By Khalida Sarwari
A prankster, a dedicated father, a mentor and a tireless police officer. In words and in photos, that is the image more than 8,000 people left with after attending the memorial service for Sgt. Loran “Butch” Baker, who grew up in Saratoga. Even those who had never met the veteran Santa Cruz police officer walked out of the HP Pavilion feeling like they had just said goodbye to a friend.
For those who did know Baker–and fellow slain police officer, Elizabeth Butler–saying goodbye was not easy. On the morning of March 7 and stretching into the late afternoon, a palpable silence replaced the sound of laughter and cheering at a venue that has known happier days.
Young and old alike lined the streets to watch the police motorcade go by, some holding flowers, some saluting.
Dignitaries, including Gov. Jerry Brown, and officers from law enforcement agencies near and far poured into the arena to pay their respects to the officers who, on Feb. 26, became the first and second in the history of the Santa Cruz Police Department to be killed in the line of duty.
Baker, 51, and Butler, 38, were shot to death by Jeremy Goulet, a sexual assault suspect who died on the same day in a shootout with police.
The same bullets that took the lives of the officers, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said in his remarks, “ripped the fabric of our community.”
“There is no way we’ll ever really understand why the killer did what he did that afternoon,” Panetta told the crowd.
But on this day, Goulet wasn’t the focus as much as the service and legacy of Baker and Butler.
In the remarks of high-ranking officials including Panetta, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel, words such as honor, sacrifice, hero and legacy were repeated again and again.
Standing before two flag-draped coffins bookended by patrol cars, Vogel called Baker, a 28-year veteran of the department who was a member of the Class of 1979 at Bellarmine College Prep, the “most giving, most generous person I’ve had the honor of serving alongside.”
Baker was a man, Vogel said, who loved his work and wouldn’t stop at anything to get to the truth. He was a “tenacious investigator” and the officer Vogel said he leaned on in times of hardship.
Beyond that, he said Baker was known for his love of the San Francisco Giants, wearing shorts and his sense of humor.
“I’m going to miss his laughter in the halls of the police department,” Vogel said.
His sense of humor aside, Baker had empathy for all, including the accused, Panetta said.
“Butch was a perfect fit for Santa Cruz,” he said.
Addressing the members of the law enforcement community in the audience, the attorney general acknowledged the risks involved in their work.
“It takes a very special kind of person to get up every day, put on a badge and take on all the problems of a troubled world,” Harris said. “Police work is not just a job; This is a calling, a noble way of life.”
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend, who previously was the public information officer for the police department and worked alongside the two officers, called their deaths “the biggest emotional earthquake our community has ever felt.” Santa Cruz Mayor Hilary Bryant vowed that even as the community moves forward, the memories of Baker and Butler would not be forgotten.
One of the most moving tributes was given by Deputy Chief Steve Clark. Baker’s family had asked him to keep the eulogy light, he said, so he’d do his best to make the audience laugh, similar to his slain friend and colleague, who had a knack for bringing out the lighter side of any serious situation.
“Butch would’ve loved this,” Clark said. “He would’ve laughed.”
Clark got some laughs out of the somber audience with jokes about his resemblance to the governor and Baker’s “tell-tale lean whenever he was fishing for a lead.”
Baker’s background as a car salesman, he said, helped him in his detective work.
“He would get people to confess to stuff that was unbelievable,” Clark said.
Baker also loved NASCAR, so much so that he sometimes drove his patrol vehicle as if he were driving a race car. And, he enjoyed playing practical jokes on members of the police department, Clark said, recounting a time when Baker “helped finance an ad for an early morning garage sale at my house.”
But, he had a serious side, too, said Clark. He recalled conversations the two had about Baker’s faith and religion and their beliefs.
Clark fought back tears as he addressed Baker’s children, Jillian, Ashley and Adam, a community service officer in Santa Cruz.
“He loved you so,” he said. “He would talk about you often. He was so proud.”
Accompanied on the stage by her brother, Jillian weeped as she read from a note she’d written to Baker in a Father’s Day card.
“You are the very reason there is good in my life,” she said. “Daddy, I’ll love you more than you’ll ever know.”
Reflecting on their time working together on the Santa Cruz police force, Capitola Police Chief Rudy Escalante remembered his friend’s “caring charm and outgoing personality.” Baker was “just an all-around remarkable human being,” he said.
The final remarks were given by Santa Cruz County chief deputy district attorney Jeff Rosell, who shared a touching story about Baker visiting a defense attorney at the hospital after the lawyer had suffered a heart attack in the middle of a trial.
“In the 28 years, he never lost his compassion and his humanity,” Rosell said.
Along with his three children, Baker is survived by his wife Kelly, parents Loran and Virginia, and sister Sandy.
