By Rich Bockmann
More than 1,000 police officers lined the street outside St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin, L.I. Saturday to say goodbye to one of Nassau County’s “E-Men,” the late Officer Arthur Lopez.
“You should know that Emergency Service is the hardest and most sought-after assignments in the department,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale told mourners. “In order to enter the ranks of Emergency Service, or what we call ‘E-Men,’ you must be well above standards.”
Dale then addressed Lopez’s parents, Mirella and Alfonso of Flushing.
“Mr. and Mrs. Lopez, when a citizen needs help on the street, he calls for a police officer. When a police officer needs help on the street, he calls for an Emergency Service officer,” he said. “In our police world, these are our heroes.”
Lopez was shot and killed in Bellerose Tuesday after he and his partner pulled over a driver who was suspected of being in an auto accident, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
