The Westchester County law enforcement community recently gathered at the County Center in White Plains to pay tribute to fallen officers and honor current officers for outstanding police work performed in the past year.
The annual Police Memorial Day and Honor Awards ceremony was presided over by County Executive Robert P. Astorino and Public Safety Commissioner George N. Longworth. The names of 78 officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in Westchester were read aloud and taps were played to honor their memory.
"This May, we pause to remember 78 sons of Westchester who took an oath to protect their communities and paid for that commitment with their lives," Astorino told the gathering.
He added, "It is our duty to never forget their sacrifice. It is our responsibility to remember the terrible price their loved ones paid. It is our prayer that we never have to add more names to this Roll of Honor."
In the awards portion of the ceremony, 31 officers from nine police departments were honored for acts of bravery, investigative skill and lifesaving actions that occurred between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010.
"These officers have upheld the finest traditions of dedication and courage exemplified by those who made the ultimate sacrifice," Longworth said.
For the six-month period from April 1, 2009, to Sept. 30, 2009, awards were presented to:
- Detective George Farrell and Police Officer Mark Buono of the Yonkers Police Department for their courageous actions in the face of imminent danger while apprehending a man who had fired five shots on a city street and pointed the gun at the officers as they approached him. Farrell was off-duty when he observed the gunfire, followed the shooter and enlisted the help of Buono when he saw him directing traffic nearby.
- Detectives Enzo Baia, Richard Castelhano, Allen Patterson and Marc Todaro of the Mount Vernon Police Department for their intelligent actions and restraint in disarming an emotionally disturbed man who confronted them with a knife.
• Police Officers Doug Bornholz and Jason Pallett of the Pelham Police Department for their coordinated effort in saving the life of a suicidal woman who was threatening to jump into traffic from a bridge over the Hutchinson River Parkway. - Sgt. Joseph Crispino of the New York State Police, a trained crisis negotiator, for calming a distraught woman who was threatening to jump from the Bear Mountain Bridge and then pulling her to safety.
For the six-month period from Oct. 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010, awards were presented to: - Sgt. Angelo Antonucci and Police Officer Edward Lemp of the Peekskill Police Department for their restraint, intelligent actions and courage in the arrest of a man who pointed a gun at them on a downtown street crowded with innocent bystanders.
- Sgt. James Graham of the Yorktown Police Department for his keen observations and intelligent actions that lead to the arrests of two men who had just committed burglaries at two homes in Yorktown.
- Troopers Paul Carinci and Timothy Gleason of the New York State Police for their quick and courageous actions and willingness to place their lives in danger to rescue two people who had fallen through ice on the Muscoot Reservoir in Somers.
- Police Officers Timothy Adrian and Louis Falcone of the New Rochelle Police Department for their professionalism and restraint in apprehending a gun-wielding man who committed a robbery on a city street.
- Detectives James McCabe, Vincent Starkey, Vincent Didio, Stuart Barksdale, Victor Preni and Michael Farina of the Yonkers Police Department for their skill and determination in investigating an arson fire that caused the death of Yonkers Firefighter Patrick Joyce. Within 24 hours of the deadly blaze, the detectives arrested a Yonkers man on arson and murder charges.
- Detective Lt. Royal Monroe, Detective Christopher Krzeminski, Detective James Kumano and Police Officer Joseph Fleming, Port Chester Police Department; Detective George Piedade, Yonkers Police Department; and Detective Kenneth Schaeffer, Westchester County Department of Public Safety, for their investigative skill and teamwork in arresting a suspect in a Port Chester bank robbery.
- Police Officer Gerard Cole of the Department of Public Safety and Police Officer Kevin MacDonald of the Yonkers Police Department for their quick and courageous actions that lead to saving the life of a motorist whose vehicle had become submerged on the Bronx River Parkway during heavy rains and flooding.
- Police Officer Christopher O'Rourke of the Yorktown Police Department for his courageous actions in entering a burning home in Jefferson Valley and removing an elderly couple to safety. O'Rourke and the people he rescued all suffered burns during the harrowing incident.
Astorino noted that the officers honored with awards were carrying on in the tradition of those officers killed in the line of duty.
"In all that we do here today, there is a common thread. Westchester has been – and remains – truly fortunate to have police officers of courage and skill to protect our communities and keep our citizens safe from harm."