A group of retired NYPD officers are working to restore a historic 1987 Chevy Caprice police vehicle, providing a tribute to an officer who lost his life in the line of duty.
Per a report from Fox 5 New York, Officer Eddie Byrne was sitting in this 1987 Chevy Caprice 37 years ago when he was assassinated in Queens. The 22-year-old officer was shot five times while guarding the home of a witness in a case against a drug gang in 1988.
Now, retired officers Jason Caputo and John Schwartz, along with other members of the NYPD and Nassau County Police Department, have taken on the task of bringing the car back to its original condition as a tribute to Byrne’s sacrifice. That said, the job won’t be easy – in addition to damage sustained in the 1988 attack and the normal ravages of time, the vehicle was also flooded during Hurricane Sandy, and it survived a fire at the Erie Basin NYPD evidence warehouse.
Nevertheless, four years after the NYPD police offers initially sought permission to restore the Chevy Caprice, approval has finally been granted. The goal is to place the vehicle on display at the NYPD Police Academy, where future officers can see the risks of the job and the sacrifices made in the line of duty.
“Knowing that an officer at the age of 22 was shot because of his uniform, because of the vehicle he sat in, and the job he was doing,” says Caputo.
The restoration is expected to cost up to $50,000, which will be funded through private donations. The team hopes to complete the work within a year, in time for the next anniversary of Byrne’s death on February 26th. A key part of the memorial will be showcasing a bullet hole still visible on the vehicle, which the officers believe will send a powerful message about the dangers of police work.
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Comments
My town is buying 2 new Ford SUV police cars because they claim the Tahoes aren’t up to the task. Only saying. Bet these old Chevys could take the abuse.
That was true of the older Tahoe PPV’s but not the 2025 model year. More Agencies are leaving Ford PIU’s and going Tahoe PPV. Chevrolet sold out their entire PPV production run last few years.
My city started buying these after the Diplomat was discontinued. They were actually built in town at the last years of production and relatively reliable as far as the powertrain.
They had too many reliability issues and went to Crown Vics.
Nice tribute. Very moving. And only 22. Thank you.
The only thing that is wrong with the Tahoes is the sorry transmissions. If Chevy would put the 6.2 in them, they would be much better.
The Tahoe PPV only comes with the 6.2L engine
AI says 5.3 only.
I think this is a very honorable thing to tribute this murdered officer…I remember my grandfather talking about a similar incident that happened near his home. It was 1921 when a police detective was parked at a street corner not far from downtown when an unknown assailant came up from behind an shot him. The crime was never solved.