Throughout the day, the line to view Officer Holder’s body stretched for four blocks down the boulevard. It consisted of law enforcement officers of every type — some who arrived on motorcycles, others who traveled by plane — from as far as California. Among them were regular New Yorkers, drawn simply by respect for the young man’s sacrifice.

“You have to stand with them, because they have guts to do what they are doing, and they want to make the city better,” said Loraine Stephen, 63, whose son is a corrections officer. “Because of that, I want to be here.” Around her neck was a Guyanese flag worn as a scarf, a nod to the homeland she and Officer Holder share.

After Officer Holder’s funeral on Wednesday, his body will be flown to Guyana, where his father and grandfather had served as police officers. He will be buried there on Saturday.

Officer Holder was the first in his family to serve in the New York Police Department. As his coffin entered the building on Tuesday morning, the department’s green, white and blue flag was draped over it. Once inside, a folded American flag was placed beside the coffin.