This weekend, the Tulip Toren stands as a memorial for two police officers killed in the Des Moines metro area.

The tower in downtown Pella will be bathed in blue light to pay tribute to Des Moines Police Sgt. Tony Beminio and Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin, who were ambushed and murdered early Wednesday morning.

Pella Police Chief Robert Bokinsky says the tribute was the idea of Dispatcher Kaci Visser and Detective Justin Bailey, and is often used in many other communities.

“What we did is we sent a request to the city asking if this something we can consider moving forward perhaps in future occasions, just because we want to do something, and I was amazed. The next morning, I came in and the ball was already rolling.”

He says Jeanette Vaughan with Community Services, Nate Spurgeon with the Electric Department, City Administrator Mike Nardini, and Mayor Jim Mueller all helped in getting the memorial approved. Electric workers and parks staff spent most of their day today getting lights installed.

Bokinsky says it’s a fitting way among many others to pay final respects to two officers who lost their lives serving the communities they loved.

“They were two great men who fell in the line of duty trying to protect others,” he says. “They earnestly thought were going to the call to help others in the most dangerous of situations, and what it was, was an ambush.”

The light on the Tulip Toren will remain in place until the two officers are laid to rest.