The slow, solemn line of hundreds of police, friends and neighbors filed into the funeral home in Northeast Philadelphia last night to pay their respects to an officer they recalled as a young mother, a good friend, and a kind-hearted woman.

As the sun set on the John F. Givnish Funeral Home on Academy Road, white-gloved police officers, some from as far away as Hartford, Conn., moved with stiff military bearing, turning a corner to join the queue.

They had come to remember Officer Isabel Nazario , 40, who died in the line of duty a week ago. She was celebrated as someone who loved police work.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey arrived in dress uniform at 6:15 p.m. "We've got a lot of violence on our streets," he told reporters. "It hurts every time we lose someone. "

Mourners - crying, hugging one another and talking softly - waited patiently before being allowed to file into the one-story brick building to console Nazario's family.

A patrol car draped in black, with Nazario's name written on the driver's-side door, was parked on the lawn in front of the funeral home.

Her cousin Maria Marty broke down in tears as a TV reporter tried to interview her. Nazario, a native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, "loved her job," Marty said in Spanish. "She just loved being a police officer. "

Marty described Nazario as "a big-hearted woman" and someone to whom she could always go to talk about her problems.

Officer Angel Colon, a 16-year veteran of the Philadelphia police force, couldn't bear to come in uniform for the viewing. It seemed too sad.

"I've gone to one too many of these," Colon said.

Nazario, who wore badge 6341, was on patrol in West Philadelphia's 16th Police District at 9:30 p.m. Friday when she and her partner, Officer Terry Tull, were called to assist in a vehicle pursuit.

Police allege that Andre Butler, 16, of the city's Mantua section, was spotted erratically driving a stolen 1999 Cadillac Escalade.

As Nazario and her partner headed south on 39th Street, the Escalade, traveling east on Wallace Street, broadsided their cruiser near the passenger door.

Nazario was killed instantly and Tull was severely injured, police said. Both officers had to be pried from the wreckage.

Colon said there could be no excuses for the 16-year-old driver.

"It shouldn't have happened," Colon said.

Ramsey said Butler had a "troubled history. "

"I hope he gets a lot of time from the courts," Ramsey said.

Ramsey reported that Tull suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a bruised hip. It was not clear whether Tull's injuries would keep him from attending Nazario's funeral today.

The line included neighbors from the Modena Park area, where the viewing was held. Christine Drea, a receptionist for an eye doctor, said: "It's happening too much. . . . Every one of these cops must think: It could be me. "

Butler was charged with third-degree murder and related offenses in Nazario's death. On Wednesday, Municipal Court Judge Patrick F. Dugan raised bail from $250,000 to $5,000,000 for Butler, whose preliminary hearing is Dec. 3.

Nazario, an 18-year veteran of the Police Department, was assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force, detailed to West Philadelphia.

"Izzy will be sadly missed by all who knew and worked with her at the Strike Force. She will best be remembered for her love of her daughter and family," said Narcotics Strike Force Lt. Jack Feinman in an online police memory book for Nazario.

Nazario comes from a family in which police work is the norm. Her sister, Maritza Mohamad, is a police officer; so is her fiance, Carlos Buitrago.

She is survived by her daughter, Jazmin, 13, and her mother, Patricia Rodriguez Santiago.

Contact staff writer Melissa Dribben at 215-854-2590 or mdribben@phillynews.com.

Service Today for Slain Officer

The second viewing for Officer Isabel Nazario will be at 7:30 a.m. today at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, 18th Street and the Parkway. It will be followed by a Funeral Mass at noon. Interment will be in her native Puerto Rico.

A trust fund has been set up for her family. Donations may be sent to the Isabel Nazario Family Memorial Trust Fund, Police & Fire Federal Credit Union, 901 Arch St., Philadelphia 19107.

Donations also may be dropped off at the 24th and 25th Police District Office, 3901 Whitaker Ave., or any branch of the credit union, including 7604 City Ave., 8500 Henry Ave., 3338 S. Broad St., Leo Mall at Byberry Road and Bustleton Avenue, 7500 Castor Ave., and 3330 Grant Ave.