NYPD Harbor Launch Honors The 70th Precinct’s Detective Dillon Stewart
The NYPD held a harbor launch this morning in honor of the 70th Precinct‘s Detective Dillon Stewart, eight years after his tragic death following a routine traffic stop in East Flatbush.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly addressed the crowd in attendance–including Officer Stewart’s Dillon’s wife Leslyn, daughters Alexis and Samantha, mother Winifred, and sister Sheryl–during the launch of the NYPD’s new addition, now the largest and one of the fastest boats in their fleet.
“Dillon Stewart was a model police officer with unlimited potential,” Commissioner Kelly said. “He possessed the instincts, the composure, and the eye for detail that helped him to excel in every aspect of police work.”
The Commissioner recounted the circumstances of Detective Stewart’s death, calling his actions and aforementioned composure, even after being shot in the heart by gunman Alan Cameron, “a tremendous display of courage and determination.”
“For his heroism,” Kelly continued, “Dillon was posthumously promoted to detective first grade and awarded the Police Department’s highest recognition, the Medal of Honor. His name is also enshrined in police memorials in Albany and in Washington, DC, and in a playground in Brooklyn.”
Detective Dillon Stewart Playground is in our neighborhood, inside the Parade Ground near Caton Avenue and Parade Place. It was named in his honor in 2007.
Kelly said this morning’s harbor launch “will serve as a lasting reminder, not only of the service and sacrifice of a fallen hero, but also to the ideals Dillon Stewart and many other police officers have given their lives to defend.”
“It’s a tangible symbol of the cause to which Dillon Stewart devoted his life,” Kelly explained. “All who see it will be reminded of his vital contributions to public safety, and they’ll know that the New York City Police Department never forgets its heroes.”
70th Precinct Commanding Officer Inspector Eric Rodriguez, who was at the launch this morning, says the incredible turnout at the event was a testament to Detective Stewart. He says many officers from the 70th came out to pay their respects, and that he’s glad to have another tribute to Detective Stewart in addition to the park at the Parade Ground.
“I didn’t know him,” says Inspector Rodriguez, who became head of the precinct in 2011, “but I know what kind of a great person he was when I see his wife and children.”
Sadly, Detective Stewart’s partner, Detective Paul Lipka, also lost his life following a motorcycle accident on Staten Island earlier this year.
The 70th Precinct holds an annual blood drive in honor of Detective Stewart, close to the November 28 anniversary of his death, that helps replenish supply for NYPD officers and others in need of transfusions. If you were unable to donate blood this year, please consider doing so in 2014, and help save a life in memory of some of the 70th Precinct’s own.
Photo courtesy of the New York City Police Department