For law enforcement in Connecticut, the unprovoked attack that killed NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia is a reminder that police officers can become targets simply by putting on the uniform.
NYPD investigators said Familia was sitting inside a police command vehicle with her partner in the Bronx on Wednesday morning when a man with a gun ambushed them.
Police later confronted and killed the suspect, 34-year-old Alexander Bonds, after he pointed the gun at them, police said.
Familia was a mother of three and 12-year veteran of the NYPD.
“We’re grieving for the officer’s family, we’re grieving especially for her kids,” New Haven Police Department spokesman Officer David Hartman said. “This resonates through our building and the police department buildings across the state and country.”
Hamden Police Chief Thomas Wydra learned about this latest murder of an on-duty police officer from a news alert.
“It is obviously a horrifying reminder of how dangerous police work can be,” Wydra said. “Especially for those out in our streets and our neighborhoods who put on a uniform and get in a marked car.”
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Neither Hamden nor New Haven Police are planning any direct changes following the fatal shooting of Familia, but it serves as a reminder for officers to always be aware of their surroundings.
“We tend not to sit in the patrol car with our head down in the computer writing reports,” Hartman said. “Rather, you pair up with somebody in another car and write the reports while somebody can look out for you.”
Hartman said he hopes Familia can be remembered for her career of serving and protecting in the country’s largest city.
“She needs to be remembered for being the hero she had been for over a decade and I’m sure that’s the way people will see her,” Hartman said.
Members of the Hamden Police Department will likely attend whatever arrangements there are to honor Familia, Wydra said. He added that his have officers have unfortunately attended too many NYPD funerals.