lytton Avenue and Ramona Street, will be dedicated as “Memorial Grove,” in honor of Reserve Officer Lester Cole, Officer Gene Clifton, and Reserve Officer Theodore Brassinga. 

[Related: The Three Palo Alto Officers Who Were Lost in the Line of Duty.]

The date May 15, 2014, holds a special significance. 

Not only will it be the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of Officer Brassinga, but it is also National Peace Officers Memorial Day. 

For those two reasons, Thursday will be an especially fitting day to recognize our three fallen officers by memorializing their service to the Palo Alto community in the form of this Memorial Grove.

Canopy, an environmental non-profit organization based in Palo Alto, selected these trees as the site of Memorial Grove due to their proximity to the original police station at 450 Bryant Street. 

The trees were planted at the site in 1955. 

From Thursday forward, they will provide a lasting memorial to our three fallen officers.


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