Deputy Inspector Thomas Alps had to call in his patrol sergeant on Wednesday.
Sgt. Harold Murphy was being called back to the NYPD precinct to be part of a detail to greet a special VIP. He thought Cardinal Dolan was coming, but instead, he was in for a surprise.
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Murphy came back and joined the line of officers there to greet 'Cardinal Dolan.' It has been a long year for all police, but harder still for Sgt. Murphy. His son, Ryan, also a New York City police officer, has been in Afghanistan all year, serving as a sergeant with the U.S. Army.
Because of the time difference and his son's many responsibilities there, the two rarely even get to talk - and the elder Sgt. Murphy thought his son would be in Afghanistan for several more weeks.
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However, Ryan Murphy's unit came home a little early.
It took a moment to register, and at first, his dad didn't know what to do when seeing his son, but a gentle nudge was all it took before they gave each other a big hug.
"My heart's still pounding seeing him. Like any proud parent, I'm concerned and worried. Now I'm happy," said Sgt. Murphy.
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And while his son is a police officer, he says his dad never encouraged that life.
"He never raised me to do that job," he said.
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"I'll be honest, I had tears in my eyes - it was great," said Deputy Inspector Alps.
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