Condolences are pouring in from fellow law enforcement personnel and agencies across the state to the Syracuse Police Department and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, following a shooting Sunday night in Salina that left Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen and Onondaga County Sheriff Lt. Michael Hoosock dead.

What You Need To Know

  • Condolences are pouring in from fellow law enforcement personnel and agencies across New York state to the Syracuse Police Department and Onondaga Sheriff’s Office

  •  "The best way to honor those guys is to do your job," said Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter

  • “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Syracuse and Onondaga County community," said Rochester Police Chief David Smith

Law enforcement agencies in Rochester and Monroe County are among the many communities supporting their neighboring brothers and sisters in Syracuse and Onondaga County.

They are offering support in the way of additional staff and emotional support.

Leaders say it's times like these that law enforcement agencies come together and lean on each other as the one big family that they are.

“These guys and gals put on this uniform daily 24 hours a day, seven days a week, you never know exactly what’s coming," said Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter, reacting to the line of duty deaths of Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Hoosock and Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen on Sunday.

“I believe that people have a new level of brazenness toward law enforcement and if that doesn’t scare the community I don’t know what will," said Sheriff Baxter.

He and Rochester Police Chief David Smith describe their reaction when first hearing the news of the two line of duty deaths.

“Uh, I can’t say it on the news. I’m frustrated. I’m angry. I’m hurt," Baxter said. "Are we serious, again?”

“My first reaction was, 'Oh no, not again," said Smith.

The death of the well-respected and well-decorated RPD Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz still weighs heavily on the minds of the department. He was ambushed, gunned down and murdered on the job. His partner also shot but survived.

This September will mark 10 years since Rochester Police Officer Daryl Pierson was shot and killed in the line of duty.

And just last month, Genesee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello passed away in a line-of-duty death at Batavia Downs, a case that is still under investigation.

“You just keep working," Smith said. "It’s what we do. It’s always in the back of your mind. You never forget, it never really goes away. But you have the work. The work has meaning. We have our families. We have our law enforcement families. And we just get through it."

The sheriff has advice for the rank and file struggling with the loss of one of their own.

“Well first of all, it’s OK to have feelings about it," Baxter said. "It’s OK to be going through those steps of grievance right, the anger the denial the resisting the whole idea, the questioning what happened, just like a loved one of yours passes away. You do the same thing. It’s OK. Go through that process. Second, the best way to honor those guys is go do your job today. That there’s someone calling 911, someone needs our help and these guys still go, these gals still go, 'These are heroes that are still taking calls today.' So that’s who we can never forget who we are and never forget what we represent.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Syracuse and Onondaga County community," said Smith.