24 Receive Medals
NYPD Cites Finest of 'Finest'

By REUVEN BLAU

When Police Officer Robert Burns approached a man dressed in army fatigues accused of threatening to kill another person, he didn't expect it would change his life forever.

Photo by Finest Photography THEIR DAY TO SHINE: Sgt. Kevin Phelan and Police Officers Shannon Pearl and Robert Burns, center, were honored at the NYPD's June 12 Medal Day ceremony. The officers from the 113th Precinct in Queens helped apprehend a knife-wielding suspect and a group of armed men attempting to rob a car-wash. The others pictured are (left) Deputy Inspector Kristel Johnson, Capt. Milton Marmara, and Assistant Chief Thomas Dale.

"We went over and we spoke to the home-owner who was threatened," Officer Burns recalled after receiving the Medal for Valor at the NYPD's annual Medal Day ceremony June 12 in front of 1 Police Plaza. "He told us what happened and which way the guy went."

Struck Without Warning

He spotted the man after driving around the corner with his partner, Police Officer Shannon Pearl. "We stopped to go and talk to him and get his side of the story," Mr. Burns said of the March 22, 2005 incident. "During the course of that I looked down at his bag and he hit me."

Photo Credit: Finest Photography GRAND THEFT RUNDOWN: Lieut. Brian Connolly received the Medal for Valor June 12 for saving his partner from an assailant whom they chased down after discovering that he was driving a stolen car. The suspect managed to grab his partner's gun and was about to fire the weapon again when then-Sgt. Connolly fatally shot him.

The blow to the side of his head briefly knocked him unconscious. "I was dazed," he remembered. "The next thing I know, I'm starting to come to and he's behind me with his arms around me in a headlock."

Officer Pearl pleaded with the man to let her partner free, he said. "In the meantime, when he put his arm around my neck, he cut me," Officer Burns said, pointing to a scar that took more than 300 stitches to close. "I was unaware of it at the time."

Just as the assailant was coming down with the knife to stab him again, Officer Pearl fired her gun, striking the man in the elbow. "I still didn't know I was wounded," Mr. Burns remarked. "She came over to me and said I had a little cut and I should get in another police car to go to the hospital. That's when I realized I had a good deep cut."

The assailant is now serving 25 years to life in prison.

Bond Formed

The two officers have since become close friends and now share everything. "We were driving previous to that date and Bobby's lips were chapped and I had Chap Stick," Officer Pearl recalled. "I was putting it on my lips."

When he asked to borrow some, "I said, 'Bobby we don't share Chap Stick; we don't do that,''' she remarked. "But after this, I said, 'We can share whatever you want to share.' It's different now. We'll never stop speaking. His parents are like my parents."

In all, Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly honored 24 officers, many of whom were involved in gunfights with suspects. They also awarded the Purple Shield posthumously to the families of Police Officers Francis J. Hennessy and Kevin M. Lee, who both died suddenly while on patrol.

"Sir Walter Scott said, 'Real valor consists not in being insensible to danger; but in being prompt to confront and disarm it,''' Mr. Kelly told the audience. "That's exactly what we recognize today - the courage and the valor of New York City Police Officers who recognized danger and promptly confronted and disarmed it."

Praise From Mayor

The award-winners, he added, have worked to make the city the safest it has been in decades, protecting citizens from crime and the threat of terrorism.

Mr. Bloomberg noted that according to the FBI's preliminary report, New York City was once again the safest big city in the nation, while crime went up in many other cities. "Day in and day out, the men and women of the NYPD make the exceptional seem ordinary," he remarked. "We don't take what they do for granted."

Det. Patrick Caprice received a standing ovation after his name was called to receive the Medal of Honor for his gunning down a suspect after being seriously injured on June 1, 2005. The incident started as he was on routine patrol in the 73rd Precinct in Brooklyn when he observed two individuals involved in an apparent drug transaction. He followed one of the men, who dropped a bag of marijuana after he realized that he was being trailed.

'Blessed That I'm Here'

The suspect then fled in his car, which the officers pursued and forced to pull over. As Detective Caprice approached the driver's window, the perpetrator began shooting at him through the opening. The suspect then got out of his car after Officer Caprice fell to the ground and continued shooting, hitting him in the torso.

Despite being wounded, Officer Caprice returned fire, hitting the assailant three times. "I just feel blessed that I'm here," he said after the award ceremony, with his eyes welling up.

He underwent life-saving surgery and spent eight days in the hospital recovering. Now retired due to the injury, he said he never thought of pursuing a safer career, even during his harrowing recovery. "Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a cop," he remarked.

In the early-morning hours of Sept. 24, 2004, then-Sgt. Brian Connolly and his partner, Lieut. Andrius Bagdzuinas, chased down a man driving a stolen car. After a lengthy pursuit, the suspect pulled over in a residential area and fled the vehicle.

Sergeant Connolly, however, was briefly stuck inside the patrol car because his passenger seat was blocked by a fence in the driveway. After climbing through the driver's side, he discovered that the suspect was struggling with his partner for his gun. "He managed to pull the Lieutenant's gun," Mr. Connolly recalled. "He fired a shot."

Did What He Had To

With no other option, Mr. Connolly - who has since been promoted to Lieutenant - fatally shot the perpetrator, who had moved away from the fallen Lieutenant towards him. "That was the first time and hopefully the last time [that I use my gun]," he added, after receiving the Medal for Valor.

Retired Police Officer Kai Wong's Medal for Valor Award was held up for seven years, while his Lieutenant tried to persuade the department to give him a higher honor for his actions during the millennium celebration. Officer Wong was on patrol in The Bronx with two supervisors that night. "We heard gunfire," he recalled. "The next thing I know is we saw three male Hispanics we thought were making a drug buy."

But as the uniformed officers exited their unmarked car, they never noticed a Jamaican man behind a pole. "He thought we were going after him," said Officer Wong, who retired in 2004. "He let eight rounds go at us."

'Nowhere to Go'

The Lieutenant and Inspector dove back into the car for cover. "But I had nowhere to go," Mr. Wong remarked. "I just started charging. As the guy was shooting, I let one round go back at him."

Mr. Wong, who was involved in six shootings during his career, said he remembered thinking, "Just don't shoot me in the head."

The suspect, who fled the scene, had a Desert Eagle .357, Mr. Wong noted. "He couldn't control the weapon because he was one-handing it," he explained. "It is one of the most powerful guns out there."

The assailant was later apprehended by officers after Mr. Wong picked him out of group of photos at the stationhouse.

After the award ceremony, Mr. Wong, who was flanked by his two children, Madison, 10, and Niko, 9, said that he regretted having to leave the NYPD. "I miss the action," he remarked. "I miss the camaraderie of the boys. My kids always went to all my awards."

'I Loved This Job'

He quickly added, "Medals are nice and everything, but this is what we are paid to do. And I really loved this job."

Police Officer Peter Garrido was honored with the Police Combat Cross for helping to subdue a suspect whom he saw drop a gun from his pants on May 22, 2003. The man, however, resisted arrest, pulling out a second firearm from his midsection. He used that weapon against Officer Garrido, hitting his bulletproof vest and ankle. Despite being wounded, Officer Garrido helped subdue the suspect, who is now serving 25 years to life in prison.

Sgts. John Gallagher and Kevin Phelan and Police Officer David Pralgo received the Police Combat Cross for apprehending four armed suspects robbing a car-wash in Brooklyn. The Aug. 30, 2004 incident started at 1:50 a.m. as the officers drove by the all-night car-wash, observing three suspicious individuals, who they believed were acting as lookouts. Shortly afterwards, a robbery began with the men inside screaming "Police!"

A gunfight erupted as the officers moved to arrest the men. The officers fatally shot one of the perpetrators, who initially fell to the ground but then rose to a sitting position and continued firing. The police later apprehended his three accomplices.

Diverted Shooter

Det. James Killen, who was awarded the Police Combat Cross, was on his way from work shortly after 3:00 a.m. Nov. 6, 2004 when he saw a gunman firing into a crowd during a dispute. He first called 911 and then got out of his car and drew his gun, diverting the man's attention from the other bystanders. A gun battle ensued, with Detective Killen forcing the suspect to retreat. The assailant, who shot one of the pedestrians, was later apprehended by authorities.

The other officers who received the Medal for Valor are: Patrick O'Boyle, Erik Hansen, Arturo Willis, Carlos Arroyo, William Danchak, Edward Deighan, Richard Pignatelli, James Halleran, Margaret Zaffarese, Michael Ruzzi, Joseph Foreman III, and Brian Sheehy.

Died After Responding

The Purple Shield was given to the families of Police Officers Hennessy and Kevin Lee. The medal, which was first awarded in September 1995, was designed by retired Lieut. David A. Kondrup as a police version of the military Purple Heart, according to the NYPD. It is awarded to officers who have suffered extreme injuries on duty.

Officer Hennessy died after suffering a brain aneurysm while returning to his patrol car after responding to a call of shots fired on Jan. 9, 2006. During his six-year career, he made more than 75 arrests and earned three commendations for excellent police duty. He is survived by his wife, Regina, and two young daughters, Deidre and Shannon.

Officer Lee died of a heart attack he suffered while subduing a robbery suspect on Jan. 27, 2006. During his 11-year career, he made more than 200 arrests. He is survived by his wife, Erica, and son, Adam.