BOSTON (WHDH) - The family of fallen Massachusetts Institue of Technology officer Sean Collier will be taking out a full-page ad in some major publications in Boston in support of police officers.
Officer Collier’s family said they wanted to do this to remind everyone of the sacrifices members of law enforcement and their families make to protect the public in the midst of debates to defund departments.
“Sean was a person behind the badge and his ultimate goal in life was to help people, and serve his community and get to know the people that he served and that is what we believe the police officers in the Commonwealth and across the country…that is also their ultimate goal,” Collier’s sister Nicole Lynch said.
Collier was just 27 years old when he was shot and killed days after the bombing in 2013.
His murder set off a manhunt and a lockdown in Boston and a number of surrounding communities.
While her brother will always be remembered for his sacrifice, Lynch said she will always remember his smile.
“Everything about him was always a weighed and measured decision as far as what was right and wrong and he was definitely one of the good ones,” she said.
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As calls for police defunding and reform continue in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the family joined with several law enforcement agencies to remind people about the humanity of many police officers.
“It’s disturbing and it’s disheartening and you know, we just want everybody to know that there are good cops out there,” Lynch said. “There really isn’t a purpose to the timing, it has nothing to do with the election, it just was something that has been weighing heavily on our hearts and our minds to get it out there.”
The ad will run in the Boston Globe Friday and Sunday and the Boston Herald on Friday.
The Collier family said they hope no one will forget his sacrifice.
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