HAMBURG, N.Y. -- Approximately 3,000 people paid their respects to Buffalo Police Officer Craig Lehner over two days at Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home in Hamburg.

Several groups went the extra mile to make the visitation hours more special.

The SPCA of Erie County brought therapy dogs to comfort those who are grieving, Niagara Scenic Tours and the Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation ran shuttles to the funeral home to make it more accessible to the public, and more than 50 members of the Patriot Guard Riders stood at attention, holding the American flag.

"Whatever the family would like us to do, we are there to support them. In their time of grieving, it is very important for the people of this country to stand for these men and women who have served our country with such honor and dignity," said Patriot Guard Rider Ride Captain Bob Woodward.

After Lehner's family asked the Patriot Guard Riders to attend, emails were sent to every local member.

Private visitation took place for three hours and public visitation for five hours each day.

Some of them stood with their flags for a full eight-hour shift—and they will continue their service Wednesday.

"We're going to do a motorcycle escort. We're going to be part of a large procession of firemen, police officers especially, K-9 officers, security officers, and we're going to be in a flag line, riding our bikes with our large flags flying at the end of the procession," said Woodward.

The procession will go from the funeral home to KeyBank Center Wednesday morning.

After the funeral, the procession will then go to Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Community activist and Army veteran Rus Thompson hopes to have the procession route completely lined with people standing or holding American flags from Niagara Square to the cemetery.

"When you get guys that are coming home to their hometown after being killed in Iraq or Afghanistan all across the country, people line the streets with American flags to honor the fallen hero," said Thompson.

After speaking with Buffalo police, he asks that people start gathering on Delaware at 11:15 a.m. to pay tribute to Officer Lehner.

"This guy is pretty much incredible if you look at him, he's an Iraqi War vet, and then he was K-9 police officer, and he was a diver. I mean the dedication this man had for not only this country, but this community, is really incredible to me," said Thompson.