Long Island's quiet hero

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It’s hard to see so many people in so much pain, especially when they’re mourning one of our neighbors. It’s even harder when they’re mourning the death of someone so young, who had his whole life ahead of him.

Sadly, last week, the New York Police Department buried another one of its finest and bravest men, Brian Moore, 25, of Massapequa. Over 30,000 police officers from around the state and as far north as Canada gathered for Moore’s funeral.

Moore had police blood: His father, an uncle and a cousin all served in the NYPD. In a story in the Herald, Nassau County Police Benevolent Association Chief James Carver pointed out that Moore’s family “knew service.”

His death was tragic, and a frightening reminder of the risks our men and women in uniform face every day. His death was senseless. Demetrius Blackwell, an ex-con with a long rap sheet, killed him while he was on patrol in Queens Village.

There will always be tragedy in law enforcement. It’s part of the sacrifice of choosing this type of career. In the past six months alone, NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were murdered in their patrol car in Brooklyn. Their killer, Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley, like Moore’s assassin, was a career criminal. Brinsley used social media to announce that he would kill cops as revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, both black men killed in confrontations with police officers.

Like Moore, Ramos and Liu were young, in the prime of their careers in law enforcement. In just five years, Moore had more than 150 arrests. He received many awards for his valor and professional service. His career was celebrated at his funeral. There were no demonstrations or rioting; only a sea of blue and many tears.

Each and every day, we should show our support for law enforcement officers. They are heroes every single day; not just in death.

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