EVERETT — On the top shelf of the locker rests a police officer’s hat. It is peaked and crisp, the kind one might find worn in a color guard.
The hat is bracketed by two photos: one of an officer behind the steering wheel of a patrol car; the other a portrait of a little boy, not quite 2, smiling broadly and nattily dressed in a vest.
The locker door was removed years ago, replaced by tempered glass to protect the contents from dust.
The officer loved the boy whose name is Esteban. He talked about him often.
He’d been looking forward to his son’s 2nd birthday and had gone to a bakery near his home to see if someone could decorate an Elmo cake for the grand occasion.
The cake was never made.
On March 7, 2001, Des Moines police officer Steven Underwood was shot and killed in the line of duty. He’d stopped four teens while they were walking along Pacific Highway. One of the young men had felony warrants for his arrest. He shot Underwood. The officer’s firearm was holstered at his side.
Bob Crane, a master police officer with the Des Moines department, often peers into the locker that is now a shrine. It contains Underwood’s uniform, boots, badge and commendation award as well as his hat and family photos.
Crane had been one of Underwood’s closest friends.
Sixteen years ago, Crane made a promise to Underwood’s widow: The law enforcement family would always look out for Esteban.
Crane and others have kept their word.
That commitment was evident in June when Esteban attended his graduation from Woodinville High School at Xfinity Arena in Everett. He’d also taken classes at Cascadia College during his senior year.
