Governor Hochul Honors 56 Police Officers Who Sacrificed Their Lives in Service to Their Fellow New Yorkers

Governor Kathy Hochul today honored the lives of 56 police officers from eight departments during the state’s annual Police Officers Memorial Remembrance Ceremony at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. The names of those male and female officers who sacrificed their lives in service to their fellow New Yorkers have been added to the memorial, which now includes the names of 1,964 police officers from 157 agencies across the State, and six federal law enforcement agencies. The Governor also issued a proclamation designating today, May 5, as Police Memorial Day and directed State landmarks to be illuminated blue the evening of Wednesday, May 6, to remember this year’s honorees and in recognition of the service and sacrifice of police officers across the State.

“On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank the loved ones of these fallen officers for the sacrifices that they have made in service to our state,” Governor Hochul said. “This ceremony and our Memorial Wall recognize those sacrifices and serve as a reminder of the bravery, heroism and selflessness of the officers and their families.”

The following landmarks will illuminate blue the evening of Wednesday, May 6:

• 1 World Trade Center
• Albany International Airport Gateway
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• Empire State Plaza
• Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
• Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
• Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct
• Kosciuszko Bridge
• Moynihan Train Hall
• MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station
• Niagara Falls
• State Education Building
• State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
• The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
• The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
• Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

More than 500 law enforcement professionals, family members, and friends attended today’s ceremony, during which Governor Hochul offered remarks.

Line of Duty Deaths

City of Hudson Police Department

Senior Sergeant Christopher M. Filli suffered a fatal heart attack while on duty shortly after responding to a 911 call for a possible overdose/cardiac arrest. Upon his return to the station, he fell ill and was discovered unresponsive in the men’s locker room. Officers immediately started lifesaving measures before he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. (January 12, 2024)

New York City Police Department

Detective Didarul Islam was one of three individuals who died from gunshot wounds during a mass shooting in midtown Manhattan. He was working at a New York City Police Department-authorized, paid security detail where the shooting occurred. (July 28, 2025)

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office

Deputy Bernard A. Roberts left work early on October 15, 2021, with symptoms of COVID-19. Deputy Roberts went to his physician who confirmed the diagnosis. Just weeks later, Roberts was found unresponsive, by his family member who had been unable to establish contact with him. (November 7, 2021)

Ground-Zero-Related Illness Deaths

The names of officers who died from illnesses resulting from their work at the World Trade Center site following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were first added to the Memorial in 2008. With the addition of 51 names this year, those deaths now total 555.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department

• Detective Jamie R. Atkinson (June 27, 2025)
• Sergeant Kathleen M. Radziunas (April 30, 2025)

New York City Police Department

• Sergeant Ercan Aydin (December 15, 2024)
• Detective James G. Becker (May 13, 2021)
• Detective Philip A. Cammarata (July 14, 2023)
• Detective Vincent N. Carney (March 21, 2024)
• Lieutenant Vincent J. Caruana (August 31, 2024)
• Detective Maruja A. Clark (February 16, 2024)
• Police Officer Gerard Connors (October 23, 2024)
• Sergeant Abraham Cruz, III (February 2, 2025)
• Lieutenant Frank Debenedetto (November 11, 2024)
• Chief of Department Joseph J. Esposito (January 8, 2024)
• Sergeant Robert S. Fawcett (September 14, 2024)
• Detective Patrick W. Franzone (September 18, 2025)
• Captain Dennis P. Gallagher (March 29, 2023)
• Sergeant Richard T. Handibode Jr. (December 20, 2024)
• Detective Kevin G. Hanley (October 26, 2024)
• Police Officer Timothy J. Keane (June 8, 2025)
• Detective Norman J. Kunze (October 20, 2024)
• Lieutenant David E. LaJoie (December 8, 2024)
• Detective Marc F. Lotter (May 25, 2024)
• Lieutenant William T. McCabe (July 18, 2024)
• Detective Michael O. McEntee (October 13, 2024)
• Sergeant Peter D. Meehan (April 5, 2022)
• Detective David P. Miller, Jr. (October 29, 2024)
• Detective Jeffrey I. Montenegro (December 3, 2021)
• Sergeant Albert Morabito (March 15, 2024)
• Police Officer Claudia L. Morrison (June 2, 2021)
• Detective James J. Motto, Sr. (January 12, 2025)
• Lieutenant Raymond R. Newcomb (February 7, 2025)
• Police Officer Robert A. Nobile (September 8, 2023)
• Captain Joseph J. Panarese (January 7, 2022)
• Police Officer Michael A. Pisano (August 25, 2024)
• Sergeant Robert G. Porfert (March 21, 2025)
• Sergeant David Portalatin (September 2, 2023)
• Detective Robert T. Ranno (July 23, 2024)
• Sergeant Steven Ringe (February 8, 2024)
• Lieutenant Sandro J. Rizzotti (November 21, 2024)
• Detective Annmarie Smith (November 14, 2024)
• Detective Richard M. Teemsma (June 22, 2024)
• Detective James R. Vanacore (February 7, 2025)
• Detective Alfredo Varela (March 28, 2024)
• Detective Dennis Vitelli (January 24, 2025)
• Detective Clarence E. Word III (October 1, 2024)

New York State Police

• Zone Sergeant Steven W. Greene (October 24, 2025)
• Investigator Thomas K. Herrick (April 12, 2025)
• Trooper Bret W. Martin (March 2, 2024)
• Trooper Mark A. Ondus (October 9, 2025)
• Sergeant Frederick W. Scheidt, Jr. (August 13, 2025)
• First Sergeant Michael E. Snell (May 20, 2025)

Nassau County Police Department

• Lieutenant William G. Krupa (February 21, 2023)

Historical Deaths

Historical deaths occurred prior to the Memorial’s creation.

New York State Park Police

Patrolman Francis J. Payne pursued a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed, under snow and ice conditions on the Northern State Parkway. Unable to overtake the vehicle, he was returning to his post when his patrol car skidded from the roadway onto the snow-covered shoulder. He succeeded in returning the vehicle to the road and continued to his relief point, where he replaced a tire found to have insufficient tread. Patrolman Payne then reported to Long Island State Park Police Headquarters, saying he didn’t feel well. A fellow officer responded, found Patrolman Payne’s condition deteriorating and transported him to Southside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a heart attack (February 24, 1956)

Corporal Howard T. Silsby was on duty at the New York State Park Police Lake Success station when he responded to a motor vehicle crash on the eastbound Northern State Parkway at Lakeville Road. As he approached the scene to assist fellow officers with traffic control, he collapsed from a heart attack and died at the scene. (February 4, 1952)

The state Division of Criminal Justice Services coordinates the ceremony and the work of the Police Officers Memorial Advisory Committee, while the state Office of General Services maintains the memorial.

Division of Criminal Justice Commissioner and Advisory Committee Co-Chair Rossana Rosado said, “As we stand with the families and loved ones of the officers who gave their lives in service, we extend our deepest condolences and honor their sacrifice. Their commitment to protecting New Yorkers will never be forgotten.”

Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy said, "Serving as the stewards of the New York State Police Officers Memorial is one of our most solemn and profound responsibilities at OGS. We share Governor Hochul's unwavering commitment to honoring those who have fallen. This sacred space at the Empire State Plaza ensures the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of these heroes will forever be remembered by the people of New York."

State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton said, “Since its dedication in 1991, this memorial has stood as a powerful reminder of the courage of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities. These members of law enforcement made the choice to dedicate their lives to protecting other New Yorkers and their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. As a member of a law enforcement family, it is my privilege to represent the New York State Senate at this annual memorial ceremony.”

Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato said, “Every day the men and women throughout New York’s police forces put their lives on the line so that we can stay safe - and it is our responsibility to honor them and their families as well. Not only do we come together at the New York State Police Officers Memorial to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, Governor Hochul’s steadfast commitment to law enforcement is unwavering as she has designated May 5th as Police Memorial Day throughout the State of New York and ordered all State landmarks to be illuminated in blue. Through these actions, we all commit to never forget the sacrifice of our fallen police officers who worked to ensure all of us are able to thrive in a safe, free and just society. May their memories forever be a blessing."

The Police Officers Memorial design is based on a 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, Police Conference of New York 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, and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Chapter President Andrew Rakowsky.

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 LinkedIn.