Tuxedo Mourns - Village police officer dies chasing speeder
By Pauline Greenberg (Times Herald Record August 22, 1997)
TUXEDO PARK - A Tuxedo Park
police officer died yesterday when he was thrown out of his four-wheel drive
patrol truck and crushed during a rollover accident. The officer was apparently
chasing a speeder.
Officer Jason D. Conklin, 22, of
Sloatsburg, was killed instantly when the 1997 Ford Expedition patrol truck
rolled on top of him, said Bill Bortnowsky, Chief of Tuxedo Park Police
Department.
Bortnowsky gave this account of
the accident : Conklin had been seen with his radar on a side street off Tuxedo
Road about 4:40 p.m. He apparently flipped on his lights and siren to go after
the speeder. He flipped at a curve in Tuxedo Road. He was apparently ejected
through the driver's side window and pinned under the truck, police said. No
one else was injured in the accident.
It didn't appear that Conklin was
wearing a seatbelt when he crashed. Police officers do not have to wear seat
belts on duty. Wet road conditions could have contributed to the accident,
Bortnowsky said. The Expedition will be examined for defects, in particular a
sheared right axle.
The speeder Conklin was chasing
has not been found. The investigation is continuing with the help of the Ramapo
Police reconstruction team and the Town of Tuxedo Police Department. Police are
interviewing a Federal Express driver who witnessed the accident.
Orange County Coroner James P.
Fanning pronounced Conklin dead at 5:44 p.m. Dr. Louis Roh was expected to
perform an autopsy late last night or today at The Cornwall Hospital. The
preliminary cause of death, Fanning said, was massive head trauma.
Conklin is the first Tuxedo
Police Officer killed in the line of duty for at least 20 years, Bortnowsky
said. He was still a rookie, only on the force for about one year. "He was a
bright, aspiring officer," he added. "Jason really enjoyed being a police
officer."
The spring graduate of the
Rockland County Police Academy began as a part-time dispatcher for the
department. His older brother David is the Town of Tuxedo K-9 officer.
"We're devastated," Tuxedo Park
Mayor Susan Goodfellow said. "We have a very special relationship with our
police department in the village. Right now, we're just numb and in shock and
are just trying to absorb this terrible tragedy."
"This is the saddest day for a police chief, when you have to bury one of your
own," Bortnowsky said.
Tuxedo Park cop
buried in his hometown
By DAVID KIBBE (Times Herald Record)
Staff Writer (08/26/1997)
MONROE - Jason Conklin dreamed of becoming a cop.
He barely had one year on the job when he gave his life in the line of duty Thursday for the Tuxedo Park police department. His Ford Expedition police truck overturned on a curve in the road, apparently while he was chasing a speeder.
He was thrown out the open driver's side window. The truck rolled on top of him,
and he suffocated.
Conklin, 22, was buried a hero in his hometown Monday,
as 1,500 police officers from all over the region turned the Monroe Cemetery
into a sea of dress blue and gray.
''I'm speechless,'' said Conklin's older brother, David, a Town of Tuxedo K-9
officer. ''This is unbelievable. It makes me proud to wear a uniform. I want to
thank everybody.''
The 1,500 police officers, led by a motorcycle escort, marched the half-mile
from the Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush funeral home on Maple Avenue to the
cemetery on Route 17M. Two Rockland County sheriff's deputies officers rode on
horseback. A third deputy held the reins of a riderless horse, with black boots
backwards in the stirrups.
Conklin's parents, brothers and sisters leaned against each for support as the Emerald Society Pipes and Drums played ''Amazing Grace'' on bagpipes at the cemetery. The police officers - from New York City police to the tiniest departments in the Hudson Valley - stood straight-backed at attention in neat rows, their right hands locked in a salute.
Hundreds of police officers who never met Jason Conklin were there to honor one
of their own. ''He's a police officer, and we owe that to each other, because
it's such a thin line,'' said New York City Police Lt. Tom Downes, who lives in
Orange County. A bugler played ''Taps.''
The Town of Ramapo honor guard fired three shots. An honor detachment from the
Clarkstown police department lifted the American flag off the birch casket,
folded it, and handed it to Tuxedo Park Police Chief Bill Bortnowsky.
Bortnowsky presented the flag to Conklin's mother, Sandy, who clutched it
tightly to her chest with both arms. Conklin's father, Jake,
kissed her on the head and hugged her as the family wept.
Conklin was buried in his uniform.
More than 250 people crowded inside the funeral home earlier in the day to hear
a memorial service, led by the Rev. George Langberg. Hundreds of police officers
listened outside over a loudspeaker. Bortnowsky stood before Conklin's casket
and remembered the day last year when Conklin walked into his office for the
first time. Bortnowsky told the mourners Conklin seemed shy, reserved, but very
polite. He knew what he wanted.
''He asked me for a job,'' Bortnowsky recalled. ''He said, 'I want to be a
police officer.' He reminded me, most of all, of myself 22 years ago.''
Bortnowsky gave him a try as a parttime police dispatcher. He said Conklin was
an immediate success. ''He was kind-hearted, a great, caring person. I didn't
have one complaint lodged against him.''
Bortnowsky decided to give him a chance. He sent Conklin to the Rockland County
Police Academy. He graduated in June, and Bortnowsky made him a fulltime police
officer. ''He worked very hard,'' Bortnowsky said. ''He wanted to be a police
officer in the worst way.''
The day Conklin died, Bortnowsky spoke to him for about 10 minutes before he
left for patrol. Conklin talked about his plans to drive his girlfriend to
college in North Carolina. ''He was happy,'' Bortnowsky recalled.
Then Bortnowsky noticed Conklin's wristwatch as they talked. It was an unusual
watch, with a glow-in-the-dark face. ''The same watch I pulled out of the
wreckage,'' Bortnowsky said.
Conklin's police truck was found on Tuxedo Road with his lights and siren on. He
had been seen doing radar checks a short time earlier. The accident is still
under investigation, and no speeder has been caught.
Bortnowsky said Conklin would be alive today if he was wearing his seat belt. Police officers and emergency services workers are exempt from seat belt laws.
''I think if Jason could speak to us right now, he would probably have a couple
of things to say,'' Bortnowsky said. ''Number one, buckle up. Wear your seat
belt, each and every one of you. I know I have, ever since that day. It scared
me to death.''
The funeral home was filled with pictures of Conklin, from his boyhood days in
Little League, to a teen-ager on the ski slopes, to a young man in his new
police uniform.
Family members recalled Conklin's lighter moments during the service, sometimes
laughing through their tears. They remembered their brother going to the shore,
eating Snickers bars and hunting and fishing with his brothers.
''Jason was certainly one of a kind,'' said his brother, Steven. ''He was so
proud he fulfilled his dream of becoming a police officer.''
After the service, two police helicopters flew over the funeral home, trailing off over the tree tops in the missing man formation. And the toughest cops grimaced and fought back tears.
A fallen officer's legacy
Jason's dream and smile live on
by Lyn A. McCafferty (Times Herald Record) - 8/28/1997
It was Jason Conklin's dream. To protect and serve. To be a cop.
Monday, his family buried him.
The 22 year-old Tuxedo Park police officer had barely a year on the job when he gave his life Aug. 21 in the line of duty. Police believe Jason was chasing a speeder when his 1997 Ford Expedition police truck rolled on top of him on a curve on Tuxedo Road. He was thrown from the open driver's side window, pinned under the truck, and suffocated.
Monday, more than 1,500 police officers, family, and friends came to pay their respects. They'd lost one of their own.
At Jason's funeral service, collages of photos dotted the room, chronicling his years. Jason as a baby - barely days old. Jason as a toddler wrestling with his three brothers. School-age Jason hunting with one of his brothers. Ten year-old Jason holding up a fish he caught. Tuxedo-clad Jason with his father and brothers similarly dressed for his brother Steven's wedding. Jason - just a year ago or so - with a smart little moustache and a girl on each shoulder. And finally, Jason standing proud in his police uniform.
Aging family snapshots and crisp professional photos. Some dog-eared and worn. Others plucked out of family photo albums.
But all the pictures had one thing in common : a smile on Jason's face. In some, it's a child's smile of joy - catching a fish, hunting a deer. In other shots, Jason's smile is mischievous : He's going to find fun and you're coming along for the ride. You can't help but smile at Jason smiling.
His family doesn't remember the exact moment when Jason decided he wanted to become a police officer. Sometime in high school is the best his brother David can say.
"Jason wanted to be a cop before I wanted to be a cop," David said. David was a correction officer when his baby brother was in high school. For the last year, both brothers were cops - Jason for Tuxedo Park, David a K9 officer for the Town of Tuxedo Police Department.
About a year ago, Jason went to Tuxedo Park Police Chief Bill Bortnowsky. Jason was direct : I want to be a police officer, he said.
The chief was impressed. Jason started as many others have before - as a part-time police dispatcher. The department decided to send Jason to the police academy. He loved every minute of it. As soon as he finished firearms training, Jason was out patrolling the streets of Tuxedo Park.
In June, he graduated from the police academy. A picture captures this moment : Jason in a crisp blue uniform, his right gloved hand cocked in a salute and a broad smile on his face.
Jason wanted to be a cop to help people. He wanted to be an officer who knew everyone in the community. An officer who watched toddlers grow into teens and then into adults. He wanted to be there to teach kids not to do drugs. He wanted to catch teens as they did drugs anyway. And he wanted to help put them back on the path to adulthood.
"He didn't care if he arrested anybody in his whole career," said David Conklin. "He wanted to help people. He wanted to be a role model."
Yes, Jason died too young. He was taken from his family too soon. But he also accomplished something very few of us do - no matter how old we are : He fulfilled his dream. How many of the rest of us can say that?
Loving people made caring cop
by David Conklin (Printed in the Times Herald Record)
When Jason Conklin was growing up, he was very fortunate to have a lot of people
who were close to him. In high school, Jason had teachers who meant a lot to him
and were an important part of his life. Three teachers particularly helped to
mold him into the motivated professional that he was. They were : Mrs. Knowles,
Mrs. Cunningham, and Mrs. Feinstein. Jason always kept in touch with them over
the years and they were always there for him.
Jason was an athlete. He played Monroe-Woodbury Little League for seven years on a team his dad coached. He played Pop Warner Football for four years and he was an avid skier since the age of 14. He was an asset to the Monroe-Woodbury High School ski team. He later became a ski instructor at Sterling Forest Ski Center.
After high school, Jason attended Rockland County Community College to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice. He worked two jobs and attended college. As time went by, his goal to become a police officer was getting stronger. He started working at IBM in Sterling Forest as a Security Officer and was proud of that job. He was in uniform and he was one step closer to reaching his goal.
He decided that if he put himself through the police academy, he would have more of an opportunity to become a police officer so he went out job hunting. He applied to several different police departments hoping they would sponsor him to the academy but to no avail. He was frustrated, he realized how hard it was to become a police officer, but he never gave up. He applied at the Village of Tuxedo Park Police Department and spoke to Chief Bill Bortnowsky and subsequently spoke to Sgt. Gary Vaught. When he came home he was so happy, he thought he had a chance. He was very impressed by the professionalism in that department and he really wanted to work there. He was told that to be a police officer in Tuxedo Park, he had to be courteous, polite, and professional - a public relations type of person. That is what he was looking for. He wanted to patrol the village and help some people. He wanted to be there for someone who needed help and just talk to people while on patrol. Some people become police officers for the wrong reasons - for the status and authority. Not Jason. He really wanted to help people and try to make a difference.
One day he received a call from Chief Bortnowsky stating that he and Sergeant Vaught had talked and completed a background check on him and they decided to hire Jason as a dispatcher and sponsor him to the police academy. Jason was excited - all of his hard work and motivation had paid off. He told all of his friends and family. He was proud.
While attending the police academy, Jason was still working two jobs. He would attend the academy during the day and work a double shift at IBM or one shift at IBM and one in Tuxedo Park. He was always busy.
He loved the police academy. The more the drill instructor yelled at him and made him do pushups or run laps, the more Jason liked it. His uniform was always pressed, boots and leather polished to a mirror shine. He was proud. Fellow students in his class remember Jason as being "gung-ho." A former student and good friend, Mike Sanford, recalls when he and Jason carpooled to the academy. Jason always got there an hour early so he could touch up his boots or study his notes. Another student and friend, Ed Dolan, of Suffern, recalls when the class would finish running two miles and doing 50 pushups, Jason wanted to do more. (Ed Dolan was instrumental in starting up the Police Officer Jason D. Conklin Drill Instructor Award at the Rockland Police Academy).
Jason was excited his first day as a police officer in Tuxedo Park. Patrick Welsh, another friend and co-worker, was one of Jason's training officers. Jason was very happy to be working with Pat. He liked and respected him. During his short career, Jason had pulled some cars over for traffic infractions but he never wrote a single ticket. He was very polite and courteous to people and gave them a warning rather than a ticket. He never boasted about being a police officer, but he was honored to be one.
Jason always wore his seat belt, in his personal vehicle as well as on duty. He would not let you ride in his car unless you wore one. The day of the accident, it could have only been fate. He did what he normally did while on duty. He spotted a speeding violator and he pursued him. He was performing a duty to the Village of Tuxedo Park. God obviously needed him to perform other duties but at least not before reaching his goal.
The day of the funeral was the proudest day. It was all what Jason loved and strived to be. Thousands of police officers including mounted police, K-9 units, helicopters, color guards, corrections officers, firemen, ambulance personnel, friends and family came from everywhere, flooding the streets of Monroe to give Jason the farewell he deserved. The professionalism at the funeral was what Jason thrived on and he had the best view of it all.
He was a son, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, boyfriend, fellow police officer, and hero. He was loved and will be missed by all. God bless him and let him rest in peace.
David Conklin is the brother of Jason Conklin, who died in the line of duty. David worked as a K-9 officer for the Town of Tuxedo Police Department. (now with the Monroe Police Department).
Police Honor Fallen Officer
Lodge to carry Conklin's name
by Pauline Greenberg (Times Herald Record)
MONROE - The Fraternal Order of Police was the type of lodge Tuxedo park Police
Officer Jason D. Conklin couldn't wait to join. Conklin loved being a cop. But
the rookie officer never got the chance to join the fraternity.
Last night the new Monroe chapter dedicated their lodge to their fallen comrade : The Fraternal Order of Police Jason D. Conklin Memorial Lodge 957.
Conklin, 22, was killed in the line of duty August 21 when his police sport utility vehicle overturned while in pursuit of a speeder. He had graduated from the Rockland County Police Academy two months earlier.
Lodge President Neil O'Riordan said he never met Conklin, but he considered him a brother.
Conklin grew up in Monroe dreaming of becoming a police officer. O'Riordan said it's fitting that the Monroe lodge honor him.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians hall, which is serving as the temporary home for the FOP lodge, was packed with fellow officers, family, friends, and many local politicians who came to honor Conklin.
After the lodge officers were officially sworn in, Rep. Ben Gilman, R-Greenville, presented the Conklin family with a memorial plaque naming the lodge. "Jason was taken far too prematurely," Gilman said.
Conklin's parents and his brother, Tuxedo Police Officer David Conklin, wrapped their arms around each other, as they tearfully accepted the plaque.
Tuxedo Park Police Chief Bill Bortnowsky and Detective Robert Culhane presented a framed photo of Conklin to O'Riordan on behalf of the family.
"I was proud to serve as his chief," Bortnowsky said. He asked everyone to carry on Conklin's spirit and tradition.