It has taken me a while to write this. I first met Sean the first week he started as an officer at MIT. I was still working for IS&T at the time and was traveling on my electric scooter to a client appointment in BCS when I rode by Sean and Captain John DiFava at STATA. What I remembered most from the encounter was how curious he was about the scooter I was using to get to my appointments across campus. I remember a very congenial, curious, and friendly person who was eager to know the people in the community he was serving. I remember him telling me that seeing new technology like the one I was using was one of the reasons he was with the MIT police. Most police officers I have had the privilege of meeting have either instinctively, or as a matter of training, tended to be on the side of separation from the civilian community. Many seem to be more comfortable choosing to interact as little as possible with members of the community they are sworn to protect. Not Sean. I had one great encounter with a young officer who made a lasting impression on this IT professional. I still fondly remember thinking to myself if more police officers were like Sean, our world would be a much more awesome place. He was a member of our community. He was one of us. And we miss him.
We lost a wonderful person 6 months ago. I salute Officer Collier and the people who played a role in his life to foster such a wonderful soul.
