By Jeremy Peters
The New York Times
ALBANY, New York — Between the solemn invocations and bagpipe tributes on Wednesday afternoon, it was hard to overlook the fact that this year’s annual tribute to fallen New York police officers took place under unusually fraught circumstances.
Since police officers and their families gathered a year ago on the same shaded knoll outside the Capitol, where a black granite wall bears the names of officers killed in the line of duty, tragedy and uncertainty have rattled the New York State Police.
Two state troopers died on the job early last year, the fifth and sixth troopers killed in the line of duty since the beginning of 2006. Last week, a respected former State Police inspector committed suicide.
Adding to the strain, the State Police force is facing numerous inquiries into whether some of its members used their power to discredit and intimidate public officials.
Internal investigators are also looking into how the former governor, Eliot Spitzer, was able to arrange liaisons with prostitutes even though a State Police security detail was almost always supposed to be by his side.
“It’s just been a difficult time, a difficult couple of years for so many reasons,” said Daniel M. De Federicis, president of the Police Benevolent Association of New York State Troopers. “The troopers are resilient, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not difficult and they don’t think about it.”
There was a large contingent of state troopers at this year’s memorial service, which honored fallen law enforcement officers from across the state.
Just a day earlier, scores of troopers gathered in Newburgh, N.Y., to mourn the police inspector, Gary A. Berwick. For some of them, the looming investigations and recent misfortune were weighty burdens.
“When one of us is down, we’re all down,” said Harry J. Corbitt, superintendent of the State Police.
Mr. Corbitt said on Wednesday that his agency’s internal inquiry, which is examining, among other things, the procedures Mr. Spitzer’s security detail used when guarding him, was nearing completion.
He said that he expected to issue a report soon.
“My investigation was about protocol and procedures,” he added. “We may find some things that are incorrect.”
Gov. David A. Paterson, who asked the attorney general’s office last month to open an investigation into charges that some troopers compiled potentially embarrassing information about public officials, did not attend the ceremony. He was recovering from eye surgery on Tuesday to relieve pain caused by glaucoma.
A statement from Mr. Paterson was read at the service by Denise E. O’Donnell, the commissioner of the State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Like other words spoken on Wednesday, Mr. Paterson’s remarks praised the selflessness and bravery of the fallen officers but did not mention the inquiries that are hanging over the State Police.
Some troopers said they were not concerned about what the investigations might unearth.
“It will work out in the end,” Maj. Donald De Pass said. “The governor, he’s our leader. And he’s going to make sure anything that needs to be addressed will be addressed, because he wants people to have confidence in the police.”
Some were even almost inviting the investigations.
“The guys welcome it,” said First Sgt. Wayne Flores. “We think it will say there never was or is any rogue unit in the State Police.”