Singing Police Officers
- October
- 21
Singing police officers.
There are two active in Rockland – Marta Rodriguez and Daniel Rodriguez (no relations). And Eraina Collazo, who’s not an officer but the teenage daughter of Haverstraw Police Detective Terry Collazo.
While retired NYPD Officer Daniel Rodriguez has become known as “America’s singing policeman,” having sung at 9-11 commemorations, Yankee Stadium, and some Rockland police memorial events, Marta Rodriguez hit all the right notes singing the Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America during the 27th annual Brinks memorial commemoration on Monday for two slain Nyack officers – Sgt. Edward O’Grady Jr. and Officer Waverly “Chipper” Brown – and Brinks guard Peter Paige. All three were murdered during the Brinks robbery on Oct. 20, 1981.
Marta Rodriguez received polite applause – a rarity at this solemn event – after closing the ceremony by singing God Bless America. The ceremony at the New York State Thruway entrance in Nyack also featured speeches, the Clarkstown Police Department’s precise honor guard, and the Rockland Emerald Society Pipes and Drums.
Eraina Collazo, now college-age, had been singing the anthems for several years.
Daniel Rodriguez, an opera singer known as the singing policeman, will sing the national anthem on Saturday night at the Rockland Police Hispanic Society’s annual dinner-dance to raise money for charitable endeavors. Rodriguez, born in Brooklyn, sang in Carnegie Hall at age 17 as a bel canto tenor and later joined the NYPD, retiring in 2004.
The 13th annual fund-raisers starts at 7:30 p.m. at Town and Country Caterers on Route 9W in Congers. The event raises money for the society’s projects involving young people and the community. The society will hand out five scholarships and honor Hector May, president of Executive Compensation Planners and a society advisory board members, and retired Haverstraw Police Detective Hector Soto, a Haverstraw Town Board member and former society president. The dinner-dance will feature live music from “La Rebelion,†with special guest Yomo Turo.
Each ticket is $90 and for more information, call 845-721-2620 or go to www.rcphs.com.
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