KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Independence Police Department was the last stop before Officer Cody Allen’s funeral procession headed to Odessa, Missouri.
There were dozens of people there to greet the procession and even a few that showed up hours in advance.
For them, a lot of preparation went into today.
“We were prepared, man. We got a blanket, sitting on a blanket, we got gloves,” said Cheryl Yount.
Yount came with her daughter, April Wagner, to pay their respects to Officer Allen.
“I’m watching it on my TV here so I can watch it and be ready for them when they get ready to come,” said Norvin Johnson, who watched the funeral service on his phone while parked in front of police headquarters.
For Johnson, the preparation began before Friday. He put up 10 flags Thursday night.
Five were American flags and five were police flags.
“I came out here last night,” Johnson said. “It look me about an hour to put these up. I got them all up. Mother Nature’s not making it too windy, but I got them up pretty good.”
The weather matched the mood of the day.
“This is a dark, dreary day, and it’s almost appropriate,” said Mike Rowland, a former law enforcement officer. “Good days and bad days, that’s life.”
Rowland has been in plenty of processions, which he shared with us when we first met him the night of Officer Allen’s death.
Other people, like Cheryl and April, were at a funeral procession for the first time.
“For me, it was just the amount of vehicles and all the places they were from,” said Yount, when asked about what stuck out the most.
The community came out to give Officer Allen flowers.
Among those were retired officers like Don Fowler.
“It’s a brotherhood,” Fowler said. “No matter what city, county, or state, it’s a brotherhood. So we’re here to support each other and help each other in a time of need.”
Rowland says processions can be just as heartbreaking as they are reassuring.
“When you see this, it makes the people that do this job know that the public really is in support of them,” he said.
The community came out to give Officer Allen his flowers, literally. They wore their fries on their faces and gratitude in their hearts. But today’s goodbye is tomorrow’s hello.
“I just hope the family realizes they’re not alone, and we’re with them,” Johnson said.
