Three lesser-known heroes from the city Department of Correction who ran toward danger during the Sept. 11 attacks were added to the agency’s history Friday during its annual remembrance ceremony.
Capts. Jacqueline Payden, Raul Gonzalez and Thomas Weadock were honored on the DOC memorial stone at Rikers Island, where their names now appear alongside 39 others who later died from cancers and other illnesses linked to their 9/11 service.
Relatives of the three captains received a commemorative plaque and a folded American flag in recognition of their loved ones’ sacrifice.
“I miss my daughter so much. She was my life. She was my partner in crime. She was everything to me. And she died so young, she just turned 50 years old. She had cancer — she didn’t even know she had cancer,” Daisy Payden said through tears.
“We have to stay strong, help out each other, stop being so mean and evil to each other. Just give everybody strength, give everybody love. Just be thankful that you are here.”
As part of the ceremony, a wreath was placed before the black stone memorial honoring the hundreds of DOC members who took part in rescue and recovery operations after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani paid tribute to the department, describing the often-overlooked agency as one “where no one hesitates.”
“Many have fallen ill from the toxic air, air and they breathed in working day after day, week after week. And I know that no amount of time will make their loss hurt any little bit less,” Hizzoner said.
DOC Investigator Steven Kapczak’s sisters, Annie Caputo and Kathy Penafiel, were at the service to honor their only brother.
He was 53 years old when he unexpectedly died in 2013 from a respiratory illness that was linked to his time aiding with 9/11 response and recovery efforts.
“He was dedicated to his job. He was out on those streets doing what he did best. He loved his family and his job just as much. We truly miss him,” said Caputo.
“We think of them all the time. We miss his smile and his laughter and everything that goes with it.”
Mamdani left the dedication ceremony before it concluded, as he headed to a security briefing on this weekend’s West Indian American Day Parade, angering some of the attendees — who already expressed frustration that the DOC was not appropriately recognized at broader 9/11 memorial services.
“I’m not surprised at the mayor’s attitude towards the department. He doesn’t care about law enforcement and definitely doesn’t care about corrections,” seethed Ken Schwartz, who retired from DOC 23 years ago and has since been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has sinus issues he said were tied to his time volunteering in the morgue in the 9/11 aftermath.
“You don’t care about law enforcement is one thing but corrections, as they say, is the bottom of the barrel and he couldn’t care less about corrections,” Schwartz said, adding, ““Even the 9/11 Memorial, we’re not even on the memorial.”
The ceremony came hours after Mamdani signed two executive orders honoring the “victims, first responders, survivors, City workers and families” affected by the tragedies of the world-altering attacks.
The first established September 11 as the official Citywide Day of Remembrance and Service, directing all city agencies to designate time in the day for moments of silence for those killed in the attacks and who have suffered health consequences in the years since, as well as encouraging members to participate in volunteer initiatives.
That date is already designated federally as a National Day of Service and Remembrance and Patriot Day, but was not officially recognized as such on the city level previously.
The second executive order “established” the city’s first Continuity and Mission Assurance Team (CMAT) — which is just a modernized version of the Continuity of Operations team that has existed for decades.
Mamdani’s version adds leaders from the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to the existing team of Emergency Management and the Office of Technology and Innovation bosses.
The interagency body will meet regularly to craft and strengthen preparedness plans in case of emergencies.
