Retired NYPD Chief Joseph Michael Herbert, whose 38 years as one of New York’s Finest included the arrest of the notorious “New York Zodiac Killer,” died in his Rockaway Beach home on Sept. 30.

The hero cop was 68.

“He was the best boss I ever worked for and the sharpest detective I ever met,” retired homicide Detective Louie Savarese said of Herbert. “He lived and breathed the job, and the only thing he loved more than the NYPD was his wife, Barbara, and his daughter, Kristen.

“It was an honor and privilege to work for and with him,” Savarese said. 6

A Brooklyn native, Herbert joined the NYPD in 1981 at the age of 23 — and shot up through the ranks to make detective in just five years — earning the Medal of Valor in 1985.

Among his career highlights was the arrest in 1996 of Her

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