NYPD loses caring historian
BY ERNIE NASPRETTO
DAILY NEWS POLICE BUREAU
Detective John Reilly was well-known in New York cop circles, working for many years in narcotics and various Manhattan detective squads.
But what he did after retiring from the Police Department - researching the unheralded stories of scores of cops killed in the line of duty - is what really endeared him to many men and women in blue.
"John was, without a doubt, the greatest NYPD police historian ever," said retired Sgt. Mike Bosak, also a police historian.
Reilly, 77, retired as a first-grade detective in 1974, and years later he embarked on a project with Bosak that would add 83 forgotten heroes to the Wall of Honor at 1 Police Plaza.
"For whatever reason, these men never received due recognition for the sacrifice they made for the City of New York," said Bosak.
Reilly assisted Bosak in researching their deaths and presenting their cases to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who added these names along with 16 others to the memorial wall last year.
Some of these line-of-duty deaths date back to the first half of the 19th century, when the city's protectors were called watchmen, said Bosak.
Reilly was also instrumental in providing updated and accurate information to Dee Cook, when she was constructing NYPDangels.com, a Web site that details the stories behind 757 police officers killed in the line of duty.
"At first I resented him correcting me, but then I realized what he was doing and why he was doing it. He was very important to the integrity [of the Web site]. I will surely miss him," said Cook, who began work on NYPDangels.com after the 9/11 attacks.
Reilly died Oct. 16 in Bluffton, S.C., where he lived with his wife of 40 years, Mary.
He will be remembered as "a consummate perfectionist" on and off the job, one who "displayed unlimited perseverance in the search for forgotten truths," said Bosak.
Posted by Jim at November 1, 2006 11:51 PM
