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CNN NEWSROOM

Thousands Attending Funeral for Slain NYPD Officer; ESPN Anchor Stuart Scott Died at 49; AirAsia Searchers Find Four More Bodies

Aired January 4, 2015 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: A final goodbye. Thousands of police officers from around the country gathering right now. They're paying final respects to a fellow brother in blue gunned down by a madman inside his squad car.

We're live outside the funeral for Detective Wenjian Liu.

And difficult but improving conditions. Search teams find more victims from AirAsia Flight 8501 as the airline gets set to make its first payments to families of the 162 victims on board that fateful flight.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And good morning, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick and this is a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

For those expecting to see Fareed Zakaria's moon shots, we're live this hour as we prepare for the funeral of fallen NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu. Liu was one of two officers shot and killed by a lone gunman last month.

Right now you're looking at live pictures where those funeral services are set to take place on a very rainy Sunday. This was the somber scene yesterday as police lined up to pay their respects at a private wake. The line stretching two full blocks.

Among those in attendance Governor Andrew Cuomo who said Officer Liu had his dream job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: This was his dream, to become an NYPD officer. In some ways it's the ultimate assimilation into America, into New York, to become a police officer, and obviously he was so proud and he was so proud for his whole family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And a number of high-profile officials are expected to attend today's service including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and on behalf of the White House FBI Director James Comey. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has a stern message for the police force, specifically don't turn your backs on the mayor as they did for the first funeral last week.

Let's bring in CNN's Miguel Marquez in New York.

And Miguel, it is a rainy day but set the scene for us who you're seeing out there and what we're likely to expect.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The family of Wenjian Liu has just arrived, and on the issue that has arisen between the mayor and the police force here, the police commissioner saying that this is a day for grieving, not for grievance. Also saying that in police turning their backs on the mayor as he spoke during Rafael Ramos' funeral last week, that they stole the valor, the honor, the attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of Detective Rafael Ramos' life and his sacrifice.

We had a chance to speak to Congressman Joe Crowley who represents the Bronx here but he talked about the moment that those two officers were shot and how that affected not only the Liu family and the Ramos family, but all New Yorkers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOE CROWLEY (D), NEW YORK: We all recognize the loss to all New Yorkers were shot that day in some respect. Every police officer was shot that day in some respect. Certainly the families here have been dealing with even more, and obviously the two that paid the ultimate sacrifice who are no longer with us.

But those lives were not in vain, and they cannot be in vain, and it's also an opportunity for us to have the discussions that we need to have, to talk about the perceptions that do exist, whether they be real or not. The reality is perception is reality for people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: Wenjian Liu, a seven-year veteran of the New York Police Department. He arrived in New York 20 years ago from Cancun, China. He was an accountant by trade, became a police officer seven years ago. This was his dream job. He's married just earlier this year in September and gunned down and now his family, his new wife is now a widow, grieving heavily.

I can say that the city has stepped up enormously. They have raised already $700,000 to pay for both the housing payments -- the mortgages for both Wenjian Liu and Officer Ramos, for their families so that they can have a little bit of security into the future -- Deborah.

FEYERICK: Yes. And we can hear the bells there and just for our audience, he was an only child. He lived with his parents and his new wife. And the funeral was delayed because they were bringing some family members from China for this ceremony.

The ceremony is going to be a mixture, right, of both NYPD officiants but also a Buddhist ceremony?

MARQUEZ: It's not really -- the Buddhist tradition is not exactly a ceremony. We will have several speakers throughout the day including the mayor and the police commissioner, the FBI director, a monsignor, the police chaplain, members of the Liu family. But most of the day, from 11:00 to 1:00 will be spent in a more Buddhist tradition of either burning cardboard or paper to signify material goods or bringing food to the front of the casket to signify the food that the -- that they're loved one will need in the afterlife -- Deborah.

FEYERICK: All right. Miguel Marquez, thank you so much. The pain just so clearly visible on that family's face. We thank you.

And mourners wearing an array of badges and uniforms are already gathering outside the funeral home where the service for Liu is due to begin in just about an hour.

Our Sara Ganim is there at 65th Street and 13th Avenue in Brooklyn.

Sara, people traveling hours, some across country, just to be there to represent. What are you seeing?

OK. Sara, we have lost her IP. We're going to re-establish that but for the time being we're going to bring in our CNN law enforcement analyst, former FBI assistant director, Tom Fuentes.

Tom, this is such a sad day both for the NYPD and the city and the interesting thing is that there have been numerous threats made against police officers. So this is still very real what's going on here.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, Deb, it's extremely real, and I think that, you know, it's underscored by the degree of grief that police officers everywhere are feeling in this particular instance because of the great amount of controversy that's been swirling around law enforcement in this country now for the last couple of months.

FEYERICK: And all the threats that are being made against police officers are being investigated. What does it say that the director of the FBI is now coming to pay his respects and to be there for this family?

FUENTES: Well, I think he's showing that whether you're federal, state, or local or actually police officers from all over the world that all officers, all law enforcement officers share in the grief, and, you know, he served a long time in New York and in the United States Attorney's Office in New York, and, you know, and I'm sure he feels it very closely having the close ties to New York especially.

FEYERICK: Police officers Wednesday were essentially told to be extra vigilant. With so many people who are expected to turn up for the funeral, some reports by police saying 20,000.

Are there additional security concerns in that area because this could be prime targets for any madman?

FUENTES: Well, they could be prime targets but you ought to feel pretty safe around 25,000 police officers. So, you know, it does work both ways. They are concerned about security but they sure have the manpower to deal with it. FEYERICK: There's so much bitterness because the NYPD is in the

middle of contract negotiations with the mayor. The mayor has made a number of statements that seemed to be anti-police. We're now seeing that arrests by the NYPD have dropped, have plummeted dramatically.

Is there a sense that there is a slight slowdown in the number of arrests but also summonses as well as like a slowdown really?

FUENTES: I think that's true. That there has been somewhat of a blue flu going on in terms of a protest largely against the mayor. So I think that, you know, that has to be addressed, but don't forget, some of the criticism of police officers have been especially in the Garner case, why are they making arrests like that for such minor violations?

And I think the police officers can show you, look, bad things happen even in what are supposed to be minor, nonviolent-type arrests and maybe we ought to stop doing some of that and just show you that -- why take the risk of doing it.

FEYERICK: Yes, absolutely.

You're seeing now Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. He is there. He has been really defending the mayor and he put out a memo, a very quick memo, basically saying that right now this is a time for -- for grieving, not for grievances, and he essentially warned the police officers not to turn their backs as they did at the first funeral. You can see him shaking hands there. He's very well respected.

He was the mayor's choice to become police commissioner and clearly he was police commissioner already in New York but also he was out in Los Angeles, and I understand, Tom, that there's a Los Angeles contingent as well who have come to see and pay their final respects as well.

FUENTES: Yes. We've had contingents from all over the country, from Canada. So, you know, there's a large gathering from everywhere in this situation.

FEYERICK: All right. Tom Fuentes, thank you so much.

Again, we're looking at a live picture of Police Commissioner Bill Bratton there to pay his respects to the Liu family.

Now we're going to go to Sarah Ganim who is out there watching and monitoring the situation there in Brooklyn.

Sara, what are you witnessing in terms of the police strength that's out there? It's a very different rainy day than it was a week ago for the first funeral of Rafael Ramos.

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Good morning, Deb. We are seeing the streets are very quickly filling up with those who wanted to come here to mourn. You can see just over my shoulder how far and how many officers are lined up down the street. They're so far away they're nearly a mile away and that's because that's how far they need to start lining them up just to fit everyone in who wants to be here on the street to watch the ceremony on the jumbo screens to pay their respects to Officer Wenjian Liu.

Just to give you an idea of how many officers are here, yesterday for the wake they were lined up a steady stream for nearly eight hours to go into the funeral home and pay their respects. JetBlue also flew in more than 1100 officers from out of town to be here today. They're standing here. They're lined up. They're going to watch the ceremony.

I have seen badges from departments as far as San Diego, Cincinnati, Virginia, and I talked to three officers who are from New Orleans, the New Orleans area. They came in thanks to JetBlue, they flew in for free for the ceremony and they told me it's incredibly important to them to be here today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. PATRICK YOES, ST. CHARLES PARISH, LOUISIANA SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Law enforcement is a very interesting profession. Not too many people run towards danger, yet we do it every day and when we lose one we all feel it. And I think it's -- everyone of us, our responsibility to make sure that we never -- we never forget those individuals and pay the respects that are necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GANIM: Deb, it's not just officers that are here. We also see members of the community and we're also seeing quite a bit of security. There are units patrolling rooftops. There are K-9 units. We've seen a few helicopters and nearly all the streets, all the avenues in this neighborhood are blocked off for this funeral so that they can properly and respectfully bury their fellow fallen soldier -- Deb.

FEYERICK: All right. Sara Ganim for us. Thanks so much. We'll check back with you just shortly as this funeral gets set to get under way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT: But I do hope you take some solace from the fact that as reported by the press there's over 25,000 -- 25,000 members of the same fraternity and sorority as your husband who stand and will stand with you the rest of your life. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And that was Vice President Joe Biden last week, but as hundreds of officers get ready to attend Officer Wenjian Liu's funeral today the NYPD chief is requesting that they be reverent and respectful.

Police Commissioner William Bratton releasing this memo, quote, "A hero's funeral is about grieving, not grievance. The last display put all NYPD officers in a bad light. It stole the valor, honor, and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of Detective Rafael Ramos' life and sacrifice."

Well, let's talk more with CNN political commentator Errol Lewis. He's also a political anchor at New York One News.

Errol, thank you so much for joining us. You just heard about the memo from the police chief. Look, you've got police officers who make a career, they were for decades trying to keep the city safe. And when a political appointee comes in, somebody who they may have a disagreement with, what is their responsibility given it's their livelihood but you've got somebody who effectively seems to be disrespecting the work they do?

ERROL LEWIS, POLITICAL ANCHOR, NEW YORK ONE NEWS: Well, the NYPD has often had its own politics. I mean, there are times when police have engaged in demonstrations and specifically called for mayors to be voted out of office. Among other things because there's 35,000 of them, they are a potent political bloc just in terms of numbers, much less everything else.

What you've heard with Commissioner Bratton was he was using words that are part of the code of the NYPD. When they say things like honor and valor, it really has a particular meaning that I think non- department members don't really fully understand, and this is something that he's trying to move them. You know. He's not going to discipline them if they do act out as they did at the other funeral but he's saying like, this isn't what this is supposed to be about.

And, you know, you have the right to do it, but maybe you should maybe hold back a little bit this time.

FEYERICK: And obviously, when you swear the oath, you're also swearing an allegiance to the supervisors who are giving you and also the leaders, the elected officials as well.

Do you think that the police officers' response is going to be different during this funeral? Has this past week perhaps -- I just want to point out, this is the FBI Director James Comey. He is also arriving for the funeral. The police commissioner arrived just a few minutes ago.

Do you think that the officers are going to behave more respectfully? That they're not going to turn their backs as they did both at the hospitals after the officers were shot and then at the funeral for Officer Ramos, now Detective Ramos?

LEWIS: I'd have to say totally unclear. You know, the reality is when people have a political moment, they take advantage of it. And, you know, in some of your wide shots, you've indicated that there are -- there's tons of press there. This is an international phenomenon today, and so, you know, if they choose to sort of express how they feel about the mayor, about how they feel about some of the reforms that are coming to the department, about some of the back-and-forth about whether or not aggressive policing has taken sort of a bad toll on the city, it's hard to ask them to pass it up, especially if they know that they're not going to be disciplined on their job for it. FEYERICK: Well, it's also interesting because obviously Mayor de

Blasio, before he was mayor, ran on a platform of reforming the police department. There are going to be new changes that are -- or new training that's going to be implemented. One of the things that I found particularly interesting is officers are going to be reminded that if somebody yells something at an officer, that's not grounds for arrest.

So do you think that the demonstrations that we saw as a result of the Michael Brown verdict, as a result of the Eric Garner -- I'm sorry, I should say non-indictment. Do you think that ultimately there's going to be a -- not a softening, but a period of detente between the demonstrators and police and police and the mayor?

LEWIS: Well, that's what was supposed to happen. That's what the mayor specifically asked for during the holiday season, and it was supposed to time out with this funeral, meaning, you know, the general idea was supposed to be, look, you can go and tussle in the streets and you can argue and fight and make statements about the mayor or whatever you want to do, but please let's not do that full blast until after this last funeral.

Well, that funeral is going to be over today, and so my sense is that they're going to go at it hot and heavy, and we might even see a little bit of it during the ceremony today.

FEYERICK: So do you think -- there's always going to be tension between the NYPD and the mayor? As you say, some have called for resignations in the past with other mayors. Do you think ultimately this is simply about the disagreement that's going on between the police unions and city government?

LEWIS: Yes. Well, I mean, what makes this different from other disputes between city hall and 1 Police Plaza is that crime is at an all-time low. It's not like in the 1990s when the police were at wits end and they really sort of demonstrated against then Mayor Dinkins. There were over 2,000 murders a year.

FEYERICK: Right.

LEWIS: You know, it was a very, very anxious time for the city as a whole. The city has never been safer by contrast now. And so now there's sort of a different spin to it, a different twist to it. There is a call for reform that was very clearly a central part of the campaign for mayor in 2013. It is why Mayor de Blasio became mayor. It is a -- it is a mandate that he has, and so, yes, he's going to have to sort of work through these changes and, you know, certain members of the department are going to go kicking and screaming.

FEYERICK: And very quickly, between the slowdown and arrests and summons, this perhaps blue flu, do you think that's going to affect crime rates here in the city or do you think that's a passing thing right now?

LEWIS: I'd be -- I'd be startled if it took hold long enough to actually be reflected in statistics. Because, you know, all of this was happening at the same time as a lot of people were out of time.

FEYERICK: Sure.

LEWIS: At the same time as the holidays were going on. I'd be very surprised if this continued very much longer.

FEYERICK: And ultimately look, the NYPD is a very professional force and you know, I have been out there with a number of them, and they do their job and it's a tough city to police.

All right. Errol Lewis, thank you so much. We really appreciate all your insights on that. We're hoping to bring you back in just a little bit.

LEWIS: Sure.

FEYERICK: We thank you.

And we do also have some sad breaking news.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FEYERICK: And this breaking news from the sports world to tell you about. Long-time ESPN sports anchor Stuart Scott known for his catch phrases like "boo-yeah" and "as cool as the other side of the pillow" has died after a long battle with cancer.

Let's bring in CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter.

Brian, what were the circumstances?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Stuart was first diagnosed with cancer in 2007, and he had recurring bouts of the disease and fought it so fiercely, inspired so many people by doing so.

But, Deb, he was really the sports broadcaster an entire generation of aspiring broadcasters wanted to be. He joined ESPN in 1993 initially for the launch of ESPN 2 and he became one of the leading anchors of "SportsCenter," the flagship program on ESPN.

He was a broadcaster's broadcaster, and as you mentioned, not just the catch phrases, also the "This is SportsCenter" commercials he was known for. He covered all the major sporting events for ESPN over the years. And as I mentioned, toward the end of his life as he battled cancer, he inspired so many people doing so.

I'll read something he said back over the summer. He said, "When you die, it does not mean you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live."

ESPN this morning is running a special report, a tribute to him and it really is remarkable to see the outpouring of love and grief for their friend.

FEYERICK: Wow. Just incredible and certainly guidance for all of those. Forty-nine, such a young man.

Brian Stelter, thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: And you are looking at live pictures of the funeral home, the funeral of Officer Wenjian Liu expected to take place within the next 30 minutes. So far Police Commissioner Bill Bratton of the NYPD has arrived. The FBI Director James Comey also there. The family, the distraught Liu family, also inside. He was an only child, 32 years old. Newly married. His widow inconsolable yesterday at the wake.

Many thousands of police officers have flown in from around the country, traveled hours simply to get there to pay their final respects. You can see that there are a lot of officers, a lot of security with snipers on roofs just keeping an eye out.

And now we're going to switch gears. The latest on another major developing story that we're following for you today. The hunt for the wreckage and the 162 passengers and crew of AirAsia Flight 8501.

Searchers today recovered four bodies from the murky waters of the Java Sea. That brings the total number of people, of victims found so far to 34. One of the bodies recovered today was found off the coast of Borneo. That suggests that currents may be moving the bodies and the debris. To deal with that authorities are extending the ser search zone eastward as you can see there by the red line.

Nine of the victims found have been identified including a little 10- year-old girl right there. Relatives say that she was wearing her favorite Minnie Mouse T-shirt on the doomed flight.

And let's bring in CNN's Gary Tuchman. He's in the Indonesian city of Surabaya where Flight 8501 took off just one week ago.

Gary, tell us more about the search efforts today, the current, how that's affecting everything, and the people who have so far been recovered.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. It's been very difficult, Deb. The currents are creating problems with spreading wreckage to other locations in the Java Sea but right now they do believe the fuselage is basically intact in the bottom of the Java Sea. It's not deep. It's less than 100 feet deep but they haven't been able to get to it because divers swim in the water, they had decent conditions, and they said the visibility was, quote, "zero."

The problem is this is monsoon season. It stirs up the water, it stirs up the mud and there's not a lot of optimism that it's going to be much better than zero in the days to come. But just a short time ago here in this city, right near where we are at the airport, a solemn ceremony took place. Those four bodies that were recovered today were flown here to a naval air station right by the airport. Four caskets marked 31, 32, 33, and 34 to mark the number of victims.

We were there three days ago for the first ceremony when caskets one and two came. This ceremony with members of the Indonesian Army, Navy, and Air Force will be repeated for each and every one of the victims that's recovered. That is the fear right now that because they can't see and because they haven't had the pingers working to find the black boxes that unless they get visibility it may be a while before they find the plane and the black boxes.

They do believe, authorities say, that this plane did not explode in the sky. They believe that because they found five very large pieces of the plane, including a 60-foot long chunk, as tall as a six-story building and they have already found people in their seats with seat belts around them, seats that floated away from the plane, but they do believe that most of the victims are still on this airplane on the bottom of the Java Sea. They hope to get to them.

These families who are in this tent, this is the family crisis center where they can get information and get counseling. The first few days, Deb, they thought that maybe there was a miracle. This is a country of thousands of islands, 99.99 percent of them are uninhibited. So, it wasn't farfetched to say maybe my loved one got on a raft and are on an uninhabited island. The islands have been checked, and now very few people think that. They just want their loved ones' bodies back. Deb.

FEYERICK: And Gary, is there a sense that they will find the majority as you mentioned, probably still in their seats? Are they any closer to locating that main piece of the plane that could hold the people in also the state of decomposition? Are they concerned about that?

TUCHMAN: Well, they're absolutely concerned about it. As the days go on, fingerprints wear away and it's harder to do identifications. They are collecting DNA from family members. They actually haven't got DNA from every single family member yet, so they are making a call, please, families, come on in and give us your DNA. But they're absolutely concerned about that. They do believe that if they can have clear enough visibility under water, those divers can get most, if not all of the bodies, but there's never a guarantee in a situation like this that they'll get each and every body. You just - it's sad, but you can't guarantee that.

FEYERICK: All right. Gary Tuchman for us. Thanks so much.

And bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick here in New York. You're looking at live pictures of the Brooklyn Funeral Home where thousands are gathering to say their final good-byes to Officer Wenjian Liu, one of two officers ambushed and killed by a lone gunman in the streets of New York City. In just about half an hour Liu will be laid to rest in a private funeral in Brooklyn.

This was the scene yesterday as police officers lined the streets during a private wake. The line outside two blocks long. Among those who attended, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and the Governor Andrew Cuomo. Today as the community prepares to say good-byes to one of their own, both officers are being remembered as men who loved their community and loved their job. CNN's Randi Kaye has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They were partners on patrol. Officer Wenjian Liu was seven-year veteran of the NYPD and officer Rafael Ramos who first joined the Department in 2012. Both were assigned to the 84th precinct in downtown Brooklyn. Officer Ramos worked as a school security officer before joining the NYPD and reportedly loved the Mets. He was married with two children. Officer Liu, who was 32, had been married just a couple of months. Described by some around the neighborhood as quiet and in love. His parents are from China, and according to media reports he was their only son.

One friend of Liu's summed up his passion for police work in "The New York Times." "I know that being a cop is dangerous, but I must do it, Officer Liu had said. If I don't do it and you don't do it, then who is going to do it?" Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

FEYERICK: And quiet and in love. That's how friends and families are remembering slain officer Wenjian Liu who was married just three months.

Up next, we'll tell you about the man who colleagues say loved his job, loved where he came from, and how social media is remembering him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: And CNN's Nick Valencia is about to join me, but I want to show you this live picture right now. Thousands of police officers lining up outside the funeral home in Brooklyn. They are there to honor their fallen colleague, Wenjian Liu, who was assassinated by an insane gunman at the age of 32 years old. He was an only child, a newlywed. His family inside, but you can see just the outpouring of support, the outpouring of respect that these officers, some who have traveled across the country, are coming in order to show the family that their son will never, ever be forgotten. And CNN's Nick Valencia is joining me now taking a look at social media to see how the officer is being remembered, and, boy, you look at those pictures, Nick, and that is really incredible, the number of people who are there.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it is just a staggering image to see that sea of blue. It's very similar to what we saw during the funeral of Rafael Ramos just recently. And we've heard so many of you, and outpouring of support for detective Wenjian Liu, that New York Police Department officer who was shot and killed in his police cruiser on December 20th. With users asking for grief, not grievance in this time of mourning.

A user on Twitter always action, calling Wenjian Liu a hero saying that he protected and served with honor and integrity. Saying that he will never be forgotten. Using #NYPD and you see that sort of image of solidarity with the New York Police Department. Twitter using Harriet Baldwin had a similar message as well, saying "I wish all people who hate cops would download a scanner app and listen for an evening." She says, you will gain respect if you do. She used the hashtag "Blue lives matter" which became a social media anthem after those two officers, Ramos and Liu were shot and killed just a few weeks back.

And on Instagram a user who is in the area just before the funeral started posted a video on Instagram saying "Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see that you are honorable. You see the streets, a stark contrast to the image that we're seeing now, that sea of blue. And within the last 30 minutes that we just got this tweet from Commissioner Bill Bratton, the New York Police Department commissioner, calling today a solemn day as we lay to rest NYPD detective Liu, one of the finest, he calls him. "We will never forget his sacrifice. 20 years ago is when Wenjian Liu's family brought him to this country seeking the American dream. They lived long enough to see him realize his dream of becoming a New York Police officer --

FEYERICK: Yeah.

VALENCIA: -- only to have that dream cut short.

FEYERICK: And Nick, you can see that this is the mayor, Bill de Blasio. Obviously there's been a lot of speculation in terms of how he will be received by all those officers who are there, and it's interesting you mentioned that one of the social posts says, you know, this is a day for grieving, not grievances. That was a very short, but very powerful message that was made by the police commissioner asking all those officers who are out there to respect the uniform, to respect the badge, and also to respect the mayor who they serve along with all of the residents of this huge city of New York. You can see him entering. He is there with his wife, Chirlane McCray. Both of them drawing a significant criticism after he made remarks about how he instructed his own son Dante to be concerned if he was ever stopped by the police officers. You can see them entering the building right there. This is a private ceremony we are being told. There will be an NYPD chaplain. There will also be people there to honor him in the way of Buddhism. The family of Wenjian Liu specifically from China, about six of them, were flown over. That's one of the reasons that this whole thing was delayed, but just pause for a moment and look at how impressive the show -- the turnout has been in terms of these officers, and having covered these, you can see they are very quiet. They are somber. This is a gray and cold and rainy day here in New York, but the number of officers who have shown no less than the officers who came last week for detective Rafael Ramos.

Both of the officers were promoted posthumously to the rank of detective. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton bestowing that honor. In addition, two streets will be named for the police officers to make sure that, in fact, they are remembered.

Now, after the funeral monks will deliver a special Chinese ceremony for detective Liu. He was born in China, he moved to the U.S. as a young boy with his family. All of them in search of a better life. His father apparently worked in a factory. It was his son's job to become a police officer. Also last night the ceremonial burning of paper money and the melodic sounds of Buddhist chants marked this day of remembrance for Liu. Joining me now for more, Brad Warner, a Zen Buddhist priest. And Bran, explain to us the Chinese rituals that accompany this kind of funeral

BRAD WARNER, THE BUDDHIST PRIEST: Well, the - when you say somebody is a Buddhist, it's like saying somebody is a Christian. So, there are a lot of varieties of Buddhism. In Christianity you have Catholics and Christian Scientists, Mormons. The same thing goes for Buddhism. So the tradition that exists in the region that Officer Liu comes from tends to be a syncretic tradition with a lot of mixtures of different types of Buddhism, mainly Zen and pure land along with some Chinese customs that predate even Buddhism.

So the thing about the burning of the paper money isn't exactly a Buddhist custom. It's more of a Chinese folk custom. The monks would usually be chanting homage to Buddha who is - Buddha who is supposed to have prepared the pure land for people who can go there in their next incarnation and learn about the Dharma from him. That's a kind of a tradition from pure land Buddhism. So basically they will be chanting that in a usual Chinese Buddhist funeral for about eight hours taking turns among the family members doing that chant.

FEYERICK: And at the end of it, for the family themselves, clearly this is supposed to be a time of mourning, also a time of healing. Tell me what the monks sort of bring in to help the family at such a painful time.

WARNER: Well, the general Buddhist belief about what happens to a person when they die, we don't have a belief in an immortal soul the way Christians do. But there is a belief that a person is the result of causes and conditions that go in to create a human being and a human life and that those causes and conditions will continue on after the person has departed. So I would imagine the monks there would be kind of consoling the family in the idea that Officer Liu in some sense continues on and continues to be a presence within the universe rather than simply disappearing from it. That would be the main sort of teaching I think they would bring to it.

FEYERICK: And it does seem that that's what the NYPD certainly is trying to do. They've renamed two streets in the area. They're also saying that his legacy, his life, will continue as a reminder of all the values that he incorporated. Eight hours, is that traditional, the length of the ceremony?

WARNER: Yeah, that's the general Chinese tradition. I don't know for certain that they're going to do this ceremony for eight hours, but that's the usual tradition where the family just kind of gathers around the body. They generally don't believe in embalming in the Chinese Buddhist tradition, so there's a kind of a sense of getting it done quickly so, you know, because you're dealing with a body that's not prepared like that. Again, I don't know for sure because some people do change that up according to circumstances, but, yeah, they do this ritual chanting for a very long time to ensure that the efficacy of the chant.

FEYERICK: Sure. To sort of spirit him on his way, so to speak. What about the funeral - what about the burial itself? What are we likely to see?

WARNER: Well, generally in Chinese Buddhism, which differentiates it from the Japanese Buddhism I studied, is they don't tend to favor cremation. They tend to favor a burial of the body. So they would do this -- the ritual chanting as a preparation for that, and then they would bring the body to the burial place just as in a usual sort of Western type of arrangement like that.

FEYERICK: All right. Brad Warner, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights on what we're expected to see. The funeral of Wenjian Liu, detective Wenjian Liu, coming up within the next 15 minutes. Right now it is 10:47. We'll be right back.

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FEYERICK: And hello, everyone. You're looking at a live picture of officers who have come to pay their respects for detective Wenjian Liu. His funeral set to begin within the next couple of minutes. Those officers have traveled some across country, some for hours just to get here so that they could honor their colleague Wenjian Liu and his partner Rafael Ramos who were assassinated as they sat in their patrol car by a lone gunman. The mayor, Bill de Blasio, he arrived a short time ago. He was there with his wife, Chirlane McCray.

Unclear how ultimately the police force will receive him after they turned their backs at the funeral last week. They have been told by the police commissioner, who also is there, that this is a time for grieving, not grievances, and the police commissioner saying honor the badge. Respect the officials and the dignitaries who are here. The FBI Director James Comey also arriving at that funeral home. Right now let's get to CNN's Miguel Marquez. Sara Ganim, both of them out there on the streets of Brooklyn. Miguel, let's start with you. The family inside, their pain and suffering just immense right now.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been an extraordinarily tough time for them. Clearly it's been a tough time for the NYPD as well. The mix of everything, to have these protests going on, to have the rancor between the mayor's office and NYPD even before these two deaths, and then to have these two individuals assassinated in this way, and Ramos in particular, who was - he was a chaplain. The day he was killed he was going to get his license to be a chaplain in the church that he attended.

This is a guy who dedicated his life to public works and to helping others out. Much could be the same - the same said for Liu. This is guy who came here 20 years ago from Canton China with his family. He trained as an accountant. He became a police officer seven years ago, loved this job. This was his dream job. Had just gotten married in September. His family has not said a lot. We may hear from them today, but his wife and now widow spoke shortly after he was killed and it was moving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEI XIA CHEN, WIDOW OF OFFICER WENJIAN LIU: This is a difficult time for both of our families, but we will stand together and get through this together. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: Very, very hard to hear her utter those few words that she could get out. I will say that the police commissioner showed up here a short time ago, gives us an idea of how things will go. He hung out outside, spoke to lots of other police officers, glad handed. The mayor showed up with his wife about ten minutes ago and went right in. Said hello to a few police officers, but there was none of that mixing with their crowd outside. He went right into the church to meet with the family. Deborah?

FEYERICK: All right, Miguel Marquez, thank you so much. Sara Ganim also there along the route that the police are lining. What can you tell us about the mood along the procession route, Sara?

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you can see that, Deb, there are thousands of police officers who have come here, lined the streets to pay their respects. They actually - this line goes back nearly a mile. That's how far back they had to go to fit in everyone who wanted to come. Officers not just from the NYPD, not just from New York, but from across the country.

We know that jet blue flew in more than 1,100 officers from across the country for free who wanted to be here to pay their respects. I have talked to some who were as far away as San Diego, Ohio, Virginia, Connecticut. I have seen badges from across the country here today. I talked to three officers who came in from the New Orleans area. They said it's incredibly important to them to be here today and to see officers from across the country.

FEYERICK: All right. Sara Ganim, thank you so much. And one quick question, we have Tom Fuentes standing by. Tom, you see sort of this outpouring of support. Do you think we are now at a turning point in terms of relations with the NYPD, with the mayor, and even really with the protesters who have been out there demonstrating and shown really their animosity towards police?

TOM FUENTES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deb, I don't know the answer to that. I think we won't know that until tomorrow, let's say, when the funerals are over, the requests for everybody to be civil to one another is over. The mayor has met with the leaders. We'll see if that takes effect but I don't think we'll really know the answer to that today. Probably tomorrow.

FEYERICK: Do you think ultimately the police officers will heed the commissioner's request not to turn their backs, to honor the memory of detective Liu?

FUENTES: I think they will out of respect to detective Liu and respect for commissioner Bratton both. Bratton has been a street cop himself. I think they're more likely to listen to him than, you know, the mayor, who is a politician.

FEYERICK: All right. Tom Fuentes, Sara Ganim, Miguel Marquez, we thank you. We will have lots more live coverage on the funeral for detective Wenjian Liu. "RELIABLE SOURCES" with Brian Stelter will begin after this quick break.

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