Law enforcement from several departments across the Commonwealth stood alongside the body of Sgt. Ian Taylor for a procession from Lahey Hospital to the Boston Medical Examiner.
Hundreds of officers gathered along the street and in the motorcade stretching about 18 miles from Burlington to Boston.
The Billerica police officer since 2011 was struck and killed by an excavator while working at a construction site on Boston Road Friday.
Taylor was a 21-year veteran of law enforcement.
Officers from across the state consoled each other emotionally outside the medical examiner’s office.
“This ceremonial procession is part of our police culture,” said Todd McGhee, a law enforcement and security expert who served 20 years with the Massachusetts State Police. “I hope it never ends.”
McGhee told Boston 25 he has participated in several motorcades for his department’s officers and many others across New England.
He added: “The range of emotions is limitless. The emotions you are experiencing are very real. They force you to think about your career, about your life.
The investigation into the incident on Boston Road on Friday is still in its early stages.
McGhee urged all law enforcement officers who are having difficulty to contact mental health resources in their respective departments.
He finished: “Now is not the time to be emotionally courageous. It’s about being healthy, being emotionally whole, and being able to sort through these different thoughts and feelings… Every police officer has that feeling of, “Wow, that could have been me.” »
The Billerica Police Department said a public vigil will be held Sunday in the Billerica Memorial High School courtyard from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
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