Senate Passes Senator Martins’ Legislation Honoring Fallen Nassau County Police Officer

     Senator Jack M. Martins (R-7th Senate District) announced that the New York State Senate passed legislation he sponsored in memory of Nassau County Police Officer Arthur Lopez, who was killed in the line of duty.

     “Arthur Lopez was a true hero who loved helping others. He died tragically while protecting our communities. Renaming this section of road in his honor is a fitting way to ensure that his heroism and memory are never forgotten. I’m hopeful that the Assembly will join the Senate in approving this legislation and paying tribute to a man who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the residents of Nassau County,” said Senator Martins.

     Officer Arthur Lopez was an eight year veteran of the Nassau County Police Department who was assigned to the Department’s elite Emergency Services Unit. In addition to being a Police Officer, he also served as a volunteer fireman and emergency medical technician. On October 23, 2012 he saw what he believed to be a car fleeing the scene of an accident on Northern Boulevard near the Queens border. Officer Lopez and his partner pursued and stopped the vehicle, with Officer Lopez approaching the car to question the suspect, Darrell Fuller. Officer Lopez was shot and killed as he approached Fuller’s vehicle.

     The legislation sponsored by Senator Martins (S4836) would designate the section of the Cross Island Parkway between exits 26 and 27 as the “Police Officer Arthur Lopez Memorial Highway.” The area is near the site where Officer Lopez was killed.

     “Officer Lopez was a true hero in every sense of the word. He served in our Emergency Services Unit and was a dedicated police officer. The day Officer Lopez was killed was one of the darkest in this department’s history. Making this day even more tragic, an innocent civilian was also murdered during the incident. The members of the Nassau County PBA would like to thank Senator Martins for recognizing our fallen officer and passing legislation to honor his memory,” said Nassau County PBA President James Carver.

      The legislation has been sent to the Assembly.