An NYPD Harbor Unit boat was named Monday for two officers killed in the line of duty in 1988.
The 45-foot rescue boat, named for Officers Michael Buczek and Christopher Hoban, was launched at a ceremony at NYPD’s Sunset Park Harbor Unit station house.
Buczek and Hoban were shot in separate incidents just three hours apart on Oct. 18, 1988, according to the NYPD. Buczek, 24, was shot by one of the two suspects his partner was trying to arrest on a drug charge in Washington Heights. Hoban, 26, was shot during a narcotics buy-and-bust operation in Manhattan.
“These two NYPD cops, who didn’t know each other in life, have become inseparable in the 30 years since their deaths,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said in a statement. “They worked in different commands, but they wore the same uniform. They shared the same mission and they both believed in this department, in this city, and most importantly, in the people they served.
“This vessel will serve as another lasting reminder of the service, courage, and sacrifice these men embodied during their careers,” he added. “This launch is now part of their legacies, and it’s a symbol of the cause to which these heroes devoted their lives.”
The boat, Harbor Launch 455, has a 14 1/2-foot beam and contains dual Volvo D13 engines with 800 horsepower and a top speed of more than 42 knots, according to the NYPD. It can hold up to 24 people.
