by Team Borelli on Feb 02, 2017 News
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(Staten Island, NY) – New York City Council Member Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), and Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo are introducing a resolution calling on Mayor DeBlasio and the New York City Department of Transportation to name one of the new, Ollis-class ferry boats in honor of Detective Russel Timoshenko, a Staten Islander and a member of the New York Police Department who was killed in the line of duty.
 
Det. Timoshenko, a New York City Police Officer, was 23 years old when he was shot by a fleeing perpetrator during a routine vehicle stop.  He died five days later.  Det. Timoshenko was sworn in as an Officer in January of 2006 and posthumously promoted to Detective after his death in July of 2007. 
 
Det. Timoshenko and his family are Belorussian immigrants. The broader Russian community is one of the fastest growing on Staten Island and throughout New York City. With over 600,000 Russian-Americans living here, a ferry boat “Det. Russel Timoshenko” would serve as a strong permanent acknowledgement of their presence, and give our youth the opportunity to learn about a Russian-American hero. 
 
“Russel Timoshenko, just like all of our fellow immigrants, came to the Unites States with his parents for a better life. He joined the NYPD because he wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and have a meaningful career in the service of others. Russel was a member of the Russian American Officers Association for just a few months. His death was a devastating loss, not just to his family, but to our fraternal family, all of the NYPD and the Russian-American community at large. It would be an immense honor to see Russel’s name, in memory of his sacrifice, be displayed on a Staten Island ferry boat, a ferry he took for years while traveling to college along with his mom who was traveling to work. Russel gave his life to make our streets safer and we should do whatever we can to ensure that he will never be forgotten,” said Michael Belogorodsky, former president of theRussian American Officers Association.
 
 
“I am proud to say he is a Staten Islander, and extremely honored to be organizing this effort on behalf of his parents, who are my neighbors, and friends, and who have been helping the families of other fallen police officers cope with their loss over the last ten years,” said Joseph Borelli. “Their strength is inspiring.”
 
“Detective Timoshenko was a well-respected member of his community who dedicated himself to the protection of his fellow New Yorkers. The ferry is one of Staten Island’s most iconic features, and naming one of the boats in his honor gives the borough he called home, all of his loved ones, and our entire city a chance to remember a young man whose life was taken because of a senseless act of violence,” said Council Member Mark Treyger, 47th District.
 
“Detective Russell Timoshenko embodied so much  of what makes the people of this country and this city exceptional – in his courage as a police officer, his selfless service to his community and the ultimate sacrifice he made to protect all of us. Though his life was cut short by a cowardly act of violence, his brave legacy should be preserved – and what more fitting way to do that than have his name emblazoned on the ferry that has become an icon of the borough he called home,” said Minority Leader Steven Matteo.