NORTH SYRACUSE -- Funeral services for fallen 31-year-old Trooper Amanda Anna, of Liverpool, were for Friday at 10:00 am at the North Syracuse Baptist Church.
Some 1400 police officers, friends, and family paid their respects, including Governor Andrew Cuomo.
New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico said, "To Trooper Amanda Ann, I stand with your friends colleagues and family of New York State Troopers to say Trooper Amanda Anna Shield 5304 thank you for a job well done. May god bless you and you rest in peace."
Trooper Anna was a 6-year-veteran of the force. She grew up in Fair Haven and went to Hannibal High School. Her survivors include her 4-year-old son. Her fiance shared her career with the state police. Trooper Andrew Lodge said, " Amanda defined who she was every day. Everyday she grew. Amanda became a more amazing person every day of her life, but never let any of us go. She would hold our hands and helps us be better than we were yesterday."
In the law enforcement community, showing respect for a fallen colleague isn't a part of the job - it's a way of life. Police from all around the northeastern United States gathered at the North Syracuse Baptist Church in North Syracuse on Friday morning to remember State Trooper Amanda Anna.
"She's one of us. We feel that we have to come here and open our hearts up. It's a tradition," said former State Police Investigator Terry Mullen. Mullen drove up from Sullivan County to play bagpipes at Trooper Anna's funeral.
Hundreds of police officers, sheriff's deputies and troopers from across the state lined up outside the church before and after the funeral. Not all of them knew Trooper Anna but wanted to support her family. Several people from the community also watched from the road. Tess Ither and her daughter wanted to let Trooper Anna's family and all the police know that they supported them.
"I'm showing her the tightness of the community and what one person can mean to hundreds of thousands of people," said Ither.
As police prepared for the funeral, several said Amanda Anna's death was a reminder of the dangers police officers face every day.
"We all put our lives on the line almost every day. It's just the nature of the job. We all took the oath and swore to do it. We know the inherent danger that comes with this and I think that the bond all these officers have together," said State Trooper Mike Franz.
After the funeral, Troopers folded the U.S. flag that was draped over Amanda Anna's casket. State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico then gave a flag to Trooper Anna's mother, Andrew Lodge and her four year old son.
Trooper Anna died in an on-duty crash last week. Police say she was traveling on County Route 37 in the Town of Hastings late last Friday night when she attempted to stop a violator and lost control on a curve. When her SUV hit a guide rail, it went airborne and flipped several times. State police officials say the cause of the crash remains under investigation
Trooper Anna will be buried in a cemetery in Fair Haven in neighboring Cayuga County, where she grew up.
