It was a predawn start for Dutchess County Deputy Joe Wasilewski ahead of his two-hour drive to Manhattan to honor a fallen brother in blue.

“It’s an honor to go down there and support my brothers and sisters. I'm proud of that. At the same time, it’s a horrible reason why I am going down there,” Wasilewski said.

Wasilewski and other officers from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s office traveled to Manhattan for the funeral of 22-year-old NYPD Officer Jason Rivera.

“It’s a second family, law enforcement, so you feel what any family feels in a time like this. It's tragic. We are here to go down and share our support, and that’s important that the family sees that and other members of law enforcement sees that. As tragic as it was and as tragic as it gets, we’re going to keep support each other more and more,” said Deputy Ryan Griffin with the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office.

That family presence at the service was felt far and wide as law enforcement officers lined the streets, some traveling from out of the city and out of state to pay their respects.

Gabriel Laureano and other officers traveled from Hartford, Connecticut to honor Rivera. Laureano says coming together in this tough time serves as a reminder of what's at stake.

“Although we physically didn’t know him, this is a family. Whether you’re a cop in Seattle, Washington, Oakland, California, Hartford, Connecticut, New York, it doesn’t matter. We all share a common bond and a love for helping people in the community and for tough times” said Laureano, who is a captain in the Hartford Police Department.

“It’s important, especially, for I think our new officers to come to these and see this is a dangerous job, to see what may happen to you and it reminds you why you do it,” he added.

Michael Campisano joined a caravan of other officers from Connecticut.

“I dont think I've missed one since I’ve been in Bristol. Almost 18 years,” Campisano said. “I go because I think it's important for the family. When the family drives by, I think it’s an incredible site for them to see as many police officers as they can so they realize that their son, daughter, husband didn’t die in vain, that they belong to this family.”

As the body of Rivera was led out of Manhattan, that law enforcement family rode right behind him, a show of solidarity and a way to say goodbye.