Thousands help lay beloved Lower Burrell policeman to rest

NEW KENSINGTON — As slain police officer Derek Kotecki was taken to his final resting place, his wish for the day was fulfilled.

Fellow Lower Burrell Patrolman Tom Babinsack spoke of that wish Monday to the hundreds of mourners gathered at Mount St. Peter Church near the end of Kotecki's funeral Mass.

Kotecki and Babinsack were among hundreds of police attending the funeral of the three Pittsburgh police officers killed in the line of duty in 2009 and were together the entire day.

Babinsack said they were unsure of the protocol in how to show proper respect, whether to flash their cruiser's lights and sound the siren, or just flash the lights.

"He said, 'Tom, I want you to promise me something,'" Babinsack said, his voice quaking. "'I want you to promise me that if something happens to me, I want everyone to know I was here. I want the fire trucks, the police cars with their lights and their sirens going.'"

"He wanted a parade," Babinsack said as a ripple of laughter went through the church. "And today with the help of the FOP, he's going to get it."

He certainly did.

It took 30 minutes for the huge procession to slowly wind its way to Greenwood Memorial Park in Lower Burrell.

Police cars from around the state and as far away as Chicago, as well as fire trucks and ambulances from around the region, sounded their sirens in his honor the whole way.

It was one tribute in a day of many tributes to the popular 18-year veteran Lower Burrell K-9 officer.

Kotecki was shot to death in an ambush by fugitive Charlie Post while on duty Oct. 12. Post also was killed at the scene.

Long before the horse-drawn caisson carrying Kotecki's casket left the Rusiewicz Funeral Home in Lower Burrell, scores of police officers quietly gathered outside the church along Freeport Road.

They lined the long driveway to and around the church. On the left side of the church, close to 100 state troopers stood in ranks about six deep as the morning sunlight slowly pushed the shadows across the church grounds.

As time for the 11 a.m. service neared and the procession approached, more than a dozen K-9 officers, their four-legged partners at their sides, lined up along Freeport Road near the foot of the church driveway.

On command, every officer snapped to attention as one when the casket passed by.

They remained at attention as Kotecki's wife, Julie; sons Nicholas, 13, and Alexander, 11; sister Kelly Kotecki Stephenson and his parents, Richard and Elizabeth "Dolly" Kotecki, entered the church followed by other mourners, including Gov. Tom Corbett and U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire.

Kotecki's K-9 partner, Odin, was seated among the mourners.

Dozens of police officers were seated in the church with those from New Kensington, Arnold and Upper Burrell, the officers with whom Lower Burrell police work most closely, seated to the front.

As Baldwin Police Chief Mike Scott, the lone bagpiper in the church, played the melancholy strains of "Lochaber No More," the casket was escorted into the church by Lower Burrell Police Chief Tracy Lindo and seven of Kotecki's fellow officers, who served as pallbearers.

Monsignor James Gaston, pastor of Kotecki's church, St. Margaret Mary in Lower Burrell, celebrated the Mass. It was held at Mount St. Peter due to construction at the Lower Burrell church. Gaston was joined by several other priests as well as the Most Rev. Lawrence Brandt, bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg.

Thankful for his life

Gaston spoke of seeing Kotecki in church often either in uniform before a patrol shift or seated with his family, and his connection to the community. He said everyone should be thankful for Derek's life.

Although Kotecki made the ultimate sacrifice of his life for his community, Gaston said he gave much more.

He said the lasting gift Kotecki gave to everyone was an example, a reminder.

"We were not put in this world for ourselves, and he is a reminder of that," Gaston told the packed church. "As we thank God for Derek's life, something has to click in us that this is not forgotten tomorrow."

"We are to be family to one another," he said. "Sometimes we find it hard to be with one another, that's why we have a police force. But, we need one another."

"We can leave here with hope for ourselves and our life together," Gaston said. "May we look at each other with renewed concern and compassion."

Kotecki's sister, Kelly Kotecki Stephenson, was among several people who eulogized him near the end of the Mass.

She recalled a time when they stood in line together at Disney World, waiting to ride the Space Mountain rollercoaster. But she they never got on because she was too scared.

"He got out of line after standing in line for 3 1/2 hours and he didn't get mad," she said.

"He was a great cop, he enjoyed that," she said. "He wanted to be a cop his whole life."

Stephenson remembered what a friend's mother told her about when someone young dies: "Don't be sad, God just needed another angel in heaven to watch over us."

Emotional tribute

Perhaps the most emotional eulogy came from Lower Burrell Patrolman Tim Weitzel, who said he and Kotecki became friends when he joined the department 14 years ago.

Weitzel was one of the first Lower Burrell officers at the fatal shooting scene and struggled mightily to control his tears as he spoke of his friend.

He said their shifts overlapped and those hours were something he looked forward to, even on days he wasn't thrilled to be on the job.

"I knew Derek would be coming in four hours and I always felt better," Weitzel said. "But it also meant that I got to spend some time with one of the most loving and caring people I ever met."

Speaking to Kotecki's family, he told Rich Kotecki how he envied the relationship he and Derek had and how every son wishes for that.

He addressed Kotecki's sons and told him how proud of them their father was.

"Your daddy was made of some of the best and strongest stuff that a man could be made of," a tearful Weitzel said.

Finally, in speaking to his friend's widow, Weitzel left few dry eyes in the church as he described how Kotecki would talk to his wife on the phone, say good night to her and tell her he loved her.

"I don't think Derek would mind if I said this," Weitzel said. "Julie: Derek is on the phone, but he has to go right now. And he wants me to tell you good night, and that he loves you.

"And he will always be with you."

quotes from funeral attendees

"You can't explain it. Part of me died."

— Retired Arnold Police Sgt. Ray Evans.

"I lived down the street from his parents. I watched him grow up. From the time he was a kid ... he wanted to be a policeman. When he was hired to work in his hometown, he was honored."

— Ed Kirkwood, Lower Burrell's city clerk when Kotecki joined the force in 1993.

"This is a difficult day for the whole region. It just shows you the kind of character that Derek had to generate such an outpouring of support from the community."

— U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, a Lower Burrell native.

"(Police officers) get dressed in that uniform every day to serve and protect us, knowing that they might not come home to their family. (Students) need to respect and revere those professionals in those jobs."

— Burrell School Superintendent Shannon Wagner, on the decision to allow all Burrell students to watch the funeral procession.

"I was with him when he started, and I was with him at the end."

— Lower Burrell Sgt. Scott Cardenas, who worked with Kotecki on patrol when he first arrived and was at the Dairy Queen the night Kotecki died.

"He was a great officer for protecting our lives. It's just so sad."

— Ben Johnston, 9, a fourth-grader at Stewart Elementary.

"I'm here for the officers and supporting my husband. This could have been me. I could have been where Mrs. Kotecki is right now."

— Kim Schumaker of Leechburg, whose husband, Lee, is a Leechburg patrolman and was directing traffic outside of the cemetery.

"I served in the military, and I respect anyone who serves."

— Dan Alcorn, 20, of Lower Burrell.

"He was such an inspiration to the kids."

— Shani Cambal, 42, of Lower Burrell. Cambal knew Kotecki since childhood.

"It's fantastic to see the entire community come together and support Officer Kotecki. This really has a 9/11 feel to it."

— New Kensington Councilman Todd Mentecki.

Some people may ask why God would allow a good man die and they may blame God. Bad things happen. But these people forget to ask who brought together the community outpouring and attendance of so many officers."

— Monsignor James Gaston, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church, Lower Burrell.

"He told me he thought this bad ordeal was going to be over, that this individual had left the area. I said 'That's good.'"

— Rudy Harkins, chief of the Marion Police Department in Beaver County and Kotecki's K-9 training officer, about a conversation he had with the late officer about three hours before he was killed.

"Remember, it is not how he died that made him a hero, it was how he lived."

— Lower Burrell Patrolman Tom Babinsack during his eulogy of Kotecki.

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