A patrol car memorial in front of the Des Moines Department is covered in flowers.
The first of two Des Moines police officers killed in an accident Saturday will be laid to rest today.
Officer Susan Farrell and partner Carlos Puente-Morales died when a car traveling the wrong way on Interstate 80 hit their police SUV head on. Farrell’s funeral is this morning at 11 o’clock.
Des Moines Police Department spokesperson, Sergeant Paul Parizek says they’ve gotten responses from officers in other states who will attend the funeral
“We’ve had phone calls from as far away as Georgia, people inquiring about the services. There’s a teletype we sent out to every agency in the nation and we’ve had a lot of response — particularly from the midwest,” Parizek says.
He says the funeral procession will stretch between 8 and 10 miles. Parizek says things will be congested as they leave West Des Moines and head down the Interstate to the cemetery. He says they are expecting well over 1,000 emergency vehicles in the funeral procession.
The Des Moines Fire Department will stretch ladder trucks over the roadway to hold a large American flag that the funeral procession will pass under. Police officers will also line the overpasses as the funeral procession makes its way from West Des Moines to the cemetery in Des Moines.
Officer Puente-Morales’ funeral is set for Friday.