Late Queens deputy police chief remembered
Deputy Chief Steven Silks described as ‘charming intelligent man’ and friend of top cop
BY BILL PARRY
Services were held on June
11 at The Reform Temple of
Forest Hills to honor NYPD
Deputy Chief Steven Silks,
the 62-year-old deputy chief
of Patrol Borough Queens
North, who was found dead
of an apparent self-inflicted
gunshot wound in Forest Hills
on June 5, one month before
his mandatory retirement.
“He lived for the NYPD,
he had such enthusiasm for
the job and for life itself,
which makes this difficult
to understand,” said NYPD
Detectives Endowment
President Michael Paladino,
his friend of 35 years. “He was
one of the nicest human beings
I have ever met.”
Heidi Harrison Chain,
the longtime president of the
112th Precinct Community
Council, agreed.
“When he came to Queens
North which is headquartered
at the precinct he immediately
adopted the council and we
were lucky to have him,” Chain
recalled following Silks’ wellattended
funeral which she
called moving and touching.
“He was a very caring man. A
charming and very intelligent
man who loved the NYPD.”
Silks began his illustrious
39-year career in September
1980 and rose steadily through
the ranks until he was
promoted to Deputy Chief in
December 2006. Silks was also
second in command at the
Police Academy where he was
responsible for heavy weapons
training in the wake of the
Sept. 11 attacks.
He was an avid biker who
once rode coast to coast, he
climbed Mount Everest and
worked on a NASCAR pit crew.
Silks was a gun collector,
hunter, rower, a member of the
Rockaway Polar Bear Club and
an aficionado of fine cuisine.
He was awarded the Ellis
Island Medal of Freedom and
the NYPD Holy Name Society
Man of the Year Awards.
“He was a dedicated
lifelong public servant, an avid
outdoorsman, a marathoner, a
mountain climber and most
importantly, he was a friend,”
Police Commissioner James
O’Neill said at an unrelated
press conference. “Steve truly
was one of the most capable
and most dependable cops this
job has ever seen, his entire
career, much of his adult life
in fact, was devoted to New
York City, to its police officers
and to fighting crime and to
protecting all the people we
serve. He wanted to make our
great city a better place for
all. And he certainly did that
every day.”
Silks was not married and
did not have children, and he
was survived by his sister
Cindy, his brother John and
many nieces and nephews.
Following his funeral
service, NYPD officers were
invited to meet his family
during a celebration of Silks’
life at the West Side Tennis
Club, not far from where his
body was discovered in his
unmarked car in the shadow
of Forest Hills Stadium.
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
Relieve Pain.
Regain Your Life.
ONE ON ONE PATIENT CARE
TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM JUNE 14-20, 2019 13
/schnepsmedia.com
/TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM