Patti Ann McDonald stood in the auditorium of the NYPD Police Academy in Queens on Monday and looked up at several screens illuminated with the face of her late husband, Detective Steven McDonald.
She stood alongside their son, Police Captain Connor McDonald, and fought back tears as they both gazed up at the image of the late officer, who had been left paralyzed after being shot in 1986 but worked as a tireless advocate for the NYPD for the rest of his life.
Now, nearly than a decade after Steven McDonald’s death, Patti Ann and Connor McDonald had the honor Monday of seeing the NYPD rename their police academy in his memory and honor.
Steven McDonald has become something of an NYPD legend over the years, an almost mythical figure whose images are displayed with pride at the start of every NYPD event at police headquarters — not because of his sacrifice, but because of how he lived, and the tremendous character he demonstrated to all he met.
McDonald was shot while on patrol in Central Park by a 15-year-old boy on July 12, 1986. The prognosis appeared bleak, bullets struck his face and spine; he was left a quadriplegic but survived to continue his crime-fighting mission in a much different way.
He would serve as a mentor to generations of officers who would join the rank-and-file in the years that followed, demonstrating incredible character. He visited local precincts to address officers during roll call not merely to provide cautionary tales about the job, but also help inspire them to do what’s right on duty and uphold their mission to the city.
“Steve McDonald is somebody that connects with all,” Connor McDonald said of his late father, who died in 2017. “And you might go through a very difficult time, and you might go home angry and frustrated, but I hope the cadets will learn from my father’s story.”
Beyond the call of duty, Connor McDonald also hopes officers learn also the power of forgiveness from his father’s legacy. Steven McDonald famously forgave the man who shot him — something most other crime victims may not be so willing to do.
“Love, compassion and forgiveness is something that in tough times, some people are lacking,” Connor McDonald said. “And my dad, that was the most important part of his message. I hope that the recruits and cadets can pick that up.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch echoed this sentiment, marking it as one of the core reasons for renaming the NYPD Police Academy, located in College Point, for Steven McDonald. She called him the kind of cop she hopes all of her officers will strive to be.
“Detective Steven McDonald is truly the embodiment of who we want our officers to be,” Tisch said, speaking on his willingness to forgive the most difficult of trespasses. “We remember not only the courage that he showed after his life was changed unimaginably, but the character Detective McDonald demonstrated through his refusal to be defined by bitterness, and his commitment to dignity and forgiveness.”
Both Patti Ann and Connor had a surprise meeting with Commissioner Tisch on Jan. 29. The pair did not know what she had in store and said they were left stunned when she proposed that the McDonald name would be forever etched in NYPD history.
“I’m not usually one that’s speechless, but when she mentioned to us that she wanted to name the academy after Steve, I was speechless, completely blown away — so honored and humbled that nine years after his passing, that she thought of doing something like this for us, and most importantly for Steven’s memory, and for the future police officers,” Patti Ann said.
Even after the shooting that altered the life of the McDonald family, he continued bearing the torch of the NYPD and proudly representing the department despite all that he and his family suffered, meeting with the likes of President George W. Bush and continuing to preach his message of forgiveness, something that only grew the admiration of fellow cops and family.
“He was left a quadriplegic on a respirator, and he did more for me than any able-bodied man could have done for me. I miss his encouragement and his pushing me to do different things, but I draw strength every day from the life that I had with him,” Patti Ann added.
With tears always on the edge of their eyes, both Patti Ann and Connor McDonald toured the state-of-the-art facility that houses everything from classrooms to realistic recreations of New York streets where officers in training can prepare for life-and-death scenarios. During the pair’s visit, they spoke with a class of recruits about the man whose name all who train there will soon know.
For Connor McDonald, who now continues his father’s legacy in the department and carries the memory every day with his dad’s wedding ring, he thought of his father’s advice, and the legacy he will continue for his own children.
“My dad was always hopeful, no matter what, no matter how bad things got. He always believed in good people,” Connor said. “Somebody said this to me after my dad passed. My dad can go to 125th Street in Harlem. He can go to Chinatown, to Breezy Point, and he can connect with anybody. You know, that was the most magnificent thing about my dad.”
The Academy will be officially renamed the Steven D. McDonald Police Academy during a July ceremony.
