Portland police mourn death of officer

Update: Memorial service, march and vigil scheduled to honor well-liked officer

By Nick Budnick

LocalNewsDaily.com, Jan 27, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (84 Reader comments)

In a show of respect for a well-liked Portland police officer, Mark Zylawy, who died early Sunday, Mayor Tom Potter has ordered flags on all city of Portland buildings to be flown at half-staff.

A march and prayer vigil have been scheduled in Zylawy’s honor for Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. beginning at the Maple Mallory Community Center. The prayer vigil will take place at 5:45 p.m. at the Northeast Precinct where Zylawy served nearly all of his 17 years in law enforcement.

The memorial service for Officer Zylawy will be held Friday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. at the New Hope Church located at 11731 SE Stevens Road.

Officer Zylawy died when he was struck on Interstate 5 by a tractor-trailer rig while standing beside his car, which had broken down. He had been on his way to work in Northeast Portland when he was killed around 6:30 a.m.

"Officer Zylawy was not only a great officer, but a great friend to many in the communities he served with compassion and concern," said Potter. "His loss will be felt not only by the neighborhoods of Northeast Portland, but in every neighborhood in our city.

"Our thoughts are with Mark's wife, Patricia, and his four children."

The flags will remain lowered until services are held for Zylawy on Friday.

Legendary officer

For years, Zylawy has been among the most well-respected police officers in Portland. Ask a hundred officers who the best cop in the Portland Police Bureau is, and Zylawy, known as “Z-man,” would be far and away among the top vote-getters.

Though just 40 at the time of his death, Zylawy was already a 17-year veteran and legendary among coworkers for his unequaled work ethic and low-key, humble demeanor. During his lengthy stint working Northeast Precinct, he earned a reputation as a compassionate straight-shooter, including among those he arrested. In fact, thanks to his good reputation with those he policed, Zylawy could hardly appear in public downtown or in Northeast Portland without receiving shouted friendly greetings and waves from people he'd put in handcuffs years before.

In a ride-along with this reporter years ago, it was clear why people liked him so much: he treated people as equals, and treated people with compassion even while arresting them.

At one point, after taking in an apparently drug-addicted prostitute on a warrant, he then took a break from his patrols to knock on doors and hunt for the guy who'd allegedly beaten her.

He also had a phenomenal memory that not only helped him spot wanted criminals, but it also helped him remember details of what was important to them, making him a better cop.

‘Such a nice guy’

Unlike some active, hardworking officers, Zylawy almost never generated tort claims or internal affairs complaints, a characteristic that Chief Rosie Sizer in an interview prior to his death attributed to the respect with which he treated people.

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