[NY] Unnamed officer with deep roots in law enforcement community is gone

...The young cop's name is being initially withheld at the request of his family, who sources said, has deep roots in Westchester County's law enforcement community.... "He was a young officer, very ambitious, very promising"...

Cop's Death Rocks Mount Vernon Police Dept. 23-Year-Old Officer Found Shot In Parking Garage; Incident Being Investigated As Probable Suicide
CBS
Sep 1, 2008 8:42 pm US/Eastern
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. In a department of about 200 members, the death Monday of young rookie cop hit hard, especially since it was the second death for the small department so far this year. Members of the Mount Vernon Police force began converging on their department's headquarters late Labor Day afternoon after hearing of the gunshot death of a 23-year-old officer in a parking garage opposite the city's main police building... The young cop's name is being initially withheld at the request of his family, who sources said, has deep roots in Westchester County's law enforcement community... "This young officer had tremendous potential," [Mount Vernon Police Commissioner David] Chong told CBS 2 HD... "This is a young police department," Chong added. "The aggregate age is probably under 30 and this is the second officer we've lost this year. It really hits home." The department is making grief and trauma counseling available to the entire force. [Full article here]

Authorities: Mount Vernon police officer commits suicide
Lower Hudson Journal news, NY
By Ernie Garcia
September 1, 2008
...Mount Vernon police officials did not identify the officer, who shot himself around 3 p.m. at a municipal parking lot on Roosevelt Square across the street from City Hall. The Westchester County Medical Examiner's office also would not release the victim's name, although staff there identified him as a 23-year-old man who lives in Mohegan Lake. Sgt. Kevin Mandel, president of the Mount Vernon Police Benevolent Association, was at police headquarters with more than a dozen people in the parking lot, where people could be seen embracing and comforting each other. "He was a young officer, very ambitious, very promising," said Mandel, who asked the newspaper not to approach his grieving colleagues with questions. Mandel could not say if his organization will organize a memorial service for the deceased, who he said was on the force for about two years. "We always respect the wishes of the family," Mandel said... Police officers mounted purple and black bunting over the entrance to Mount Vernon Police headquarters around 7:20 p.m. The bunting had a placard affixed that read "police officer," but a space below that placard where a name should be placed remained blank. The Mount Vernon suicide is the second Westchester County law enforcement suicide in the past month. On Aug. 19, a veteran Sleepy Hollow police officer, Antonio Benitez, 42, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Orange County home... [Full article here]