John Falcone, a veteran police officer of 18 years, was remembered by his beloved family, friends, brothers in blue and the community Thursday. They arrived to pay their final respects to the officer, killed in the line of duty, protecting and serving the City of Poughkeepsie.
Due to the amount of people attending the ceremony, shuttle buses were used to take viewers to St. James Church in Carmel. They began arriving at 9:40 a.m. Included in the massive police presence were representatives from Poughkeepsie, Putnam, Nassau, Ossining, Suffolk, Fort Lee, Teaneck and the NYPD.
There was an estimate "of 5,000 to 10,000 attendees," said Lt. Thomas Jones, one of the thousands of officers who came. He called it a sea of brotherhood, that when tragedy strikes, the officers from beyond the county come to "honor that person and the sacrifice that they made. This is how we show our respect."
Falcone was slain last Friday in Poughkeepsie by a man who also fatally shot his wife and killed himself.
For complete coverage of the shooting and its aftermath, click on the Poughkeepsie Journal here.
