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Officer Francesco Scorpo, 34, was "a dedicated public servant who served our profession and our community with pride, honor and distinction," Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said.
Scorpo joined the department in July 2015 and served in both the Patrol and Traffic Divisions.
"A dedicated son, husband and father, Officer Scorpo was a family man who cared so very much about people and his profession," Speziale said. "He will be remembered not only for being an exemplary police officer, but as an exceptional and very special human being.
Mayor Andre Sayegh called him "an exemplary police officer and the consummate professional. I always enjoyed seeing him in action. My sympathetic sorrow goes out to his family."
"For those who knew Officer Scorpo well, there can be no doubt that his dedication for helping others, was matched by his love for this job, his co-workers, his family and his love for life itself," Speziale and Police Chief I.M. Baycora wrote in a letter Sunday to the department.
"Today we are reminded of the very real risk that we assume when we answer the call to serve as police officers," they added.
"This profession is a most certainly a dangerous one, but also one with great nobility," Speziale and Baycora wrote. "Officer Scorpo embodied that nobility when he came to work each day to server our community....Just as his immediate family will never forget, so shall his police family."
Scorpo is survived by his wife of six years, Kristina, and two sons, Francisco Jr. (4) and Santino (6 months), as well as his father, Sebastiano “Sam” Scorpo, and his mother, Anna.
"In the days to come we will all grieve the loss of Officer Scorpo," their superiors' letter to the department read. "For some of us this will come in the way of sadness, for others it will mean anger, frustration, or a myriad of other feelings....Whatever we face, we will face it together.
"We will mourn our brother together and we will support his family together."
Both expressed the hope that, going forward, "we can come to work with the same love and commitment that Officer Scorpo showed us every day.
"Never forget that while this administration appreciates your commitment to this department and this city. We strive to also support your life commitment to your families," the letter read. "Should you find yourself having a difficult time in the coming days, we strongly encourage you to reach out to someone so that our family may stand by you and yours in any way that we can."
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