Fallen Lakewood Officers Remembered

On Sunday, November 29, 2009, four Lakewood PD officers met for coffee at around 8AM at Forza Coffee in Parkland, WA in what would become one of the most tragic days in Washington State and national law enforcement history. At approximately 8:15AM, Lakewood PD Sergeant Mark Renninger 39, Officer Ronald Owens 37, Officer Tina Griswold 40 and Officer Greg Richards 42 were shot and killed in the line of duty.

Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Ronald Owens, Officer Tina Griswold and Officer Greg Richards, made the ultimate sacrifice on that day that cannot and will not ever be forgotten. Prior to joining the newly formed Lakewood Police Department in 2004, Sergeant Renninger was an officer with us for 8 years. He began his law enforcement career in Tukwila in 1996 after serving in the U.S. Army as an Army Ranger. He would go on to become the president of the Tukwila Police Officer’s Guild (TPOG) and became a nationally renowned SWAT tactical expert and leader with the Valley SWAT team. We cherish and hold dear the friendship, memories, and time that we had with Sergeant Renninger.

On this day, we mourn, remember and honor these Lakewood officers and the sacrifice that they made. While this incident has altered all of our lives forever, it is important to remember that the dedication and actions these officers took each and every day throughout their careers saved lives and undoubtedly altered for the better the lives of those they helped in ways that they probably didn’t even realize at the time.

Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends and the Lakewood Police Department on this day each and every year.

LK23, LK101, LK121, LK135