Men in Blue, Bearing aBrother They Didn’t Know
Two training tools used by a special team of
police officers are kept in a storage room at the
Police Academy in College Point, Queens,
purposefully out of sight. To happen upon them
unexpectedly would be unnerving.
They are coffins. They were bought by the Police
Department from funeral homes, and are used
to train the pallbearers called on to carry a fallen
officer's coffin at a funeral.
Anyone who has ever attended the funeral of an
officer killed in the line of duty knows that every
second of the ceremony is meticulously
planned. The selection of pallbearers is no
exception.
They are volunteers who most likely have never
met the deceased, but who have spent many
hours training for this day. This will be true at
the funeral on Saturday for Officer Rafael
Ramos, one of two officers killed in an ambush a
week ago. The pallbearers were notified on
Tuesday, after arrangements were made by the
Ramos family.
They are not paid any extra, nor do their careers
benefit from the task. "They remember growing
up, watching on the news, a police officer's
funeral," said Lt. Tony Giorgio, commanding
officer of the Police Department's Ceremonial
Unit, which oversees police funerals.
"Maybe they had someone in the family who
was a police officer," the lieutenant said. "They
want to get involved when there's a funeral and
do the right thing. 'Hey, this is the last day on
Earth this officer is going to spend, and I want to
do the best job possible to make that day a
significant day for the family and the police
family.' "
There are six teams of pallbearers in the
department, each with 12 members. Teams are
activated at different times of year — on call, so
to speak, with eight available members to serve
as pallbearers.
Two teams will be needed for the funeral on
Saturday. One will shoulder the coffin into and
out of Christ Tabernacle in Glendale, Queens. A
second will wait at the Cypress Hills Cemetery in
Brooklyn, so that the first need not rush to the
burial after the ceremony.
The pallbearers are all police officers, the entry-
level rank; promotion to a higher rank means
leaving the team. No matter who is in the coffin,
from a rookie to a chief, that person was once
an officer, and so will be carried by fellow
officers. "Everyone wore a police shield,"
Lieutenant Giorgio said.
If an officer on a pallbearer team begins working
undercover, that officer is unable to appear in
uniform and leaves the team.
Officers who volunteer for the duty are
interviewed by the bosses at the Ceremonial
Unit on matters thoughtful and mundane. "We
say: 'Why would you like this assignment? What's
your feeling about going to a funeral? Would
you be willing to spend extra money to buy a
Class A uniform?' " Lieutenant Giorgio said. The
upgraded uniform includes gold stripes on the
pants and a Sam Browne belt, its diagonal strap
slung from shoulder to hip, in patent leather.
A major and very practical factor for an officer's
selection is height. A police pallbearer must be
the same height as the one standing directly
across the coffin, to prevent it from leaning.
Stronger officers stand at the head of the coffin,
which is heavier than the opposite end: Most of
the body's weight is contained between the
head and waist.
To train, the officers repeatedly hoist the empty
coffins at the academy onto their shoulders. A
filled coffin can weigh 700 pounds or more.
"We train them how to lift in unison," Lieutenant
Giorgio said. "You lift in unison, you don't even
feel it. It feels like the casket didn't even go up." If
one pallbearer is faster than the others, the
coffin's weight might shift.
Once the coffin is settled onto the eight
shoulders, the pallbearers lower their white-
gloved hands and cross them at the waist. The
hand from the outside arm — the one not
supporting the coffin — covers the other.
The pallbearers are trained to march in perfect
unison from the hearse to the site of the funeral,
usually a church. They are trained to negotiate
the steps, to lower the coffin onto the wheeled
truck inside and to then smoothly push it to the
altar. If a relative or friend — a civilian — wants
to serve as a pallbearer, this is when he or she
would step into the role, Lieutenant Giorgio said,
substituting for one of the officers, usually the
one positioned at the middle of the coffin.
After the service, the officers again shoulder the
coffin and return it to the hearse. Then, the flag
that covered the coffin is folded into a triangle
and presented to the next of kin.
The lieutenant was asked if a pallbearer from
any of the teams might be made available to this
reporter. No, he said. They don't do interviews.
The whole purpose of the police pallbearer is to
be anonymous, to project an appearance and
esprit de corps that is flawless, a walking symbol
of the Police Department.
On 12/24/14, Joseph Ogunlowo <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
> What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and looses his
> soul????
>
> For the wages of sin is death !
>
> God is watching!!!
>
> On 12/24/14, Carine Falli <carine_falli@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Hello Dearest
>> Thank you so much for writing back and I will really like to have a good
>> relationship with you, because I have a special reason why I decided to
>> contact you, due to the urgency of my situation here and I am Miss Carine
>> Falli, 24 years old girl from Sudan to Central Africa, 5.9ft tall, the
>> only
>> daughter of My late father (Dr Barnabas Falli). was Assistant managing
>> director of Sudan Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and Ministry of
>> Commerce and Industry, who was killed by (Dr John Garang deGa rangr) and
>> his
>> rebels groups after many innocent soul were killed ,My father was killed
>> by
>> government of (Dr John Garang de Mabior), he accuse my father of coup
>> attempt before the election.
>>
>> I am constrained to contact you because of the maltreatment I, am
>> receiving
>> from my step mother. She planned to kill me and take away all my late
>> father's treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of
>> my
>> beloved father.
>>
>> Meanwhile I wanted to escape to the Europe but she hide away my
>> international passport and other valuable traveling documents. Luckily
>> she
>> did not discover where I kept my Father's File which contains important
>> documents. So I decided to run to the refugee camp where I am presently
>> seeking asylum under the United Nations High Commission for the Refugee
>> here
>> in Dakar , Republic of Senegal . remember that I wish to contact you
>> personally due to the trust i am depositing on you,
>>
>> My father of blessed memory deposited the sum of US$7.3 Million (seven
>> Million three Hundred Thousand Dollars) in a Bank with my name as the
>> next
>> of kin. However, I shall forward you with the necessary information of
>> the
>> deposit on confirmation of your acceptance to assist me for the transfer
>> and
>> investment of the fund. As you will help me in an investment, and I will
>> like to complete my studies, as I was in my first year in the university,
>> when the crisis started.
>>
>> It is my intention to compensate you with 20% of the total money for your
>> services and the balance shall be my investment capital. This is the
>> reason
>> why I decided to contact you. Please all communications should be through
>> my
>> email address and this is the Rev Father Bright telephone number (
>> +221765276255 ) i will like you to call and tell him to send for
>> me.
>> he will send for me.
>>
>> As soon as I receive your positive response I will put things into action
>> immediately. In the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent
>> message
>> indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction
>> sincerely.
>> I'm staying at the female hostel. Awaiting your urgent and positive
>> response. Please do keep this only to your self please I beg you not to
>> disclose it till I come over , once the fund has been transferred, Please
>> do
>> send me your full information, so that i will inform the bank and late
>> them
>> know you are my foreign business partner/trustee and for them to know you
>> are for me when you contact them and I will send you the bank contact
>> information once I receive your full details..
>> Fill the information's below and get back to me.
>>
>> 1. Your Full Names:.............................
>> 2. Your Address:...............................
>> 3. Your Sex:.................................
>> 4. Your Age...............................
>> 5. Your Marital status:..............
>> 6. Your Occupation.........................
>> 7. Your Direct Phone number:.....................
>> 8. Your Resident City:......................
>> 9. Your Resident State:......................
>> 10.Your Country:.................................
>> Meanwhile i will like you to call me like i said, i have a lot to tell
>> you.
>> Dearest i want you to know that age or distant doesn't matter anything
>> but
>> love matters a lot of things. I would like to know more about you, your
>> likes and dislikes,your hobbies and what you are doing presently.I will
>> tell
>> you more about myself in my next mail. Attached here is my picture,
>> Hoping
>> to hear from you soon.
>> Have a nice day and think about me.
>> Yours love, Miss Carine Falli
>
police officers are kept in a storage room at the
Police Academy in College Point, Queens,
purposefully out of sight. To happen upon them
unexpectedly would be unnerving.
They are coffins. They were bought by the Police
Department from funeral homes, and are used
to train the pallbearers called on to carry a fallen
officer's coffin at a funeral.
Anyone who has ever attended the funeral of an
officer killed in the line of duty knows that every
second of the ceremony is meticulously
planned. The selection of pallbearers is no
exception.
They are volunteers who most likely have never
met the deceased, but who have spent many
hours training for this day. This will be true at
the funeral on Saturday for Officer Rafael
Ramos, one of two officers killed in an ambush a
week ago. The pallbearers were notified on
Tuesday, after arrangements were made by the
Ramos family.
They are not paid any extra, nor do their careers
benefit from the task. "They remember growing
up, watching on the news, a police officer's
funeral," said Lt. Tony Giorgio, commanding
officer of the Police Department's Ceremonial
Unit, which oversees police funerals.
"Maybe they had someone in the family who
was a police officer," the lieutenant said. "They
want to get involved when there's a funeral and
do the right thing. 'Hey, this is the last day on
Earth this officer is going to spend, and I want to
do the best job possible to make that day a
significant day for the family and the police
family.' "
There are six teams of pallbearers in the
department, each with 12 members. Teams are
activated at different times of year — on call, so
to speak, with eight available members to serve
as pallbearers.
Two teams will be needed for the funeral on
Saturday. One will shoulder the coffin into and
out of Christ Tabernacle in Glendale, Queens. A
second will wait at the Cypress Hills Cemetery in
Brooklyn, so that the first need not rush to the
burial after the ceremony.
The pallbearers are all police officers, the entry-
level rank; promotion to a higher rank means
leaving the team. No matter who is in the coffin,
from a rookie to a chief, that person was once
an officer, and so will be carried by fellow
officers. "Everyone wore a police shield,"
Lieutenant Giorgio said.
If an officer on a pallbearer team begins working
undercover, that officer is unable to appear in
uniform and leaves the team.
Officers who volunteer for the duty are
interviewed by the bosses at the Ceremonial
Unit on matters thoughtful and mundane. "We
say: 'Why would you like this assignment? What's
your feeling about going to a funeral? Would
you be willing to spend extra money to buy a
Class A uniform?' " Lieutenant Giorgio said. The
upgraded uniform includes gold stripes on the
pants and a Sam Browne belt, its diagonal strap
slung from shoulder to hip, in patent leather.
A major and very practical factor for an officer's
selection is height. A police pallbearer must be
the same height as the one standing directly
across the coffin, to prevent it from leaning.
Stronger officers stand at the head of the coffin,
which is heavier than the opposite end: Most of
the body's weight is contained between the
head and waist.
To train, the officers repeatedly hoist the empty
coffins at the academy onto their shoulders. A
filled coffin can weigh 700 pounds or more.
"We train them how to lift in unison," Lieutenant
Giorgio said. "You lift in unison, you don't even
feel it. It feels like the casket didn't even go up." If
one pallbearer is faster than the others, the
coffin's weight might shift.
Once the coffin is settled onto the eight
shoulders, the pallbearers lower their white-
gloved hands and cross them at the waist. The
hand from the outside arm — the one not
supporting the coffin — covers the other.
The pallbearers are trained to march in perfect
unison from the hearse to the site of the funeral,
usually a church. They are trained to negotiate
the steps, to lower the coffin onto the wheeled
truck inside and to then smoothly push it to the
altar. If a relative or friend — a civilian — wants
to serve as a pallbearer, this is when he or she
would step into the role, Lieutenant Giorgio said,
substituting for one of the officers, usually the
one positioned at the middle of the coffin.
After the service, the officers again shoulder the
coffin and return it to the hearse. Then, the flag
that covered the coffin is folded into a triangle
and presented to the next of kin.
The lieutenant was asked if a pallbearer from
any of the teams might be made available to this
reporter. No, he said. They don't do interviews.
The whole purpose of the police pallbearer is to
be anonymous, to project an appearance and
esprit de corps that is flawless, a walking symbol
of the Police Department.
On 12/24/14, Joseph Ogunlowo <ogunlowojoseph@gmail.com> wrote:
> What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and looses his
> soul????
>
> For the wages of sin is death !
>
> God is watching!!!
>
> On 12/24/14, Carine Falli <carine_falli@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Hello Dearest
>> Thank you so much for writing back and I will really like to have a good
>> relationship with you, because I have a special reason why I decided to
>> contact you, due to the urgency of my situation here and I am Miss Carine
>> Falli, 24 years old girl from Sudan to Central Africa, 5.9ft tall, the
>> only
>> daughter of My late father (Dr Barnabas Falli). was Assistant managing
>> director of Sudan Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and Ministry of
>> Commerce and Industry, who was killed by (Dr John Garang deGa rangr) and
>> his
>> rebels groups after many innocent soul were killed ,My father was killed
>> by
>> government of (Dr John Garang de Mabior), he accuse my father of coup
>> attempt before the election.
>>
>> I am constrained to contact you because of the maltreatment I, am
>> receiving
>> from my step mother. She planned to kill me and take away all my late
>> father's treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of
>> my
>> beloved father.
>>
>> Meanwhile I wanted to escape to the Europe but she hide away my
>> international passport and other valuable traveling documents. Luckily
>> she
>> did not discover where I kept my Father's File which contains important
>> documents. So I decided to run to the refugee camp where I am presently
>> seeking asylum under the United Nations High Commission for the Refugee
>> here
>> in Dakar , Republic of Senegal . remember that I wish to contact you
>> personally due to the trust i am depositing on you,
>>
>> My father of blessed memory deposited the sum of US$7.3 Million (seven
>> Million three Hundred Thousand Dollars) in a Bank with my name as the
>> next
>> of kin. However, I shall forward you with the necessary information of
>> the
>> deposit on confirmation of your acceptance to assist me for the transfer
>> and
>> investment of the fund. As you will help me in an investment, and I will
>> like to complete my studies, as I was in my first year in the university,
>> when the crisis started.
>>
>> It is my intention to compensate you with 20% of the total money for your
>> services and the balance shall be my investment capital. This is the
>> reason
>> why I decided to contact you. Please all communications should be through
>> my
>> email address and this is the Rev Father Bright telephone number (
>> +221765276255 ) i will like you to call and tell him to send for
>> me.
>> he will send for me.
>>
>> As soon as I receive your positive response I will put things into action
>> immediately. In the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent
>> message
>> indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction
>> sincerely.
>> I'm staying at the female hostel. Awaiting your urgent and positive
>> response. Please do keep this only to your self please I beg you not to
>> disclose it till I come over , once the fund has been transferred, Please
>> do
>> send me your full information, so that i will inform the bank and late
>> them
>> know you are my foreign business partner/trustee and for them to know you
>> are for me when you contact them and I will send you the bank contact
>> information once I receive your full details..
>> Fill the information's below and get back to me.
>>
>> 1. Your Full Names:.............................
>> 2. Your Address:...............................
>> 3. Your Sex:.................................
>> 4. Your Age...............................
>> 5. Your Marital status:..............
>> 6. Your Occupation.........................
>> 7. Your Direct Phone number:.....................
>> 8. Your Resident City:......................
>> 9. Your Resident State:......................
>> 10.Your Country:.................................
>> Meanwhile i will like you to call me like i said, i have a lot to tell
>> you.
>> Dearest i want you to know that age or distant doesn't matter anything
>> but
>> love matters a lot of things. I would like to know more about you, your
>> likes and dislikes,your hobbies and what you are doing presently.I will
>> tell
>> you more about myself in my next mail. Attached here is my picture,
>> Hoping
>> to hear from you soon.
>> Have a nice day and think about me.
>> Yours love, Miss Carine Falli
>
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