Police officer memorialized: ‘She was small, but she loved and cared so big’
FORT LAUDERDALE — Michael Sepot held his 2-yearold daughter, Sophie, as his wife, Jennifer, a 27-year-old Fort Lauderdale police officer, was taken from the hearse and into Abundant Life Church in Margate on a sunny Friday morning.
Jennifer Sepot died Saturday morning from conditions related to COVID-19. She’s survived by Michael, a Margate police officer, and Sophie. She was a member of the police for four years in the road patrol division.
Jennifer is at least the fourth South Florida law enforcement officer to die from COVID-19-related symptoms in the past week. West Palm Beach and Miami Beach police, and the Florida Highway Patrol have all sustained COVID-19 deaths to officers and troopers recently.
“Over the past 18 months COVID has made a devastating impact at home and abroad,” new Fort Lauderdale police chief Larry Scirotto said. “We have seen the pain and suffering has affected first responders across the country. We have mourned losses of neighboring agencies and suffered with them. Many of those agencies are here today, and we thank you for your support.”
Minutes before Jennifer was carried into the church, hundreds of law enforcement personnel and firefighters from numerous local municipalities lined the road and saluted to pay their respects as the hearse pulled into the church parking lot and up to the front door.
A contingent of motorcycle officers led the procession, which included Jennifer’s family members.
Jennifer’s full line of death duty honors included the Fort Lauderdale police honor guard, and bagpipers and drummers from multiple municipalities.
The memorial service was open only to law enforcement, firefighters, family and friends.
Fort Lauderdale police memorialized Jennifer by parking her police car in front of the station at 1300 W. Broward Boulevard. Police invited the community to visit the memorial.
Jennifer was buried at Lauderdale Memorial Park Cemetery.
Scirotto was among many dignitaries who attended the service.
Those who spoke described a caring mother, wife, daughter and police officer, someone who always smiled when speaking of her family, someone who loved showing others videos of Sophie, loved cooking, ordered seafood with milk because although she was allergic she loved seafood, and someone who had watched every episode of the television show “Friends,” but still laughed heartily at the jokes.
“When I started talking to her brothers and sisters,” Scirotto said, “I was quick to realize that Jennifer was a great cop, but she was a better human being.”
Scirotto related the story of how Jennifer and another officer helped an 85-year-old woman who was boarding a bus and had her groceries stolen. The officers went shopping the next day, cooked food, and delivered homecooked meals to the woman.
Officer David Santiago talked about Jennifer’s growth as an officer.
“The last two years I spent mentoring her,” he said, holding back tears. “She was a co-worker, a partner, a friend. She became family. She was my little sister.”
Santiago said he was “proud of the police officer she had become” and said Jennifer, who had experience as an accountant, wanted to be an economic crimes detective.
“I couldn’t wait to see what was next for this ray of sunshine I was blessed to witness glow,” he said. “Her infectious smile, her laugh, would light up a room. It was evident Jennifer’s heart and kindness were her best attributes.
“She was small, but she loved and cared so big.”