Up to 4,000 people expected at memorial in Everett

EVERETT — Up to 4,000 people were expected to attend the memorial service for Jayme Biendl, which begins at 1 p.m.

Corrections officers from around the country, including Oregon, California, Idaho and New York are here, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said.

Henry Martinez is a cap

tain with the New York City Department of Corrections. He and nine others flew into Washington to attend Biendl’s service.

“It’s a tragedy. One of our sisters has fallen at the hands of a criminal,” Martinez said. “It’s tragedy not only in Washington but for the entire country.”

Corrections officers put themselves in harm’s way every day, said Norman Seabrook, the president of New York City’s corrections union.

“It’s important her family knows that she didn’t die in vain,” Seabrook said. “Jayme had it in her blood to make a change. We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We came from New York to pay our respect, and to let them know they’re not alone in this fight.”

Corrections officers from Canada also were in attendance.

“It’s almost like a big family. With our profession this could happen to any one of us,” said Dean McPherson, a corrections officer with Correctional Services Canada, which serves the country’s federal prisons.

About 25 people from his agency, including an honor guard, made the trip to Everett.

Biendl’s death is a grim reminder of how dangerous their job is, said Dean McPherson, also a corrections officer with Correctional Services Canada.

“I think the public does forget. It takes something like this to happen to remind people how dangerous it is,” he said.

Dozens of police and corrections officers milled around the empty streets outside of Comcast Arena this morning, waiting for the motorcade to arrive.

As in Monroe, a gigantic flag was hung between two fire ladder trucks at the corner of Hewitt and Oakes avenues.

People were stopping to take pictures of the sight.

Some of the businesses along Hewitt Avenue were closed Tuesday. The Spare Room, a vintage market, hung a sign up: “Closed in Respectful Observance of the Memorial for Officer Jayme Biendl.”

Other business, including Brooklyn Bros. pizza and Taco Del Mar, were teeming with hungry uniformed officers.

Kris Barry was inviting officers into her small shop on Hewitt, Barry’s Catering and Café. She said she has a lot of law enforcement officers who are regular customers and she has a great deal of respect for them.