Fallen Nassau County Police Department officers were honored during a solemn ceremony Thursday in Mineola.
Police and county officials recognized all deceased members of the department, which coincided with Police Week in Nassau County. The event featured a placement of floral tributes for all 32 NCPD members who made the supreme sacrifice.
The Nassau County Police Memorial, which was first dedicated on May 12, 1982, features a massive stone monolith that displays two Bronze plaques.
"These were the men and women you wanted as your friend, neighbor and most importantly police officers," said Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano during Thursday's memorial service, referring to those officers who were lost in the line of duty.
"It is my hope that everyone will walk away with a deeper appreciation for all law enforcement and the sacrifices we have made on behalf of the public that we serve," said Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas V. Dale during the ceremony.
The ceremony also included adding late NCPD officer Charles D. Cole Jr. to the memorial garden’s honor roll. Cole was a longtime NCPD officer as well as a a volunteer with the Wantagh and Medford fire departments who died of brain cancer at age 49 last August. New York State recently designated his death as in the line of duty since the exposure to carcinogens from debris at the World Trade Center site was determined to have caused his deadly cancer.
