Patriarch Of NYPD Family Retires After 36 Years, Says 'I Wish I Could Do It For Another 10'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The patriarch of a real life "Blue Bloods" family retired Tuesday.
NYPD Lt. Wayne Costello was honored by fellow officers and his family.
"It's rather bittersweet after 36 and a half year," Costello said. "To be honest, I wish I could do it for another 10."
The proud, yet humble, man said his goodbyes to dozens of fellow police officers as he left Queens Central booking for the last time. The moment was even more meaningful, because Costello has many officers in his own family, CBS2's Nancy Espinosa reported.
"There's been a member of the Costello family - direct lineage - present in the New York City police department since 1946. It was my father, my brother, my uncle, my three sons and my three nephews," he said.
A strong family unit, similar to the popular television show, Blue Bloods. Is that how they would describe themselves?
"Yeah, that would be a nice comparison," Wayne's son, Chris, said.
His sons said it was a great experience to see him retire Tuesday, but they will certainly miss seeing him within the department.
"He loves this job," Chris said. "He loves working for this city."
"It's a little heartbreaking to see. He loves the job," his son Ryan said.
His oldest son, Wayne, said they'll still talk shop around the family table.
"Once you get in, you can't get out really," he said.
Costello was a mentor to many, including Capt. Brian Bily.
"Whatever problem you had would always be solved by Wayne," he said.
Costello said the one piece of advice he leaves to his sons and every police officer is to treat residents as you would want to be treated.
When asked what he would miss the most about the job, he said "it's the people. It's not so much the job. It's actually the people. I deal with amazing people. Every day we deal with the police officers coming in, with arrests every single day, and every day is a new adventure."
The Costello family plans to have a retirement bash in February.
