It was 1961 and Joseph L. Coote, a Nassau County police officer, was chasing three burglars down Brinkerhoff Lane in Manhasset when one shot him. He died in the line of duty.
This week, nearly 60 years to the day he died, Coote’s family, including his widow, Georgianna Coote-Fitzpatrick, and daughter Elizabeth Fronckwicz, visited the site, where a sea of officers in blue and Manhasset community members gathered to mark the spot where Coote had been shot.
Kenneth Cortes, sergeant at arms of the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association, said at the memorial event that Coote had been “unselfishly devoted” to the department for all five years of his service.
“He stood forth as a beloved police officer, highly regarded by all his colleagues,” Cortes said. “No expression of ours can fill the vacant place Joseph leaves in your homes, our police family and the community which he served.”
According to the Officer’s Down Memorial Page, the 21-year-old gunman, unnamed, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, and was paroled in 1988.
Members of the Nassau County Police Department, the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and County Executive Laura Curran attended the event.
Cortes told a story of a conversation overheard at a funeral for a policeman.
“His child was overheard saying to the police chaplain, ‘I never realized my dad was so important,'” Cortes said. “As the two looked over the vast sea of blue, the chaplain explained to the child that a police officer touches many lives, and that all people came here to show him the respect he deserves.
“And to show you that a police officer never stands alone in life, and will never stand alone in death. So we gather here tonight to pay our respects, not only to Joseph, but to his family and friends as well. We want all of you to know that as long as a police officer walks a lonely beat, risks his life in the face of danger and breathes life into a newborn baby, the spirit and the memory of Joseph will live on each and every one of us.”
Following the laying of a wreath at the Mary Jane Davies Green on Plandome Road, Curran addressed those gathered, saying that while much had changed in the 60 years since Coote’s death, the police’s commitment to the community had not.
“I know that one thing has not changed and that is the people who serve and protect them to wake up every morning and put on that uniform, they’re putting their lives on the line, and they know that,” Curran said. “Remember that these remembrances are so important. We do have gratitude. We are grateful for what you do for putting yourself in danger.”
