National Police Week Ceremony also honors the sacrifice of 93 fallen Westchester heroes
Watch the Ceremony Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDz_w3mpY8E
The Westchester County law enforcement community gathered Wednesday 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 Service and Honor Awards ceremony was presided over by County Executive Ken Jenkins and Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor. The names of 93 officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in Westchester were read aloud and taps were played to honor their memory.
Jenkins addressed the gathering, congratulated the award winners and honored the sacrifice of Westchester’s fallen heroes.
“We gather today in solemn remembrance of 93 law enforcement officers from Westchester who gave their lives in the service of others. Each one swore an oath to protect their communities -- and each one paid for that commitment with their lives,” Jenkins said. “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, officers from multiple departments were honored for incidents and investigations that occurred between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. The award winners were selected by a panel of chiefs and commissioners from Westchester departments.
For the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2024 awards were presented to:
- Trooper David Meireles of the New York State Police was awarded a Citation of Exceptional Merit for forcing entry into a Somers home and subduing a man who had stabbed another person 15 times and then attempted to stab him. His intervention prior to the arrival of backup troopers put him in imminent danger and is also credited with saving the life of the victim of a violent domestic assault.
- Detective John Ladeairous of the New Rochelle Police Department was awarded a Citation of Commendable Merit for his successful homicide investigation into the torture and dismemberment of a New Rochelle woman. He was recognized for conducting hundreds of hours of skillful investigation leading to the arrest and indictment of a suspect.
- Detective James Hannigan of the Yorktown Police Department received a Citation of Commendable Merit recognizing him for intelligent and meritorious police work following a drug-related incident in which a man burned alive in his car. Information developed by Hannigan lead to a subsequent narcotics investigation, the identification of a suspected drug dealer, and the federal prosecution of that dealer for distribution of fentanyl leading to the death of another.
- Five Yonkers Police Department officers were presented with the Lifesaving Medal for their dangerous and dramatic rescue of a man who fell into the Hudson River and was swept into a tidal tunnel beneath the Yonkers train station. The officers rescued the man after entering eight feet of swirling water and searching for him for hundreds of feet in complete darkness. Honored were Sgt. Joseph Barca and Police Officers Thomas Allison, Theron Park, Jason Phillips and Matthew Miller of the Emergency Service Unit.
For the six-month period ending March 31, 2025, awards were presented to:
- Detective Lt. Brian Fagan, Detective Sgt. Steve D’Onofrio, Detective Christopher Guglielmo, Detective John Bulfamonte, Detective Gregory Herring, Detective John Ladeairous, Police Specialist Nicholas Gazzola, Police Officer Jason Barone and Police Officer Adrian Pina received a Citation of Exceptional Merit for their swift and successful investigation into the shooting death of a New Rochelle woman. Within eight hours of the crime, the team had developed significant evidence and information, tracked a suspect to Queens, and placed that suspect under arrest.
- Lt. Adam Renwick and Detectives Paul Moerlins, Kylee Papas, John Merritt and John Marchioni of the Peekskill Police Department were awarded a Citation of Commendable Merit for their successful investigation and arrest of an adult male who had sexually abused a minor. As part of their investigation, they communicated with the suspect online and took him into custody after he arrived for what he thought was a meeting with the youth.
- Sgt. Jason DaSilva and Police Officers Steven Pupczyk, Robert Cregier, Adam Dubray and Diego Manco were awarded a Lifesaving Medal for their rescue of multiple people from a burning building in the village of Ossining.
- Police Officers Thomas Gunther, Emilio Rojas and Kevin Barry of the Hastings-on-Hudson Police Department were awarded a Lifesaving Medal for performing CPR and providing other critical care to revive a person who had stopped breathing.