Police Officer of the Month, October 2008

Tonight the Long Island Shields are proud to give our Officer of the Month Award to two outstanding young officers, who were barely out of the academy when they first made headlines.

It was a bitter cold night. At approximately 12:30 AM, a 21-year-old man named Danny Hernandez began looking for a uniformed police officer. Hernandez had a baseball bat. He was looking to strike an officer and take his or her gun. Hernandez wanted this gun to commit robberies. He was a college dropout and he was in debt.

Around this time, NYPD officers Joseph Cho and Patrick Lynch were patrolling the streets. This was part of Operation Impact, and they were walking their beats separately.

At approximately 1:00 AM , Hernandez attacked. He jumped out from between two parked cars. He struck NYPD Officer Cho on the head. Officer Cho went down, and Hernandez struck again. The bat fractured Officer Cho's skull— Officer Cho had concussion and went unconscious.

Hernandez took Officer Cho's handcuffs and his 9mm Glock service pistol. It was at this time that Officer Lynch took him on.

Officer Lynch had seen the assault and run to the scene. Hernandez took off, while Officer Lynch radioed for help. Officers from the 115th Precinct responded immediately. Officer Lynch, meanwhile, pursued Hernandez down the streets. The chase went on for several blocks.

Officer Lynch had been a long-distance runner in college. Now he ran down Hernandez, and pushed him into NYPD Officer Christine Schmidt. Officer Schmidt had arrived in response to Officer Lynch's call. She and Officer Lynch wrestled Hernandez to the ground. They affected the arrest, and Officer Cho was taken to the hospital.

Officers Lynch and Schmidt were rookies, just months out of the academy, but on this night they acted like old pros. They demonstrated bravery in the face of physical danger. They exemplified teamwork, which is the hallmark of our best officers. Because of this it is the honor and privilege of the Long Island Shields to present Officers Patrick Lynch Christine Schmidt with a well-deserved Police Officer of the Month Awards for June, 2008. Please join me in congratulating them, their precincts, and their families.