The procession for fallen Bristol Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy entered Rentschler Field to the sight of a sky-high American flag. And along the road of the entrance, community members held their own signs of support, too.
“We call them when we have a problem, so it’s our turn to show them that we’re behind them, especially in these times,” said organizer Jimmy Stewart, who said it shouldn’t be just sad times like this that bring the community together to support our brothers and sisters in blue.
He and other community members came together outside the funeral to salute not just the fallen officers, but their loved ones in the procession, too.
“It’s just not the officers. It’s everybody that comes along with it. They’re not riding along in a car alone. They have families like you and I, so everybody comes together for this. It needs to happen more, especially in our times,” Stewart said.
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And for those who attended the funeral, some went not because they’ve ever met the officers, but to show their families and fellow police officers support.
“We’re here for them and we’ll back them up no matter what happens and they really need that right now," said attendee Sabrina Eldred, of Plymouth.
“It’s really important because so many people were impacted and so many people want to come and show their respects because they protected them,” said Luisa Quiñones of Bristol.
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Michelle Jefferson worked side by side with the Bristol Police Department as a crisis intervention team clinician.
“I just wanted to say one last goodbye to my former colleagues and support Bristol," Jefferson said.
She lit up remembering working with DeMonte and Hamzy.
“I would go on ‘ride alongs’ with them. Obviously if we had to go out for a mental health call, Dustin was a sergeant, not lieutenant then, congratulations. And I definitely have done ‘ride alongs’ with Officer Hamzy and we’ve had some great conversations," Jefferson said.
Along with thousands of sworn law enforcement officials in attendance were future police officers, too.
They came to honor the two fallen officers as they continue their training to serve our communities not phased by the danger, but inspired by what they’ve learned about their late brothers in blue.
“It’s heartbreaking honestly. we go into this, and you never know what to expect. You expect to go home to your family every night and unfortunately two officers didn’t,” said Luisa Merced, a Bridgeport Police Department recruit.
Friday was a day to say goodbye, but Jefferson wants local departments to know there is help out there as the grieving process continues.
“As a crisis and a licensed clinical social worker, we just try to remember the coping skills, just know that we’re here for support and we can provide resources to them as well," Jefferson said.
