It’s the department of brotherly love.
An NYPD officer promoted to detective yesterday will wear a shield bearing the same number as his retired older brother, who was shot in the line of duty.
“He got shot, and now I’m wearing his shield in honor of him,” Detective Daniel Laperuta told The Post after a promotion ceremony at Police Headquarters.
His oldest brother, Domenick, 49, was shot by a drug dealer on Aug. 14, 1992, and suffered a punctured bladder, forcing his retirement in October 1993 after 11 years on the force.
Daniel, 34, a seven-year veteran, will be assigned to the 24th Precinct, which covers the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights.
“He’s teasing me about it a little bit, but he says he wants me to take care of it,” Daniel said of his brother’s shield.
When cops are shot and forced to retire, their shield is typically retired — forever.
“When Danny asked me if it was OK to wear my shield number, I gave him my blessing,” Domenick said.
“I told him, ‘Now that you’ve gotten promoted, you finally joined the big boys,’ meaning me and my father,” said Domenick, a reference to Domenick Laperuta Sr., a retired NYPD detective.
Domenick was given the Combat Cross for his heroics.