Traffic delays expected for offiicer's funeral Monday
Motorists in western and northern Baltimore County can expect to encounter delays Monday as a result of a funeral procession for a Baltimore officer who was killed in a vehicle crash.
The Baltiimore County police said the delays will begin about 11:30 a.m. after a funeral Mass for Officer James Fowler at St. Mark Church in Catonsville. The delays are expected to continue into the early afternoon between there and Timonium.
Such funeral processions have in the past been a point of contention between residents of the cemetery neighborhood and officers. Neighbors complain that they have been trapped in their homes for hours, while police contend that well-attended funeral processions are an important part of their culture.
Police said the procession will leave the churchh and proceed to Winters Lane in Catonsville, then travel on Edmondson Avenue to the Beltway, where it will head north on the Inner Loop. From the Beltway, it will travel north on Interstate 83 and exit onto Padonia Road until reaching Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.
Parking along Padonia Road east of the entrance to the cemetery will be reserved for overflow funeral parking. Police said they do not know how many vehicles to expect, but law enforcement funerals in the region have typically attracted hundreds of vehicles and resulted in significant backups. Police are asking residents and other drivers to use alternate routes.
Fowler, 61, was killed last Monday in a single-vehicle crash in Pennsylvania while traveling to a training session at Penn State. He was a 33-year veteran of the city police force.
Comments
It says something sad about our modern day culture when people eqaute not being able to drive in a car as the same thing as being ""trapped in thier homes".
Its also sad that they think that a funeral for a cop isnt important.
Posted by: Pete from Highlandtown | October 4, 2010 7:26 PM
Sadly we face this again this morning. My sincere condolences to the family.
I didn't realize that convoys of police cars on their way to the funeral would also travel with their lights flashing, with motorcycles to block intersections so the convoy can continue through red lights.
This morning this happened on Northern Pkwy at Sinai Hospital. Access to the hospital was blocked for about 5 minutes. This is not such a big deal but I wonder why it is considered appropriate to close access to a hospital for something other than the actual funeral procession. The only explanation I can think of is that, since the convoy was coming from the police training facility, maybe this was an opportunity to train new officers in how to drive in convoy?
Posted by: yetanother | October 27, 2010 12:47 PM
I also express my condolences to the family.
However, I was late to work this morning because Charles St. was reduced to one lane in either direction near Northern Parkway. At 7:30 a.m. police cars were already parking on the East side facing south so as to be ready for the funeral procession, There was an email notice in my inbox when I got home--not much use to me on my way to work today!
Posted by: Dahlink | October 27, 2010 5:44 PM