SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The public paid their respects to fallen Salt River Police Officer Clayton Townsend on Monday night ahead of Tuesday morning's memorial service.
The public visitation took place from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Green Acres Memorial Gardens Cemetery, located at 401 N. Hayden Rd., in Scottsdale.
Law enforcement, family, and friends of the family held a separate, private visitation beforehand.
On Tuesday, a lengthy procession led by a white hearse took Officer Townsend's body to Christ's Church of the Valley in Peoria for the memorial service.
At the church, an officer escorted Townsend's widow on one arm while carrying the couple's 10-month-old son in a baby carried on the other.
The hour-long procession from a Scottsdale funeral home included dozens of police motorcycles and a long line of other law enforcement vehicles with flashing lights. Traffic was halted on the Loop 101 freeway for the procession, and a giant American flag was hung in tribute from firetrucks' raised ladders in the driveway to church.
Nearby, Arizona and U.S. flags hung in tribute from Arizona Public Service Co. equipment as utility workers stood with their hands over their hearts.
Officer Townsend was hit and killed last week during a traffic stop on the Loop 101. The driver who hit him was booked into jail but released on bond.
There are several ways to contribute funds to help Officer Townsend's family and the families of other fallen officers. Click here for more on how to help.
