She became Renee Maher, police widow and advocate

Grieving wife now champion for police families
Attorney Renee Maher, the first executive director of the Coalition of Metropolitan Police and Sheriffs, is a widow whose police officer husband was killed in 2003. She has lobbied lawmakers in Olympia to pass legislation important to law enforcement.

By Sara Jean Green

Seattle Times staff reporter


Renee Maher stands in the hallway of her Federal Way home near plaques honoring her husband, Officer Patrick Maher, who was fatally shot while trying to arrest a theft suspect in 2003.
In spring 2003, Renee Van Keulen Maher, a young, aggressive deputy prosecutor in Honolulu, gave up her professional identity for a domestic one when she moved to Federal Way to become a stay-at-home mom.

But four months after moving to the mainland, a new identity was thrust on her.

She became Renee Maher, police widow.

Maher's husband, Federal Way police Officer Patrick Maher, was fatally shot on Aug. 2, 2003, while trying to arrest a theft suspect.

His killer, Jason Roberts, later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and is serving a 30-year prison sentence.

Maher hates the label "widow," hates having her life forever associated with her husband's death. But she's found a way to use it to her political advantage, becoming a lobbyist for law enforcement and an advocate for the families of fallen officers.
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Grieving wife now champion for police families