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Congressman John Mannion has introduced a bill to honor Syracuse Police Officer Wallie Howard Jr., who was killed in the line of duty during an undercover operation on October 30, 1990. The proposed legislation seeks to rename the Colvin Elmwood U.S. Post Office on South Salina Street as the Officer Wallie Howard Jr. Post Office Building. Officer Howard's death marked the first line-of-duty death for the Syracuse Police Department since 1929.
Born in Syracuse in 1959, Howard graduated from Henninger High School and attended Syracuse University before joining the police force in 1982. He was assigned to the Central New York DEA Task Force when he was fatally shot during a drug bust. His legacy continues through annual awards named in his honor by the Syracuse Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. Additionally, a reenactment of his final operation is used as a training tool at federal academies.
Mannion's bill has garnered bipartisan support, with 17 co-sponsors from New York, including Representative Claudia Tenney. Mannion stated, "Naming the South Salina Street Post Office in his honor ensures that future generations will remember his bravery and dedication to the city he served."
If approved, the post office would become the second building in Syracuse named after Howard, following the Wallie Howard Jr. Center for Forensic Sciences established in 2007. The bill is expected to receive broad support in the Republican-controlled House.