NYPD Chief Says 9/11 Heroes’ Legacy Lives On in New Generations of Officers

Nearly 25 years after Sept. 11, 2001, the courage of the NYPD officers who rushed into danger still guides the department’s identity, Chief of Department Michael LiPetri said at a ceremony unveiling a new memorial wall for members lost in the attacks and in the years that followed.

LiPetri told those gathered that no officer’s path is built in isolation, noting that every rank achieved and every command led rests on the sacrifices and service of those who came before.

He said the department carries forward not only their lessons and example, but also the duty to hand that legacy to the next generation of NYPD members.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said more than 469 NYPD members have died from illnesses tied to their work in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. LiPetri also noted that over 1,700 members have retired with World Trade Center-related disabilities.

LiPetri said the toll has not ended, emphasizing that the NYPD continues to mourn members whose post-9/11 service led to fatal illnesses, and continues to support families saying goodbye to loved ones changed forever by that work.

The One Police Plaza memorial wall pays tribute to the 23 NYPD officers killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, as well as the department members who later died from illnesses connected to rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts after the attacks.

“Sept. 11 did not end on Sept. 11,” NYPD Chief Chaplain Rev. A.R. Bernard said during the invocation. “For many, the costs continued for years, illness endured, families impacted and lives ultimately lost.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani recalled the story of Officer John William Perry, who was at One Police Plaza preparing to resign and begin a career as an attorney when the first plane struck the North Tower. Perry asked for his shield back and rushed to the World Trade Center.

“There he was confronted with unimaginable suffering, but he did not stop with the same immense bravery and courage that was commonplace among so many that day, the kind that has long defined this department,” Mamdani said.

“Officer Perry ran into the fire. The last time he was seen he was helping a woman out of the South Tower before rushing back in to save as many others as he could. Officer Perry and 22 of his fellow officers, each with their own stories, were killed that morning. That includes 14 members of the emergency service unit, who were among the first to enter the towers.”

Mamdani noted that the sons of officers Ronnie Klopfer and Joseph Viviano “now carry on his legacy of bravery as valued members of this very department.”

“Every officer present that day embodied the NYPD’s creed that the duty to protect is not a job that one clocks out of, but a calling,” Mamdani said. “One answers until the very end.

“In the days and months that followed Sept. 11, thousands of NYPD officers and staff from across every precinct and every borough heeded that same call. They took on that same heavy and incalculable risk.”

Their sons play on the same lacrosse team Klopfer founded before the attacks.

“Their fathers are gone, but the team that Ron built is still here,” LiPetri said. “Their sons are wearing an NYPD uniform, and a connection that began years before Sept. 11 continues inside the department.”

Tisch said thousands of current NYPD officers were children on 9/11, while many others had not yet been born. She said preserving the memories of those who served is becoming increasingly important as the generation that responded to the attacks retires.

“The faces in this building will be different, but these names will still be here,” Tisch said. “The example of the men and women behind them will continue to shape the department.”