This Fourth of July weekend is a family affair for a Staten Island father and daughter serving on the front lines of public safety.
Deputy Chief Terence Hurson, executive officer of Patrol Borough Staten Island, and his daughter, Shannon Hurson, a U.S. Coast Guard second-class petty officer, are both assigned to security operations in New York Harbor for the Sail4th tall ship parade and Macy’s Fireworks.
Shannon, normally based on Lake Michigan, said she was eager to take the assignment once she learned it would bring her close to her 55-year-old father.
“He’s been talking about this event for a while,” she said. “So I was really excited to jump on the opportunity to be in the same vicinity as my dad working in New York Harbor where I grew up.”
The 22-year-old, a former NYPD Explorer during her high school years, is one of roughly 250 Coast Guard members deployed in the city for the holiday weekend.
Some are stationed out on the harbor, while others are working from a command center set up at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 11th Avenue in Manhattan.
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As her father carries out his duties on land, Shannon will patrol aboard a 29-foot response boat, watching for potential threats, monitoring overall safety and keeping an eye out for anyone breaking the law, she said.
In her regular Coast Guard role, Shannon said she has served on a search and recovery team and completed law enforcement training. She has also been trained in ice rescues, a necessity on Lake Michigan, which freezes during part of the year.
But her favorite thing about the job is “just being out on the water and being able to help people in different situations,” she said.
Her dad, who has almost 33 years at the NYPD, recalled being worried when she left home after high school.
“I supported her because it’s what she wanted to do but being her dad I was nervous when she went to boot camp,” he said. “But when she came out for her graduation ceremony I was very proud of her and she was beaming with pride.”
His daughter has served in the Coast Guard for four years, took the NYPD exam and hopes to follow in her dad’s footsteps soon, she said, calling the Harbor Unit her “golden ticket.”
Her dad has been her biggest inspiration, she added.
“He always seemed like he was helping people,” she said. “I really admired that growing up. So it was always in the back of my mind.”
