'Their Only Hope Is To Help': Family Of Sean Collier Runs Ad In Support Of Police

BOSTON (CBS) – A newspaper ad featuring a tribute to MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who was killed in the line of duty, will appear in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and online this weekend. Amidst an intense push to defund police, Collier's family does not want people to forget the everyday bravery of most officers.

When asked what she misses most about Sean, his sister doesn't miss a beat. "His smile," Nicole Lynch said.

The smile he wore with or without his badge. The MIT Police officer, killed by the Boston Marathon bombers, was a young man steadfast in service but also deeply committed to community.

"He was a person. Yes, he was a police officer and he was an amazing police officer. But he was also a person," Lynch said.

This weekend, the Collier family will remember Sean's character in a newspaper ad sponsored by several law enforcement organizations. During a time of important and painful conversations across our country regarding police reform, the Colliers hope to highlight the many men and women who protect and serve with integrity.

"These are everyday average people that have families, that have spouses, that have children to go home to," Lynch said. "And their only hope is to help somebody. I think that's getting lost at this time."

As for how her brother would feel wearing the uniform today, Nicole knows he'd be building bridges and changing perceptions.

"Sean was a man of very few words but he was a man of action," she said. "He would have been out there in the community making friends, getting to know people, and just trying to be that positive change that's so needed."