Hundreds of police and fire vehicles line procession for fallen Spokane County sergeant

Hundreds of law enforcement agencies and fire departments spanning Montana, Idaho and Washington gathered at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex on Wednesday to honor fallen Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ken Salas.

Forming a line that spanned multiple blocks down North Assembly Street, the gathering marked the beginning of Spokane County’s farewell to 59-year-old Salas, who died Aug. 9 after a motorcyclist struck the 34-year veteran as he was helping a driver remove a hay bale from Interstate 90 near Cheney. The procession wended its way through Spokane to Salas’ public memorial service at the Spokane Convention Center.

Small groups of Spokane residents made their way to sidewalks to see the caravan off. Tracy White, who lives in the neighborhood, brought her 2-year-old grandson. He has a special interest in firefighters and police officers, she said.

“I personally just want to honor the sergeant that died senselessly, just trying to help people,” White said. “It’s just getting harder and harder for these guys to do their jobs. I wanted to show support.”

Outside of the Spokane County Courthouse, two tow trucks hoisted American flags far above a sea of people waiting patiently for the procession of law enforcement to pass by on Broadway Avenue.

Starting first with a line of ambulances and ending with the fire department, the long line of passing vehicles included representatives from the Spokane Valley Police Department all the way to the Missoula Police Department.

Spokane police Lt. Dan Waters was one of many gathered outside of the courthouse to remember Salas. As patrol car after patrol car passed by, Waters said he kept telling himself the same thing : Don’t cry. Waters didn’t know Salas personally but said he had heard numerous things about Salas over the course of Waters’ 30-year career at the police department.

Waters was impressed by the hundreds of people who lined the street in the blocks near the courthouse.

“It’s very emotional,” he said. “We know we have a lot of support from this community.”

Rick and Christine Sapone work for the courts and were gathered outside the courthouse Wednesday to observe the procession. For Christine, Wednesday’s event moved her to tears because of the turnout, and for more personal reasons.

“Her uncle was a cop and he was murdered,” her husband, Rick, said. “So this is honoring him also. I’m prior military, so anytime there’s anyone that served, I honor them, and she does also.”

Rick, who said he served 20 years for the Air Force Survival School, said the support for Salas was unbelievable and that the turnout outside of the courthouse was nothing short of astounding. Christine said it warmed her heart to see all those people take time out of their day to pay their respect toward an officer who dedicated his life to serving others.

Standing on the curb not far from the Sapones was Jackie Fowlie, a fugitive transport coordinator for Spokane County.

Fowlie paused what she was doing and walked from Kendall Yards to pay her respects. Fowlie said she started seeing people waving tiny American flags and paying tribute to Salas about half a mile from the courthouse.

“I feel very emotional,” Fowlie said. “I think it’s better now, but with the current atmosphere towards law enforcement, it’s really sad to lose someone who served our community.”

Just before 1 p.m., nearly 40 bagpipers from Seattle and Portland lined the second floor of the Spokane Convention Center with their chins held high. They were surrounded by nearly 80 other members of law enforcement waiting to be escorted inside.

Complete silence filled the air with the exception of a crying baby. Following the sound of a horn, law enforcement’s honor guard walked down the aisle next to other police, deputies, friends, family and mourning members of the public.

Salas’ wife, guided by a deputy whispering in her ear, walked down the aisle with her eyes forward. A German shepherd followed behind her.

The Spokane County Board of Commissioners took a moment during their regular Tuesday meeting to honor Salas in the form of a proclamation that ordered the Spokane County Courthouse flags to be lowered to half-staff until Saturday. The motion enters into the public record a summation of his lifetime of public service spanning more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and Washington Air National Guard and 34 years in law enforcement.

Salas’ employment with Spokane County began as a corrections officer, before later joining the Sheriff’s Office. He held multiple assignments as a deputy, including on patrol, in local schools, enforcing traffic laws and the emergency operations team, “demonstrating versatility, leadership and a steadfast commitment to public safety,” the proclamation reads. Salas was named a corporal and detective in 2004 and a sergeant in 2009.

“Sergeant Salas was planning to retire the following month, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, compassion and bravery that will be remembered by his colleagues, the community and all who knew him,” the proclamation reads.

Sheriff John Nowels thanked the commissioners for their support and recognition, as well as the “outpouring” from the public. It’s often a thankless job to serve as a deputy, and Salas represented the best of them, he said.

“I lost a friend … someone who I worked side by side with for a lot of years,” Nowels said.