**Hero Cops Honored by NYPD for Their Marine Corps Service**
Hero cops who also served as Marines—some of whom were injured either in combat or on the city streets—were honored Friday by the NYPD. One veteran described the bond between his fellow servicemen as something that “beats my heart.”
The NYPD recognized five of its own, including one posthumously, at a ceremony held at 1 Police Plaza. The event commemorated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps and the 32nd anniversary of the department’s Marine Corps Association, just days ahead of Veterans’ Day.
**Honoring Det. Third Grade Oliver Bagley**
Det. Third Grade Oliver Bagley, a Purple Heart recipient who now serves in the NYPD’s Bomb Squad, received the Patrolmen Gregory Foster and Rocco Laurie Uncommon Valor Award. Bagley, 44, from the Bronx, enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 4, 2001—just days before the 9/11 terror attacks. He served in the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines and was among the first to fight in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Bagley returned to Iraq in 2004 and was involved in the first battle of Fallujah when his convoy came under attack by insurgents detonating a car bomb. He was gravely injured when a four-inch piece of metal struck him in the back and has since endured a long recovery, which included multiple surgeries and 84 stitches.
“It shows the resilience of the Marines and the Marine Corps,” Bagley said of his recovery and continued service with the NYPD, which he joined in 2006, two years after his life-threatening injury. “No matter what we go through, we will always come ahead, on top, and we will always fight to keep doing what we do and what we believe in.”
“There’s a huge sense of belonging and camaraderie between the two, and that’s really what people most strive for,” he added. “Not everyone has a dynamic, a family dynamic, but you can get that through service.”
**Det. Second Grade Scot O. Abrams’ Inspiring Journey**
Also recognized was Det. Second Grade Scot O. Abrams, 52, who was assigned to Brooklyn’s Highway Patrol Unit 2 when he became paralyzed in an on-duty 2007 motorcycle crash while heading to a funeral procession. His spinal cord injury was so severe that he was given his last rites at the hospital.
“My whole life I’ve been in some sort of uniform,” said Abrams, who became a Marine straight out of high school in 1991 and served for four years. He joined the North Massapequa Fire Department in August 1995 soon after completing his service, and then the NYPD in 1998.
“In the Marine Corps, there’s a purpose, [and] as a police officer, there’s a purpose,” Abrams said. “There’s that pride, you know, of having to be wanted and needed. I love what I do. I want to keep doing what I do.”
Abrams, who received the Set. John Coughlin Eagle, Globe and Anchor Award, described the ceremony as “humbling.” “To just see all the other Marines around sincerely, you know, beats my heart,” he said of the dozens of fellow Marines-turned-cops in the auditorium.
**Remembering Det. 1st Grade Luis Alvarez**
The posthumous honoree was Det. 1st Grade Luis Alvarez, a Marine Corps veteran who joined the NYPD in 1990. Alvarez served undercover in narcotics before joining the Bomb Squad. He responded to the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terror attacks and sadly died on June 29, 2019, of colorectal cancer linked to his time taking part in search and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.
**Additional Honorees**
Also honored was Keith Prunty, assigned to the NYPD’s 9th Precinct. Prunty was shot while responding to an armed robbery at Third Street and Avenue C in 1995, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. He joined the Marines at 17, served four years, and was honorably discharged as a corporal before joining the NYPD in 1991.
Captain Joe Lisi was recognized as well. He had a 26-year career with the NYPD before retiring and also served in the Marine Corps Reserve, receiving an honorable discharge as a corporal in 1972. Lisi is additionally an actor who appeared in “True Blue,” “The Sopranos,” “Law & Order,” and “Third Watch,” and made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning “Take Me Out” as Skipper.
The NYPD also recognized Det. Third Grade Shaneil Mitchell, who joined the Marines straight out of high school and notably participated in Operation Phantom Fury, also known as the Second Battle of Fallujah. After completing his military service, Mitchell joined the NYPD in January 2010 and currently works in the Firearms Investigation Unit, helping to stop the flow of illegal guns into the city.
**A Noble Second Purpose**
Speaker Elliot Ackerman, a Marine Corps veteran, former CIA officer, and author, addressed the assembled officers, saying, “Anyone who has viewed the peak of experience has to reckon with the descent. But you all have repurposed yourself in a different way to serve this city.”
“I mean, what a noble second purpose you’ve chosen.”
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The ceremony celebrated the extraordinary dedication and resilience of those who have served both their country and their city with honor and valor.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/07/us-news/hero-cops-who-served-as-marines-honored-in-nypd-ceremony-my-whole-life-ive-been-in-some-sort-of-uniform/
