‘An Extraordinary Police Officer And Human Being’: Funeral Services Begin For Fallen NCPD Officer

ST. JAMES, NY. — As the evening visitation for fallen Nassau County police officer Patricia Espinosa began at 7 p.m., a steady stream of NCPD officers made their way to the parking lot behind the St. James Funeral Home, waiting patiently in the cold night air to pay their respects.

Espinosa was also a beloved mother — who leaves behind a two-year-old daughter — wife, sister and friend who was killed in a tragic crash Saturday morning that police said involved a drunk driver.

At first, the officers formed small huddles, greeting colleagues with handshakes, fist bumps and the occasional somber hug. At 7:15, the officers received their instructions to line up outside the funeral home. Espinosa’s colleagues from the fifth precinct would enter the funeral home first, followed by officers from the Nassau County Police Department’s Hispanic Society.

Within minutes, the officers had formed a line, and at 7:30 the first members of the police department began stepping in to pay their respects, walking one by one into the funeral home.

In recent days, Espinosa’s death has been the catalyst for a massive wave of support and condolences, both from within law enforcement circles and without.

Nassau County PBA President Tommy Shevlin said Espinosa’s death was heartbreaking not just for her family and colleagues, but all of those whose lives she had touched.

“This is a tragedy, a major loss for the police department, Nassau county, all of the communities that Patty served, and this is unbelievably heartbreaking for her family,” Shevlin said. “Patty was an extraordinary police officer and human being. She cared about people, especially her people. She was part of the Nassau County Hispanic Society, and she has done so much great work helping the police department bridge the gap with the Hispanic community and trying to get more kids, children of Hispanic heritage, involved, and wanting to be police officers in the future.”

Other condolences have come from police departments across Long Island and across New York.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman ordered flags to be flown at half mast in honor of Espinosa, and a GoFundMe to support her family has raised over $250,000. An afternoon visitation period from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. brought officers from the MTA police department, NYPD, Nassau and Suffolk County to the funeral home in such droves that mourners had to park on side streets and walk along the shoulder of Middle Country Road to pay their respects. A stream of mourners continued entering and exiting the funeral home for the duration of that afternoon period.

Also among those present in the afternoon was County Legislator Carrié Solages, who represents Elmont in the legislature’s 3rd district. That district also overlaps with the NCPD’s 5th precinct, where Espinosa served. Solages said he had recently seen Espinosa at Christmas celebrations just over a month ago. For Solages, the loss of someone who had worked to serve the community was a hard one to process.

“I’m at a loss for words. I couldn’t compose myself when I was in there,” Solages said.

For the county legislator, the services for Espinosa were a chance to honor a woman who died on her way to serve Elmont, which he referred to as, “our community.”

“She has served with diligence and valor and professionalism, and honor. Let’s show respect and honor to these individuals who truly help our community everyday. I’ve worked with her in the community and she was an amazing person,” Solages said. “May she rest in peace and in power. She was a community person. She was always involved in this community. I would always see her at community events. I didn’t know she lived so far away. I didn’t know she spent all that time coming here just to help our community.”

Shevlin also expressed his condolences to Espinosa’s family, describing them as a loving, faithful, community-oriented group.

“This is a family that was filled with faith, and family, and they loved the communities, they loved helping people, serving people. This is an unbelievable family that’s very hard to come by,” Shevlin said. “That’s why — something like this is always a tragedy — but this one really hurts, more than ever.”

Even as officers entered the funeral home to pay their respects Wednesday night, more Nassau County officers showed up in their dress blues to join the procession. The line only grew as time went on, stretching back through the parking lot among the cars.

As officers waited to bid farewell to Espinosa, some shared conversation in the dark night as they mournfully remembered one of their own. And, despite the cold temperatures, the dedication of her colleagues was fierce and clear — the line of mourners didn’t break.