Funeral Arrangements Set for Fairfax County Police Officer
October 28, 2008 | Virginia News
2Lt. Frank Stecco drowned during a water rescue training exercise at Pohick Bay Regional Park on Tuesday, October 21, 2008. Second Lieutenant Stecco, 42, was assigned to the Youth Services Division, and served the Fairfax County Police Department for 19 years. Second Lieutenant is survived by his wife and three children.
The VACP requests that Virginia law enforcement officers shroud their badges through the day of memorial services for Lt. Stecco, Thursday, October 30.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, October 29 at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.
Funeral Services are scheduled for 11 a.m., Thursday, October 30 at Cecil D. Hylton Memorial Chapel, followed by Interment at Quantico National Cemetary and a Reception at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Click here for full details on Memorial Services and where to send Remembrances for Lt. Stecco
Divers located Second Lieutenant Frank Stecco at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday, October 25. He was found in Pohick Bay approximately 100 feet from the point at which he was reportedly last seen. Boats, dogs and divers were actively searching when the discovery was made.
The murky waters and the contours and make-up of the bottom of the bay made this a particularly difficult search. The use of technology aided in searching potential areas where Lt. Stecco may have been. Divers turned to meticulous hand-by-hand searches within a grid pattern. Divers likened this search to dropping a quarter on a football field and attempting to find it by hand.
Colonel David Rohrer, Chief of the Fairfax County Police Department, confirmed the recovery saying, “My heart goes out to Frank’s family; my heart goes out to his police family; and my heart goes out to the community Frank worked in and loved.”
Chief Rohrer called Lt. Stecco a highly decorated member of the department. Lt. Stecco was transported with full honors to include a motorcycle escort to the Medical Examiners Office.
Lt. Stecco was a volunteer role player in a police helicopter water rescue exercise at Pohick Bay Regional Park when he disappeared in the bay at 2:47 p.m. on October 21, 2008. Extensive air, ground and water search and rescue efforts began immediately and continued through the recovery today. Federal, state, and regional public safety and military agencies helped sustain the search, contributing sophisticated detection equipment, expertise, boats, helicopters, specially trained dogs and supplies.
Lt. Stecco joined the Fairfax County Police Department in 1989 and served 11 of his 19 years assigned to the Mount Vernon District station. His bold, proactive style of policing earned the respect and admiration of his peers and supervisors and helped distinguish him as a courageous and selfless officer. He was awarded a Silver Medal of Valor in 1994, a Bronze Medal of Valor in 1997, and a Certificate of Valor in 2000 by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce for acts of bravery above and beyond the call of duty.
Fueled by his passion and dedication for serving the children and teenagers of the county, Lt. Stecco opted to leave the Mount Vernon district and join the Department’s Youth Services Division just one month prior to his untimely death.
He leaves behind his wife, their three children, and his mother.
