Governor Kathy Hochul today honored 68 police officers from seven departments who sacrificed their lives in service to their fellow New Yorkers. The officers’ names have been added to the New York State Police Officers Memorial at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, and Governor Hochul spoke this afternoon at the Remembrance Ceremony. The black granite walls of the memorial now include the names of 1,840 police officers from 152 agencies across the state, and six federal agencies. The Governor also issued a proclamation designating May 7 as Police Memorial Day and directed state landmarks to be illuminated blue tonight to remember the fallen and recognize the service of police officers across the state.
“Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every time they put on their uniforms in service to their communities – today we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Governor Hochul said. “We honor 68 policy officers who paid the ultimate price to keep us safe. Our hearts are with their loved ones as we remember them and their unwavering commitment to serve the State of New York.”
“Today we honor and remember the law enforcement members who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our communities safe,” said Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. “Their bravery, courage, and commitment to New York will never be forgotten.”
The following landmarks will be illuminated blue tonight.
- One World Trade Center
- Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
- Kosciuszko Bridge
- The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
- State Education Building
- Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
- Empire State Plaza
- State Fairgrounds – Main Gate and Expo Center
- Niagara Falls
- Albany International Airport Gateway
- MTA Long Island Railroad - East End Gateway at Penn Station
- Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
- Moynihan Train Hall
- Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park
More than 300 law enforcement professionals, family members and friends attended the ceremony, during which Governor Hochul offered remarks. This is the first year that the names of fire marshals from the Fire Department of the City of New York have been added to the memorial; state law defines FDNY fire marshals as police officers.
Line of Duty Deaths
New York City Police Department
Detective Lawrence J. Bromm was shot on December 21, 1977, and paralyzed from the waist down while investigating a minor traffic accident in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He died nearly 45 years later from complications related to his spinal cord injury (Feb. 13, 2022).
Detective Troy D. Patterson was shot in the head on January 16, 1990, as he attempted to confront three men who tried to rob him. He died 33 years after being injured (April 29, 2023).
East Fishkill Town Police Department
Sergeant Daniel P. DiDato was responding to Westchester Medical Center to continue an investigation when he was involved in a single vehicle crash on the Taconic State Parkway. He died from the injuries he sustained in the crash (December 18, 2023).
Fire Department of the City of New York
Fire Marshall Ronald P. Bucca responded to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, arriving just as the second plane hit the South Tower. He ascended to the tower’s 8th floor and died as a result of injuries he sustained while operating at Manhattan Box 5-5-8087 (September 11, 2001).
Ground Zero-Related Illness Deaths
The names of officers who died from Ground Zero-related illnesses were first added to the Memorial in 2008. With the addition of 64 names this year, those deaths now total 444.
New York State Police
Investigator Anthony B. Ashe (November 4, 2020)
Trooper Robert M. Burney (December 9, 2023)
Deputy Superintendent William J. DeBlock (October 20, 2020)
Captain Christopher J. Garrow (June 12, 2023)
Senior Investigator Nicholas A. Georgeadis (April 28, 2023)
Investigator Patrick J. Hogan (April 13, 2023)
Trooper Edward T. Kiluk (April 4, 2021)
Trooper Lawrence W. Lakeman (August 7, 2007)
Technical Sergeant Scott C. Norcutt (June 20, 2023)
Technical Sergeant Christopher P. Rock (December 3, 2023)
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department
Police Officer David J. Lee (July 29, 2022)
Police Captain Richard L. Ruiz Sr. (November 18, 2023)
New York City Police Department
Police Officer William Anthony Jr. (March 1, 2021)
Police Officer Michael E. Barnes (June 19, 2021)
Police Officer Mark N. Bressack (September 22, 2022)
Detective Eric Calleja (August 8, 2022)
Police Officer Donald E. Cossean (May 17, 2022)
Lieutenant Timothy E. Coyne (August 12, 2021)
Police Officer Stephen A. Darby (December 15, 2022)
Detective Francisco F. DeCastro Jr. (January 24, 2022)
Detective Angel F. Esquerete (August 2, 2022)
Detective George A. Flores (August 28, 2022)
Lieutenant Anthony J. Garvey (May 20, 2022)
Police Officer Francis A. Gaynor (January 18, 2023)
Sergeant James A. Geraghty (March 2, 2021)
Lieutenant Maureen Gill-Donohue (December 7, 2022)
Lieutenant Ivan Gonzalez (May 17, 2022)
Deputy Chief Thomas J. Graham (June 7, 2022)
Detective Ronald E. Higgins (June 11, 2022)
Detective Nicholas M. Holovinsky (July 26, 2022)
Detective William J. Keating (June 8, 2022)
Detective Thomas M. Lilly (September 26, 2022)
Sergeant James A. Mastricovo (July 28, 2022)
Lieutenant John F. McArdle (February. 22, 2023)
Detective James S. McCormick (December 24, 2022)
Police Officer Robert J. Mouradian (August 18, 2020)
Detective Alberto Nieves (August 9, 2019)
Detective Maureen M. O’Flaherty (November 28, 2019)
Police Officer Martin M. Podolski (March 9, 2022)
Lieutenant Michael G. Prettitore (January 31, 2023)
Police Officer Andrew L. Quinlan (April 6, 2020)
Detective Marcos Quinones (February 7, 2021)
Detective Frank D. Randall Jr. (January 28, 2022)
Sergeant Thomas F. Roche (May 29, 2022)
Detective John C. Ryan (May 19, 2017)
Captain Janelle Sanders (September 11, 2022)
Police Officer Jordan Silver (December 9, 2022)
Lieutenant Zachary A. Slavin (June 14, 2022)
Detective Harry Stafilias (April 1, 2023)
Detective Victor Vargas (August 23, 2022)
Detective John J. Walker III (May 8, 2022)
Assistant Chief James L. Ward (October 10, 2021)
Nassau County Police Department
Detective Erick W. Contreras (January 15, 2021)
Detective Michael J. Kearns (June 8, 2014)
Suffolk County Police Department
Chief of Patrol Thomas P. Compitello (December 16, 2022)
Police Officer Robert J. Kirwan (September 9, 2023)
Fire Department of the City of New York
Fire Marshal Michael J. Federowski (November 8, 2021)
Supervising Fire Marshal Emil K. Harnischfeger (May 6, 2013)
Fire Marshal Robert J. Kelly (December 20, 2020)
Supervising Fire Marshal John J. McCauley (May 28, 2022)
Fire Marshal Gregorio Morales (July 30, 2016)
Fire Marshal Steven C. Mosiello (July 15, 2011)
Fire Marshal Karl J. Sederholt (May 22, 2023)
Fire Marshal William Wilson Jr. (July 15, 2006)
The state Division of Criminal Justice Services coordinates the ceremony and the work of the Police Officers Memorial Advisory Committee. The state Office of General Services maintains the memorial and its commissioner also serves on the Committee.
Division of Criminal Justice Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, "We deeply appreciate and honor the sacrifices of these brave police officers and keep their loved one and friends in our hearts. We are thankful for their selfless public service and will always remember their dedication to the safety of all New Yorkers.”
Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy said, “Today, we solemnly pay tribute to the dedication and heroism of police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty. OGS is proud to maintain the State of New York Police Officers Memorial at the Empire State Plaza, providing a space for solitude and reflection for the family, friends, and colleagues of those who have given their lives in service to others.”
The memorial is based on a design concept suggested by Colleen Dillon Bergman, the daughter of Emerson J. Dillon Jr., a 16-year veteran of the New York State Police who was killed in the line of duty in 1974. Bergman also suggested that the names of police officers be placed on the memorial without regard to rank. In a letter to the committee established to oversee the memorial’s creation, she explained: “It doesn’t matter from which department they came, the feeling of loss is experienced the same.” Those words are engraved on the memorial.
Memorial Inclusion Criteria
To be included on the memorial, an individual must have been a police officer, as defined in the State’s Criminal Procedure Law, or employed as a federal law enforcement officer and performed the same or essentially similar duties as defined in that law. Applications to DCJS for inclusion on the memorial must be made by agencies that employed the officers.
In addition to Commissioners Rosado and Moy, the following individuals serve on the Memorial Advisory Committee: New York State Troopers PBA President Charles Murphy, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Benevolent Associations President Michael O’Meara, New York State Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Director Patrick Phelan, New York State Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Peter R. Kehoe, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of the City of New York President Patrick Hendry, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Chapter President Andrew Rakowsky, and the Police Conference of New York President Richard Wells.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services provides critical support to all facets of the state’s criminal justice system, including, but not limited to: training law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals; overseeing a law enforcement accreditation program; ensuring Breathalyzer and speed enforcement equipment used by local law enforcement operate correctly; managing criminal justice grant funding; analyzing statewide crime and program data; providing research support; overseeing county probation departments and alternatives to incarceration programs; and coordinating youth justice policy. Follow DCJS on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).