In a deeply personal and public homage, Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles presented one of the officers of the New York City Police Department’s 62nd Precinct with the collar brass once worn by his late father, Raymond J. Coles—a symbol that ties generations of service and a connection to the precinct where his career began.
Inspector Coles, who passed away on September 7 at the age of 90, began his NYPD journey in Brooklyn’s 62nd Precinct in the late 1950s.
“In offering this collar brass back to the 62nd, we’re not just returning a badge—we’re returning the legacy of my father to the precinct where his service began,” Mayor Coles wrote in a letter to the Commanding Officer, Captain Mohammed Islam, of the 62nd Precinct.
Inspector Coles’ career with the NYPD carried him across multiple boroughs—from Harlem to Manhattan and notably Brooklyn. As Mayor Coles recalled: “His career in the NYPD took him to every corner of NYC … Everywhere it seems, except Staten Island, where he lived for the past 61 years.”
The 62nd Precinct, covering parts of Brooklyn, has long served as a stepping stone for officers rising through the ranks. By presenting his father’s collar brass to the precinct, Mayor Coles highlighted both the personal bond and the institutional continuity between father and precinct.
The formal presentation event was attended by members of the NYPD, acquaintances of the Coles family, and representatives from Lakewood.
Mayor Coles thanked the NYPD and the 62nd Precinct for accepting the item as part of his father’s story.
Collar brass—those small metal insignia worn on officers’ collars—represent rank, identity, and institutional affiliation. For the Coles family, the brass doesn’t simply mark one man’s career; it marks decades of service that began in NYC and extended into public life in New Jersey.
From Lakewood to Bais Hatalmud