3 More security officers die from COVID-19 virus
New York City NY April 20 2020 — The NYPD has lost another member to COVID-19.
School safety agent Suzette Facey died on Friday due to complications from the virus, according to Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.
Facey joined the NYPD in September 2005 and was assigned to the 106th Precinct School Safety Unit in Ozone Park, Queens.
“Suzette served with the NYPD for more than 14 years — & kept thousands of Queens students safe,” Shea said in a tweet. “Our prayers, today & every day, are with her family, friends, & coworkers.”
Facey is the 28th member of the NYPD to die of COVID-19 since the outbreak began.
On Friday, nearly 6,000 uniformed members of the NYPD were out sick, which accounts for just over 16% of the uniformed force. At its peak, the NYPD was reporting 19.8% of its uniformed members out sick.
More than 4,200 NYPD members have tested positive for COVID-19, and over 1,600 have recovered and returned to work.
Another school safety officer also died during the past few days but their identification has not been made public yet.
A security officer and retired police officer in Manhasset, New York has also passed away from complications of the COVID-19 virus.
John Fred Barwick, a retired Glen Cove patrol officer, died from Covid-19 on April 9 at age 79.
Barwick, who had retired from the Glen Cove Police Department in 1985, had been working at North Shore University Hospital as a security guard.
GCPD Chief William Whitton knew Barwick well. The two worked together after Whitton left the police academy and began his career in Glen Cove.
“He was a wonderful communicator,” Whitton said. “He really had a firm knowledge of what this job was and what it took to be a police officer.”
Whitton said Barwick, who retired as a patrol officer, was never interested in getting promoted to a higher position. His favorite part of the job, Whitton said, was patrolling the village on foot. “That was his calling,” Whitton said. “He didn’t want to be a supervisor; he didn’t want to be a detective. He really enjoyed going out on the streets; patrolling, walking through the village, talking.”
Glen Cove Detective Lt. John Nagle, who was hired around the time Barwick retired, said that he “had a heart of gold. He was a well-liked officer of the department.”
This brings the total number of security officers who have died from the COVID 19 virus to 60.
