Riverhead Town has scheduled a ceremony next month to commemorate the renaming of South Jamesport Avenue in memory of Det. Brian Simonsen.
Simonsen, a Jamesport native and a resident of Calverton, was killed in the line of duty Feb. 12 after responding to a report of an armed robbery in the Queens precinct he spent his career protecting.
He grew up in the family home on South Jamesport Avenue and is interred at Jamesport Cemetery.
The town board on April 16 voted to approve the honorary designation “Det. Brian Simonsen Way.”
Simonsen’s wife Leanne, mother Linda Petersen and grandfather Vernon Petersen attended the town board meeting last month to witness the adoption of the resolution.
Before casting their votes, town board members thanked his family and assured them Simonsen will never be forgotten in the Town of Riverhead.
The fallen officer’s family members said they were moved by and appreciated the town’s gesture.
“It shows a lot of respect and it’s a great tribute to him,” Linda Petersen said after the vote. “It makes me very happy that he was so well loved by so many people.”
The dedication ceremony and sign unveiling will take place on June 15 at 1 p.m. at the corner of Main Road and South Jamesport Avenue on the lawn of the George Young Community Center.
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