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Crime & Safety

Police Honor Their Own at Friday Ceremony

Stamford's fifth annual parade for National Police Week included officers from many East Coast states.

There was a solemn tone Friday evening for Stamford's 5th annual National Police Week parade.

A procession of officers from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and other East Coast states walked down Atlantic Street with bagpipes and flags,  concluding in front of Stamford Police headquarters. There they were joined by Mayor Michael Pavia, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and city residents to remember officers who lost their lives protecting their communities.

“I’m so proud to represent the Stamford Police Department and you all as a whole,” said Jon Fontneau, assistant chief of Stamford police. “Thank you for joining us to celebrate our brothers and sisters who make our community a better place.”

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During the first four months of this year, 65 police officers nationwide lost their lives while on duty, Pavia told the gathering. “Stamford is fortunate to have two police officers who escaped death by gunfire.”

One of them, Officer Richard Gasparino, was shot in the face last December while participating in a raid on a home on Lockwood Avenue. The chilling call placed to emergency responders that night was played through the loud speakers.

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Gasparino survived the attack and addressed the gathering.

However, as Paramus, NJ, Officer Rachel Morgan reminded the crowd, the “fight doesn’t always go in favor of the blue team.”

Morgan was shot several times in February after pulling over a car for speeding. Her colleague, Officer Ryan Hayo, then arrived on the scene and was shot to death.

Other fallen officers were remembered, including Det. John Falcone of Poughkeepsie, NY, Sergeant Orville Smith of Shelton, and Connecticut Trooper Kenneth Hall.

Last weekend’s killing of Osama bin Laden brought another level of awareness to the event. The chief of the Yorktown, NY, police, Daniel McMahon, spoke of the 60 police officers lost in the attack on September 11.

“What happened this week is a good thing,” said McMahon, “but we can never go back to the naïve years prior to 9/11. We have to be vigilant everyday.”

“This picture of what we see here today is worth more than 1,000 words," Blumenthal told the attendees. "This is the face of patriotism. This is the face of public service. You care about peace, and we thank you for all you do.”

Following the memorial, six Bedford Street restaurants — Tigin, Lola’s, Telluride, Bradford’s and Butterfield 8 — co-hosted a fundraiser for Stamford's Killed in the Line of Duty Endowment Fund. 

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