From the New York Times:
Officer Figoski, a father of four daughters and the brother of a retired city police officer, was shot with an illegal semiautomatic weapon, Mr. Bloomberg said. He had made over 200 arrests, nearly half of them felony arrests, Mr. Kelly said. He worked out of the 75th Precinct, one of the city’s most crime-ridden, where has has spent most of his career.
…
[The murderer] has five prior arrests and was wanted in North Carolina on a warrant for aggravated assault.
They're promoting him to detective, even though he has passed away. This is ridiculous, reminds me of the situation with Frank Serpico. The only difference is that Serpico survived as opposed to Figoski, it's like in order to become a detective something fatal has to happen. Ridiculous!
It was ridiculous for Serpico, because his application for detective was being held up, in part, because somebody up hight thought he was gay.
For officers killed on duty, it's tradition, a bit of respect, and a slightly higher pension for the family. It's a good practice.