Police officers throughout the Bay Area are offering condolences to their colleagues in Lakewood, Wash., where four officers were shot to death in an attack at a coffee shop on Sunday.
In Oakland, where four officers were shot and killed by a wanted parolee on March 21, Police Officers Association President Dom Arotzarena said officers "are horrified at the events that took place this past weekend in the state of Washington."
In a statement, Arotzarena said, "We want to extend our deepest sympathy to the families, friends and colleagues of the Lakewood police officers who were killed.
He said, "Unfortunately, the loss of four officers is all too familiar to us here at the Oakland Police Department. Our department is continuing to heal from the events of March 21."
Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said Lakewood police officials have contacted Oakland police for advice on arranging funeral services for the four officers killed in the Lakewood area.
More than 20,000 people, including police officers from throughout the country, attended the service for the four slain Oakland officers on March 27.
"We stand ready to provide any guidance or assistance when called upon," Arotzarena said.
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He added, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Lakewood police officers."
Thomason said some Oakland officers have expressed interest in attending the service in Lakewood but no arrangements have been made because the service hasn't yet been scheduled. Oakland officers will have to pay their own way to Lakewood because the city doesn't have the money to pay their expenses.
In East Palo Alto, where Officer Richard May was fatally shot in January 2006, the Police Department also offered its "deepest sympathy and condolences" to the Lakewood Police Department.
East Palo Alto police said in a statement, "Such a senseless tragedy strikes at the heart of all our communities and to those who selflessly serve and protect us despite great risk to their own safety."
The department said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of the four slain officers and we hope they take solace in knowing that their loss is shared by millions of people across this country and the entire law enforcement profession."
Last Wednesday, 26-year-old Alberto Alvarez was convicted of first-degree murder and the special circumstance of murdering a police officer for killing May.
Alvarez's penalty phase, at which jurors will choose between recommending the death penalty or life in prison without parole, will begin next week.
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