“Thank you, Lieutenant Giorgio. Commissioner Kelly; Deputy Inspector Nicholson; And distinguished guests, especially Maria and Pedro Enchautegui, and Yolanda Rosa: Good morning to you all.

“Detective Daniel Enchautegui lived in this community, just a few blocks from here. And it was there, in the pre-dawn hours of a December morning last year, that he responded to a burglary in progress while he was off-duty, and gave his life protecting the rest of us. Being here brings back the sorrow we all felt that day—because when we lost Daniel, we lost a piece of our city’s future. 

“But this ceremony also reminds us of everything Daniel achieved in his all-too-short life. Because he was truly one of the finest of New York’s Finest. He demonstrated that every day of his three years of service with the NYPD. And he showed it on the final morning of his life when, although mortally wounded, he nevertheless brought down his armed assailants.

“We all admire Daniel for his extraordinary bravery—especially because he put that courage in service to others. And that’s the true meaning of the badge he carried and the uniform he wore.

“He served under Deputy Inspector Nicholson’s command in the 40th Precinct—the heart of the South Bronx. Not so many years ago, the words “South Bronx” conveyed neglect, and decay, and despair. But thanks to Daniel, and to his fellow officers, that has begun to change—and change dramatically. Today, crime in the 40th Precinct is more than 16% lower than it was five years ago.  Murder is down nearly 45%. And as a result, new businesses, new jobs, new housing, and new hope are coming to the South Bronx.

“That’s what Daniel helped achieve in the brief span of years granted him. Because of him and his brothers and sisters in the NYPD, and also because of the heroism of our Bravest in the Bronx, including Engine Company 75’s Firefighter Michael Reilly, and Fire Lieutenant Howard Carpluk, Jr. of Engine Company 42, both of whom fell in the Mount Eden fire on Sunday. Decent and hard-working people across the borough are creating homes, raising families, and building better futures for themselves and their children.

“That’s why we’ll always be grateful to Detective Daniel Enchautegui.  And renaming the block where he lived in his honor is one way for us to show our gratitude and respect.

“We’re also here to commit ourselves to continuing the work that he so heroically advanced:  Making our great city even safer. And we’re doing that by working to remove illegal guns from our streets. We’ve come a long way in reducing violence in our city.  Nevertheless, last year, Daniel was one of more than 300 New Yorkers whose lives were taken by gunfire. And as we have seen in recent days, senseless gun violence continues to occur in the Bronx.

“To halt it, we’ve stepped up enforcement against illegal guns, we’ve worked to pass legislation that toughens punishment of those who possess and sell these weapons, and we’re acting to choke off the flow of illicit firearms into our city.

“Every time these efforts succeed, we’ll be honoring Daniel’s spirit. And my fondest wish would be that, God willing, in the future the people of our city won’t have to come together again to re-name more of our streets in honor of slain heroes like Daniel.

“So may God bless the memory of this good and valiant man. And may God bless and protect all the men and women of the NYPD.”