By Elyse Carmosino
The Advocate
BATON ROUGE, La. — A little over a week after two Baton Rouge police officers were killed when the helicopter they were piloting crashed, the pair were lauded Thursday at a public memorial service as “heroes” who were “two of the best” at their craft.
Addressing a crowd of hundreds of law enforcement officers, first responders and family members at Istrouma Church in Baton Rouge, Police Chief Murphy Paul said Sgt. David Poirrier and Cpl. Scotty Canezaro were department standouts because of their “selfless service” and dedication to the force.
“They were elite,” echoed retired BRPD Capt. John Gonzales. “There’s not a crew in the state I would choose over David and Scotty.”
Poirrier, 47, and Canezaro, 38, served with the police department for 17 and 16 years, respectively, and were assigned to BRPD’s Air Support Unit. Both officers were licensed helicopter pilots and trained tactical flight officers who played a “major role in capturing fleeing suspects during active pursuits,” the department said.
The men were killed March 26 when the helicopter they were flying in pursuit of a hit-and-run suspect crashed in a sugar cane field off North Winterville Road near Erwinville around 2:30 a.m.
Gonzales said Poirrier, whom he referred to as “OG” because he was the only remaining pilot of the department’s original Air Support Unit, had “an uncanny ability” to spot things others missed.
“I often said that David, when using that FLIR camera and helicopter, could find a needle in a haystack, while the rest of us would have trouble just finding the haystack,” he said.
Poirrier, known for his unwavering tenacity and demanding leadership style, needed a partner who could balance his intensity, Gonzales said.
He found that in Canezaro.
“Scotty was really a perfect match for David,” Gonzales said. “Scotty had a great attitude and approached every task with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.”
BRPD Cpl. Edwin Beraud said that when he first met Canezaro at the recruiting office for the department’s training academy, he was initially annoyed by Canezaro’s inquisitiveness.
Despite their rocky start, however, the men soon became close friends.
“If you knew Scotty, you loved Scotty,” Beraud said.
He added that Canezaro was creative and adept at figuring out how to use new technology. He also appeared unfazed by the academy’s tests of physical and mental endurance.
Still, Canezaro “never bragged much of his accomplishments,” Beraud said. “When he left the streets and went to Air Support, that was a perfect fit for him.”
The FAA initially reported that the pair’s aircraft’s tail rotor hit a tree, causing it to crash upside down. However, the agency revised its preliminary report days later to say that the cause of the crash was unknown.
Investigators with the FAA, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board, are conducting a more thorough investigation to determine what may have happened in the minutes leading up to the crash. A full analysis is expected to be released in the next year or two.
Former police chief Jeff Leduff, who retired from the department in 2010, said Poirrier and Canezaro embodied what it meant to serve others.
“It’s not how these men died that made them heroes,” Leduff said, “it’s how they lived their lives.”
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