Honoring Lieutenant Michael Hoosock and Officer Michael Jensen
The Onondaga County Legislature has approved plans to honor two fallen heroes at the county’s Emergency Operations Center in Liverpool.
The center on Electronics Parkway near 7th North Street will be named in honor of Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Michael Hoosock. He was killed in April 2024 along with Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen after responding to a call in the Town of Salina. The site is in Legislator Debra Cody’s 5th District.
“As our community continues to mourn the loss of Lt. Hoosock and Officer Jensen, it is fitting that we honor their dedication and sacrifice at our Emergency Management Complex in Salina” she says. “We will forever be grateful for their selfless bravery and service. Honoring their legacy here will ensure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Legislator Mark Olson, who chairs the Public Safety Committee and is a lifetime firefighter in Fayetteville, agrees, saying that having the name on the building will be “a constant reminder to all who walk through its doors of what dedication, sacrifice, and courage look like.”
He adds that “Michael embodied the very best of public safety—his service wasn’t confined to a single department or job description. He gave his time, his energy, and ultimately his life to the people of Onondaga County. His commitment to public safety crossed boundaries and disciplines.”
In addition to serving with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Lt. Hoosock was their liaison with the Emergency Operations Center, was a paramedic with various agencies, and was a firefighter with Moyers Corners Fire Department (having previously served with the Lyncourt Fire Department).
The Legislature approved an honor for Officer Jensen at the Emergency Operations Center as well. A ‘Wall of Heroes’ will be created to remember fallen first responders and it will bear Officer Jensen’s name. An advisory committee made up of local first responders will be created to establish criteria for who will be honored on the wall and the overall look of it, and then work continuously to help determine eligibility.
“These honors ensure we never forget both of these men and what they did” said the Legislature’s Chairman, Timothy Burtis. “They’ll be remembered for the sacrifice they made that night as they worked to protect all of us, but they’ll also be celebrated for all they did, their dedication to public service and helping others.”
Legislator Mark Olson presents the resolution naming the Emergency Operations Center in honor of Lt. Hoosock to Commissioner Daniel Wears of the Department of Emergency Management.