Det. Sgt. James Stapleton, 26-year Suffolk police veteran, dies at 49

Det. Sgt. James Stapleton was the kind of cop who other cops admired.

The 26-year Suffolk police officer was dedicated and driven, and knew how to make his colleagues laugh.

"You would be hard pressed to find one person without a kind word to say about him," said Det. Sgt. Keith Serper of the Fourth Squad, who knew Stapleton for 10 years.

"He touched a lot of lives," Serper said.

Serper described Stapleton as a "truly selfless individual who would go above and beyond to help someone in need and always treated everyone with respect."

Stapleton died Saturday following a battle with cancer. He was 49, the police department said in announcing his death.

Stapleton's former commanding officer at the Fourth Precinct, Det. Lt. Michael Crowley said: "Jimmy was what we should all aspire to be as police officers and one of the most dedicated men I’ve seen 35 years of law enforcement."

During his career, Stapleton received 10 command recognitions and three departmental recognitions.

"Detective Sergeant James Stapleton truly exemplified what it means to be a member of the Suffolk County Police Department through his work ethic, dedication to duty, and character," acting county police Commissioner Stuart Cameron said in a statement. "The Suffolk County Police family has suffered a tremendous loss with his passing and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."

Stapleton entered the police academy in October 1995, the department said.

He started as a uniformed patrol officer for 10 years in the Fifth Precinct, which covers communities such as Brookhaven and Sayville, and the Sixth Precinct, which covers Centereach and Coram.

In May 2006, Stapleton was promoted to detective.

In September 2019, he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to Fourth Precinct Patrol and then the Fourth Precinct Crime Section this July.

Most recently, Stapleton was promoted to the rank of detective sergeant in the Identification Section, which maintains and operates the police photo lab.

But it was his time working as an undercover narcotics officer at the Fourth Precinct that helped cement his reputation as a cop's cop, colleagues said.

Crowley said Stapleton was often seen in his sweatshirt, jeans and boots on the streets working with confidential informants to target drug dealers. He worked on one of the first cases that led to the prosecution of a dealer who sold drugs that caused an overdose.

"He was a consummate professional who worked tirelessly to target the opioid epidemic that has plagued our area," Crowley said.

His quick wit and dry sense of humor lifted up everyone he worked with, Crowley said.

Fourth Precinct Insp. Michael Romagnoli said Stapleton’s loss will be felt "not only as a colleague but as a friend."

"James was a fantastic human being and one of the finest officers and detectives I have had the honor of meeting in my 34-years as a police officer," Romagnoli said in a statement.

Robert Viscuso, of the Suffolk County Police Superior Officers Association, said that when Stapleton became sick, he offered to help others instead of himself.

"Jimmy battled an utterly evil disease with admirable courage," Viscuso said in a statement.

A private funeral Mass for Stapleton will be held later this week.