John Bligh
- Retired supervisor of school security
- Patrol Borough Bronx West
“To know Fred was to love Fred,” said Sabrina Crockett, Freddy Concepcion’s colleague for more than 30 years. “He was who he was. He spoke his mind. If he could help you, he would help you. If he couldn’t, he would direct you to where you could get help. Anybody and everybody, he always tried to help.”
Freddy, age 58, died of coronavirus on May 6.
Calling him her “work brother,” Crockett credits Fred with mentoring her when she started working at Bronx West. “Freddy was an honest person. He was straightforward, right to the point,” Crockett said. His former chapter leader, Calvin Lloyd, now retired, remembers this trait as well. “Freddy always spoke his mind,” Lloyd recalled, saying it was never necessary to guess Freddy’s feelings on any matter.
Freddy joined the New York Police Department in 1983 and was promoted to supervisor of school security in 1990. He was assigned to various precincts, schools and commands during his career. In 1999, he was assigned to Bronx West, where he remained until his retirement in March 2019.
Three years ago, he married his wife, Troyce. He “was really family oriented,” Crockett said. Freddy also had a cat and a dog he loved. Crockett said he was “an awesome cook,” and one of his specialties was BBQ ribs.
Prior to his work as a supervisor of school security, Freddy served in the U.S. Air Force for a number of years, Crockett said.
He knew what was important and had a way of going above and beyond for colleagues. Crockett recalls when her mother was sick, Freddy sought permission to drive her to the hospital in Manhattan from their command in the Bronx, getting her there in 20 minutes, a trip that would have taken her much longer otherwise. “I am eternally grateful for that,” she said.
In addition to his wife Troyce, Freddy is survived by his mother, Maria; his sisters, Yvonne and Yolanda; his brother, Jose; his stepdaughter, LeShawna; his nieces, Yasmin, Lillian and Diona; three great-nieces; and his step-grandchildren, Jason, Chase, Amari and Calia.
My brother Freddy served in the United States Air Force from 1979 until July, 1983 and was promoted to Sgt. where he worked as an EMT on the base. He was an advent animal lover and there was not a dog or cat that needed saving that he would not care for. He loved working with kids and had earned his BA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College in 1990s.
Freddy’s family continues to grieve and deal with a major loss. We will never be the same.
A future reference on names, my oldest brother’s, since Freddy was the youngest of two boys, is actually Jose and his nieces are Yasmin, Lillian and correct spelling for Diona.
If you require thorough information on my brother, please do not hesitate to contact me. I knew him for 55 years and he led quite an interesting life and deserves to be properly honored and remembered for his legacy.
Thank you.