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84th Pct. Officers Off Patrol For 2 Weeks After Colleagues Murdered

By Janet Upadhye | January 22, 2015 7:44am
 Police from the 84th Precinct, who had two weeks off patrol after Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot to death as they sat in a squad car, are easing back into work.
Police from the 84th Precinct, who had two weeks off patrol after Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot to death as they sat in a squad car, are easing back into work.
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DNAinfo/Janet Upadhye

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Police from the 84th Precinct are getting back to work after being off patrol for two weeks in the wake of ambush killing of their fellow officers, Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

Officers from nearby precincts, including the 77th in Crown Heights and 75th in East New York, stepped in to answer 911 calls to allow time for the 84th Precinct officers to mourn and attend memorials and other events.

Officers returned to patrol following Liu's funeral on Jan. 4, according to commanding officer of the precinct Capt. Sergio Centa.

"Even though the memorials were two weeks ago in some ways it’s just starting; the guys are just getting back to work," he said at a precinct community council meeting Tuesday night. "It’s taken a lot to get back up to speed.

"Cops have been through a lot."

Centa assured residents that "no 911 calls went unanswered," during his officers' time off patrol.

Liu, 32, and Ramos, 40 were shot to death on Dec. 20 while sitting in a patrol car in Bed-Stuy. The shooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, later killed himself at a nearby subway station.

The 84th Precinct building, at 301 Gold St. in Downtown Brooklyn, is filled with flowers, notes and cards from all over the world and Centa plans to hang plaques on the entry wall to memorialize the officers' deaths.

"We watch each other’s backs and make sure we are all doing well," Centa said. "And now we move forward."