South Jersey pays respect as Deptford police prepare to say goodbye to Officer Shisler

In the days to come, there will be flag-draped salutes and somber processions, mournful bagpipes and law enforcement officers from throughout the country descending on Deptford Township, all to pay tribute to Officer Robert "Bobby" Shisler.

But for now, said Mayor Paul Medany, it's mostly about the Shisler family, and enveloping them in love, support and care in their time of profound grief.

"For us as an administration and as a township, we are here to support the Shisler family," Medany said Monday, a day after Bobby Shisler, a 27-year-old officer, succumbed to injuries he sustained in the line of duty during a March 10 confrontation.

"In the coming week, everything is aimed at his family and our police officers, the men and women who worked with Bobby, who are still doing their jobs. We want to make sure they're OK. This is so difficult for them."

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Shisler's brother is one of those officers, Medany said. He has not been on duty since the shooting that left his brother critically injured and killed Mitchell Negron, 24, at the scene.

"He had been at the hospital with the rest of the family, every single day," the mayor said. "People are asking about memorials, and I get it, but this is about the family right now. We have to help them get through this. The support has been overwhelming, but our concentration right now is his family: his mom and dad, brother and sister, his grandparents."

The details of the March 10 incident have not been made public and remain under investigation by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, as mandated by law when there is a shooting involving a law enforcement officer.

A honorable transfer for Shisler will take place Tuesday morning, with the officer's remains being taken from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office to Boucher Funeral Home.

Law enforcement personnel are asked to meet at the Deptford Township Community Center (1219 Delsea Drive) at 8:30 a.m. Fire departments wishing to take part can muster at the Bowlero Bowling Alley on the 1300 block of Delsea Drive at 8:30 a.m.

Members of the community are asked to line Delsea Drive between Cooper Street and Herman Avenue after 9:45 a.m. Delsea Drive will be closed between Cooper and Brenner Drive for at least 45 minutes, the police department said in a statement.

On Monday, a steady stream of people came to the township municipal building, which also houses the police department. The building was draped with black bunting; its electronic sign outside just a blue line lit on a black background. Shisler's patrol car was parked in front, with people dropping bouquets, kneeling to pray and pay their respects and show gratitude for the lifelong township resident's sacrifice.

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Melanie Knott was one of them, holding a bouquet of blue flowers. So was Eduardo Ocasio, a Vineland police officer who stopped by with his two children, Amanda, 16, and Noah, 11, each carrying a fragrant arrangement of white lilies.

"I wanted to show support for a fellow officer," said Ocasio. "This is devastating, for this community and for all of us. This is not just about Deptford; it's devastating for all of us around the state."

Tom Sullivan, a retired chief of detectives with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, wiped tears as he remembered Shisler as a "tremendous athlete" and "a hard-charger who gave everything in all he did."

"He was born and raised here," said Sullivan, who noted the Shisler family's deep roots in Deptford. "He died serving the community he loved. ... He was a true warrior who fought for two months, but in the end it was just too much."

Many of those who stopped by to pay tribute to Shisler wore black T-shirts with the Deptford Police Department logo and the officer's name on the front, and the phrase "We've got your six" on the back, a military reference to one's most vulnerable position.

Marie Snyder was one of them. She said Shisler was in the police academy with her daughter, "and Bobby was always very good to her." Snyder, a lifelong Deptford resident, said she knew the family and bought the shirt and a wristband with Shisler's name on it to support the family during the officer's nearly 2-month-long hospitalization, first at Cooper University Hospital and later at the University of Pennsylvania, where he died.

"It's all the little things you don't think about, but you still have to pay for," she said. "We just wanted to support them."

John Baraniecki Jr. and his wife Tracy wanted to show their support as well. Owners of a Kensington pizza shop, they said they've noticed a lack of respect for police officers in the troubled Philadelphia neighborhood and elsewhere.

"They should be honored, respected and cherished," Baraniecki said.

Shisler, he said, "was so young, and he was just a guy doing his job."

"Bobby Shisler made the ultimate sacrifice," said Sullivan, the retired officer.

"For two months he was an inspiration to a lot of people. I just hope he realizes under these circumstances how many people he brought together, from the police community, the Deptford community, all of Gloucester County. That's his legacy, as tragic as it is."

Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has called the region home since 1971. Contact her at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @wordsbyPhaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: How Deptford is paying tribute to fallen Officer Bobby Shisler