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Video: Slain Santa Cruz Cops Remembered

Speaking to an audience of thousands at the memorial for two fallen Santa Cruz (Calif.) Police officers, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta spoke of their selfless sacrifice and the fabric of the community of the Central Coast.

March 9, 2013
Video: Slain Santa Cruz Cops Remembered

 

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Thousands of well-wishers honored the sacrifice and courage of two Santa Cruz (Calif.) Police officers ambushed in late February, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

In a Thursday memorial service at the HP Pavilion, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and others spoke about Sgt. Butch Baker and Det. Elizabeth Butler.

"People love life for what it is and share in the sense that life is secure and that is true for Butch Baker and Elizabeth Butler," Panetta said about the agency's first-ever line-of-duty deaths.

In one particularly poignent moment before the exit procession, a dispatcher paid tribute to the fallen officers, as seen in KRON coverage of the event.

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