On the second anniversary of the day Syracuse lost two of its own, a bronze statue now stands in Tipperary Hill’s James Pass Arboretum.
The statue depicts a kneeling officer holding a folded American flag. It honors Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen, who was 29, and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Hoosock, who was 37. Both were killed in the line of duty in April 2024.
The ceremony took place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, organized by the Tipperary Hill community itself. This was not a government project. This was neighbors deciding that two men who gave their lives protecting this city deserved something permanent.
This story came from public records we pulled ourselves
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The Ceremony
At 9:35 a.m., two helicopters flew low over the arboretum: the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Air 1 and a New York State Police helicopter. The flyover marked the moment of silence.
Syracuse Police Sgt. Thomas Blake spoke at the ceremony. His words were direct: the monument “now stands as a bidding tribute to two men who gave everything in the service of others.”
Family members, fellow officers from both the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, and residents of Tipperary Hill attended. The neighborhood that is known for its upside-down traffic light and its Irish pubs showed up for something heavier on this morning.
The Officers
Michael Jensen was from Rome, New York. He was 29 years old when he was killed. He served with the Syracuse Police Department.
Michael Hoosock was from Clay. He was 37. He held the rank of Lieutenant with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.
Both men died responding to the same incident in April 2024. The details of that day are still painful for the families and the departments. What matters now is that they are remembered.
IN MEMORIAM
THE MEMORIAL
Tipperary Hill
The James Pass Arboretum sits in one of the most tight-knit neighborhoods in Syracuse. Tipperary Hill, on the city’s west side, is historically Irish-American and is known nationally for the upside-down traffic light at the corner of Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue, where the green light sits on top because the neighborhood’s Irish residents refused to have British red above Irish green.
It is also home to Coleman’s, Kitty Hoynes, and a community that takes care of its own. The memorial was funded and organized by residents, not by city or county government. That says something about this neighborhood.
THE CEREMONY
The upside-down traffic light at the corner of Tompkins and Milton has been that way since 1925, when Irish residents smashed every standard light the city installed until officials gave up and flipped the green to the top. The city resolved the dispute on March 17, 1928. Nearly 100 years later, the same neighborhood that fought city hall over a traffic light organized and funded a bronze memorial without asking permission from anyone.
What to Know
- Bronze memorial revealed April 14, 2026 at James Pass Arboretum in Tipperary Hill
- Honors SPD Officer Michael Jensen (29, Rome, NY) and OCSO Lt. Michael Hoosock (37, Clay)
- Both killed in the line of duty in April 2024
- Statue depicts a kneeling officer holding a folded flag
- Sgt. Thomas Blake spoke at the ceremony
- Sheriff’s Air 1 and NYS Police helicopter flew over at 9:35 a.m.
- Memorial organized and funded by the Tipperary Hill community
- James Pass Arboretum is in the neighborhood known for the upside-down traffic light
Hero photo: Tipperary Hill Memorial Park, Syracuse (Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA). Sources: Spectrum News.
