BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Staff at Wisconsin Memorial Park are making extensive preparations for the arrival of fallen Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder's funeral procession on Friday.
Corder, 32, died June 29 after he was shot during what authorities described as an ambush late last week. His partner, 29-year-old Christopher McCray, was injured and later released from Froedtert Hospital.
The cemetery will serve as Officer Corder's final resting place following his funeral at Elmbrook Church.
Watch: Wisconsin Memorial Park prepares to lay to rest fallen Milwaukee Police Officer:
"We can and want to do this for this family just to show our gratitude and our thanks for what he and other officers have done for our community," said Garrett Rose, President and General Manager of Wisconsin Memorial Park Cemetery.
Previous Coverage: Funeral set for fallen MPD Officer Kendall Corder
Cemetery officials are expecting hundreds of vehicles in the procession, with law enforcement representatives coming from across the country to pay their respects.
"We do know from experience that there will be police presence from other big cities. For example, people, police, squads show up from Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis so they really do drive up here and support their colleague," Rose said.
For the cemetery staff, ensuring a smooth procession within Wisconsin Memorial Park is a top priority. The cemetery has eight miles of road so providing proper navigation is critical for the large procession. Staff will be stationed throughout the grounds helping guide those vehicles toward Officer Corder's final resting place.
"We plan that out pretty carefully to make sure people can get in safely and get out safely as well and timely of course," Rose said.
Officer Corder will be laid to rest in a private ceremony. His entombment is being provided as a gift through the cemetery's Public Servant Program, which honors those who have served their communities.
"It's a privilege to help this family. It's not something we want to do, obviously, but this is our job. It is our responsibility not only to this family but everyone that we serve to make sure that we're providing a service and making sure their wishes come true," Rose said.
The public will be allowed to pay their final respects at Officer Corder's grave the day after the funeral.
TMJ4 will be providing live coverage of the funeral and procession on Friday.
This story was reported by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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