ALBANY - Former Gov. George Pataki delivered the eulogy Tuesday for the former head of his security detail, who apparently committed suicide as his former colleagues in the state police remain under investigation.

Pataki, who has denied allegations that a rogue unit pursued political interests of the governor's office, also took the opportunity to tell troopers attending Inspector Gary Berwick's funeral that he is proud of the troopers and believes in them.

“He was a good and honorable man, a man devoted to his family, dedicated to his chosen career, someone you could count on in a time of need,” Pataki said in his eulogy. “He wasn't just content to be a good trooper or officer, he had to be the best. He couldn't be satisfied being just a good father or husband, he had to be the best. But Gary wasn't driven in search of compliments or medals, his humble way made him embarrassed when he received them.”

Then Pataki addressed the troopers: “There are no finer people in our state. I am proud of you, and I believe in you. And for the over ninety years since our state police were created you were treated with the respect and honor you deserve. Men like Gary Berwick remind us of why that respect must continue today.”

Berwick was found dead at his home on Thursday in Orange County.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating the claims of more than 10 unidentified lawmakers that troopers engaged in political misdeeds under Pataki, a Republican, and former Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

This week, Daniel Wiese, another former head of the governor's security detail who was close to Pataki and Spitzer, lost his attempt to quash a Cuomo subpoena for his records, including electronic communications.

The New York Daily News reported that a Cuomo investigator told a Manhattan judge that Wiese deleted, or had someone else, delete e-mails from his BlackBerry phone on April 1, after the investigation became known.

Wiese's attorney, Kevin Kitson, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno, who accused the Spitzer administration of using state police for “political espionage,” said Tuesday that he hasn't been contacted by Cuomo as part of the state police investigation.