Gus Tsiorvas reported to work at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
By 4 a.m., a professional camera crew and producers had arrived at his place of business—the beloved Embassy Diner in Bethpage.
By morning’s end, his siblings—all police officers, and in uniform—had dined with Long Island’s finest in the presence of “Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones.
“We love law enforcement, we love first responders. That’s what it’s all about. And we should feed them,” Tsiorvas said on air. “We should honor them and cherish them every day.”
Jones reported live on the scene from the beloved Long Island eatery as part of a local remote series regularly aired on the national morning program.
The Merrick-based nonprofit organization “Project Thank a Cop” co-sponsored the event with Fox & Friends–all keen on doing that; thanking not just a cop, but cops everywhere for their tireless service to protecting their respective communities.
“It was important to start ‘Thank a Cop’ because we were at a time where civilians didn’t have a really good feeling toward law enforcement,” co-founder Andy Fox told Lawrence. “And we wanted to send a message to these guys… that we have their backs. It’s a difficult job and we appreciate everything they do.
Added Maegan Fox: “Officers aren’t called for birthday parties; they’re with you when you’re at your worst.”
They were joined by a who’s who of notable faces islandwide, including the heads of the Suffolk County’s Sheriff’s Department, the county’s trustees, the deputy commissioner of Nassau County, and even wounded policeman in recovery, Officer Brendon Gallagher.
Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino and Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter were also in attendance.
“You never know what a cop’s been through,” Nassau Police First Deputy Commissioner Kevin P. Smith told Jones during Tuesday’s episode. “What he just came off of or what kind of tragedy he might have just seen.”
Lawrence then turned his sights on Errol Toulon, and prompted the Suffolk County Sheriff to weigh in on pressing state issues his jurisdiction regularly suffers; in particular, his office’s partnership with ICE to apprehend immigrant criminals both legal and illegal.
“...not only are they back on our street, they are a demise to all of our community,” Sheriff Toulon said. “They’re a threat. I think we really need to make sure that we are coming down on those individuals” and more permanently imprisoning repeat offenders.”
On investigating members of noted local gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, Toulon assured “we can’t release all the information,” but that he and law enforcement collaborators “are very fortunate to work with the governments of El Salvador, Ireland and Canada.”
For more information on how to get involved with the Project Thank a Cop team, visit their website: www.ptacop.org.
“Words are free; it costs nothing,” Maegan continued. “Speak up and do the right thing. Be a part of the good in the world.”