And that was Milano’s way: He bonded with many people he crossed paths with throughout his life, including Alborano’s son and daughter, whom he visited often at their home.

“He was, at times, like my older son,” Alborano said. “He was always there for everybody; he always had your back. One day I came home from a side job and he was sitting in my house, having lunch with my son. I loved that he was so good with my kids.”

Milano was a great father as well, Alborano said, constantly active with his kids and finding time to go fishing with his son. “He loved his kids to no end,” he said.

Roman Lukasiewicz, 41, another close friend of Milano’s, agreed. “He would do anything with his kids, and he loved taking them out,” he said.

Lukasiewicz and Milano met at the Nassau County Police Academy nearly a decade ago. “He always wanted to be a public servant,” Lukasiewicz said, adding that he will never forget the first time he saw Milano during their training. “He got out of the car in this beautiful blue suit, and I said, ‘Look at this guy. He looks like Don Johnson.’ He was a really happy-go-lucky guy, and he kept everyone’s spirits up.”

After a short stint as a Town of Hempstead sanitation worker, Milano began working at the Correctional Center in 2005, along with Lukasiewicz. The two friends served together in Platoon 6 for three years, until Milano was relocated to Platoon 4, or General Housing Security, where he supervised inmates, sometimes having to jump between and separate fighting inmates.

Milano was an extremely hard worker, Alborano said. “He would interact with 50 or so criminals a day,” he said. “He loved the job and he loved the camaraderie. He always came to work with a smile on his face.”

On Dec. 14, the Sheriff Officers Association wrote in a public statement that Milano was known for his “positive attitude and warm personality,” and was respected and admired by other officers.
“We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy,” Michael Sposato, acting county sheriff, said last week. “Officer Milano will be greatly missed by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department.”