To All Delegates and Members

September 19, 2001  

RE:   ATTACK AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER

“Look at a man in the midst of doubt and danger, and you will learn in his hour of adversity what he really is.”  Lucretius (99-55 B.C.).  

In the moments before and the hours and days since the attack at the World Trade Center, the world has learned, what all police officers long knew, who the men and women of the New York City Police Department really are.  From the moment the crisis began to unfold, with a plane crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center, our members rushed to the scene, exhibiting a level of bravery and professionalism that will not soon be forgotten, and one that will forever be ingrained in my mind.  

Upon my arrival at the scene, I observed our members rushing into various buildings in and around the World Trade Center complex in an attempt to clear citizens out of the path of danger, doing what comes natural to New York City Police Officers.  The rescue effort that took place in the minutes after the crash has been described by one commentator as the greatest rescue effort this country has ever seen, saving the lives of well over 25,000 persons who were in the buildings in the World Trade Center complex.  In describing the scene, one observer said, “as we rushed out of the building, we saw police officers and firefighters rushing in, almost certainly to their deaths.”  That scene, which is seared in my consciousness, should be etched in the minds and hearts of all citizens of the world.  Of the many officers who rushed into the scene of devastation, 23 of our brothers and sisters did not come out.  We should not sleep until every effort is expended to bring those officers home.

But the heroism of our officers did not stop there.  During and shortly after the collapse of the buildings, there are countless stories of our members saving the lives of citizens.  Again, underscoring what we already knew, New York City Police Officers are equal-opportunity protectors of lives.  Our members led thousands of people — from every walk of life — to safety.  The World Trade Center crisis has demonstrated again that we are truly blind when it comes to sacrificing for our citizens.

Not long after the rubble had settled to the ground, but amidst the swirling smoke of the fires that continued to rage, our members responded to the scene, literally in droves, to assist in the rescue efforts — on and off duty, active and retired, it did not matter.  Without regard to their personal safety, our members waded into the mass of twisted steel and smoldering fires in search of those lost amidst the rubble, moving concrete, steel and other debris, shoveling and passing buckets of what was once the World Trade Center.  They shouldered the tremendous emotional weight of the tragedy, but still assisted in any way they could.  Our specially trained and skilled rescue workers, ESU, TARU, Bomb Squad, K-9, and others performed the dangerous task of descending below the wreckage in search of our missing loved ones.  These efforts continue around the clock to this day.  Laboring without sleep to the point of collapse, our members’ efforts have been Herculean and heroic.  Though suffering from a multitude of injuries and illnesses, our officers toil on.  We remain hopeful that our lost members will be brought home.

At this time of greatest crisis, the world has truly learned who the men and women of the New York City Police Department really are:

YOU ARE THE FINEST AND BRAVEST MEN AND WOMEN TO WALK THE FACE OF THE EARTH.   THROUGH YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS TRAGEDY, YOU HAVE MERELY REAFFIRMED YOUR RIGHT TO FOREVER HOLD YOUR HEADS HIGH AND BE PROUD.  I AM HONORED AND PRIVILEGED TO SHARE YOUR UNIFORM AND REPRESENT YOU.

We ask that you keep our missing members and their families, as well as all others lost and unaccounted for, in your thoughts and prayers.  May God bless you and keep you safe.