The Plymouth police officer killed in an on-duty motorcycle crash Tuesday was a devoted father of two boys and an "all-American" cop's cop whose death has rattled the close-knit department, colleagues said.
"He was the epitome of a police officer," Plymouth Police Capt. John Rogers said of officer Gregory Maloney, a 17-year veteran and a member of its motorcycle unit since its 2009 re-inception. "If I were in distress ... and I saw Greg Maloney show up, I'd rest a lot easier."
Maloney, 44, was killed on patrol Tuesday when his department-issued motorcycle crashed shortly after 2 p.m. on Samoset Street, Rogers said. It's unclear what caused the crash, though Rogers said no other vehicles were involved and investigators don't believe the motorcycle malfunctioned.
Another officer was riding with him but didn't see Maloney go down, Rogers said. Maloney leaves behind his wife, Susan, and two sons, 14 and 12.
"Just an all-American police officer," said Plymouth state Rep. Vinny deMacedo, who lived a few houses down from Maloney for four years in the 1990s before both moved out of the neighborhood. "He had it all together," deMacedo said. "I'm speechless."
Before Maloney's body was escorted from the medical examiner's office back to Plymouth yesterday, onlookers lined Albany and Concord streets as a hearse departed, escorted by Plymouth police cars.
It didn't escape onlookers that this has been a tough week for the region. Boston fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh Jr., who died battling a nine-alarm blaze on Beacon Street, was laid to rest yesterday, and firefighter Michael R. Kennedy's funeral will take place today.
"First the firefighters, now the officer," said Philip Ouellette, 53, of South Boston. "I thought it was a sad day for the fire guys -- it's a sad day for the state."
The toll in Plymouth is unmistakable. "I'm kind of still in a blur myself," Rogers said.
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