“He wasn’t a bully or something like that, or an actual pushy man,” mentioned John Reilly, 67, a retired lieutenant who supervised Mr. Webster. “Simply one of many guys. Some cops are very aggressive and stuff like that — he actually wasn’t.”
Mr. Brigida mentioned former navy personnel like Mr. Webster had been usually a minimize above. “One step forward of the brand new cops,” he mentioned. “They know how one can cope with the general public. They know how one can deal with irritating conditions.”
He labored in public housing complexes within the Bronx, and later, on the streets in plain garments. Whereas working high-crime assignments, he by no means fired his weapon, which isn’t unusual all through the Division, however his supporters counsel it reveals a capability to de-escalate conflicts with out speeding to final resorts. He drove an hour to work from his residence within the rural village of Monroe, N.Y., on a avenue close to a lake the place he counted two different officers and a retired navy couple as neighbors. He developed an curiosity in dust bikes and A.T.V.s, accumulating a small fleet and instructing older youngsters within the neighborhood how one can trip.
“He all the time took us to the races, he all the time confirmed us the paths,” mentioned Matthew Moritz, 27, who lived close to Mr. Webster as a youngster, and who now owns an A.T.V. dealership. “With out him, I most likely would have fallen out of the game,” he mentioned.
At work, Mr. Webster was ultimately transferred to the Division’s firing vary to coach officers. That posting, Mr. Brigida mentioned, is indicative of Mr. Webster’s good standing within the division.
“You don’t get assigned to the New York Metropolis police firing vary until you could have an excellent popularity,” he mentioned. “That’s not the place you’ll conceal any individual with a checkered previous, put it that approach. You conceal them in a closet someplace at 1 Police Plaza to reply a phone.”
Later in his profession, as 2010 approached, he was once more transferred to a different outstanding place, in an intelligence element that protected Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Mr. Webster was posted, in uniform, on the mayor’s occasions and appearances, his lawyer, James E. Monroe, mentioned in a submitting. His efficiency evaluations, submitted in court docket by Mr. Monroe, are persistently passable. “Officer Webster is ready to assess a scenario, and use the details out there to make appropriate selections and take correct motion,” Mr. Reilly, his supervisor, wrote in a typical evaluate.