Transcript: Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks Honoring NYPD Officers

October 15, 2024

Lieutenant Jack Conway, Ceremonial Unit, Police Department: Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. I'd like to just take a moment and introduce the members of our dais. Please hold all your applause until all have been introduced. Starting on my right, the Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, the police commissioner of the City of New York, the Honorable Thomas G. Donlon, the mayor of the City of New York, the Honorable Eric Adams, the Police Department's first deputy commissioner, Tania Kinsella, Police Department assistant chief chaplain, Monsignor Robert J. Romano, and the president and CEO of the Battery Park City Authority, Raju Mann.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is our dais and we thank them for being here today. And at this time, it's my pleasure to introduce the president and CEO of the Battery Park City Authority, Raju Mann.

Raju Mann, President and CEO, Battery Park City Authority: Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Lieutenant Conway. And good morning, Mayor Adams, Commissioner Donlon, Chief of Department Maddrey, Monsignor Romano, and especially family, friends, and colleagues of the heroes who are here in honor.

On behalf of Governor Hochuland the Board of the Battery Park City Authority, welcome to Battery Park City. Here in Battery Park City, we have the distinct honor of maintaining this memorial. And each autumn, we gather for this solemn occasion. We reflect on the extraordinary sacrifice made by these heroes in service to the people of the City of New York and the example they set for all of us.

In a few moments, the names of 42 members of the NYPD will be unveiled, etched in stone, for their families and loved ones, for their colleagues. We thank you and we hope this memorial serves as a reminder of our city's deep, deep gratitude and our commitment to never forget the sacrifices made by these brave New Yorkers. Thank you.

Lieutenant Conway: And thank you, Mr. Mayor. It's now my pleasure to introduce the mayor of the City of New York, the Honorable Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: I recall being a lieutenant in the 88th Precinct when a few yards away from here we watched our center of trade collapse when it was attacked by terrorist enemies.

I remember September 11, 2001, as I shared with the firefighters in Memorial last week. I remember standing there that day watching the ground smoldering in the buildings that once was a symbol of our magnificent investment in economic stability in not only the city but the country collapse right before our eyes. And I thought to myself, in the pit of my stomach, what's next? What would happen? What would happen to not only our city but our country. And although we give honor to the men and women that we lost during September 11th, the real reflection I believe is on September 12th. We got up. We got up. And when we got up, the entire country got up.

And today we honor 42 individuals who sacrificed their lives to ensure that we will continue to get up. We as a city, we sit under the tree of freedom because the 42 men and women watered that tree with their blood. Now I think about Officer Bromm and Officer Patterson, who their injuries lasted for many years and how it impacted their families as they had to endure the pain that was associated with that attack. And although a bullet strikes the body of a person, it continues the emotional pathway through the anatomy of our community and the families in the cities.

When we come here today, we come here to acknowledge the [42] individuals and heroes who died from long-standing 9/11 injuries and our two officers who died from being a victim of gun violence. We're saying from 1849 the continuation of really acknowledging what they mean to our city and our country. This is the greatest country on the globe and this is the greatest city on the globe because of their sacrifices.

And although we lost them physically, spiritually still hover over this city, hover over the men and women of the law enforcement community in this city and across this entire nation. We pray for their families. Burns cannot take away the pain. Every birthday, every holiday, every time you hear a name that's similar, every time you see a police vehicle, you relive the pain and agony. But we want you to know the family still remembers them.

And as our national anthem says over and over again and I repeat it, bombs burst in air, we give way to show that our flag will continue to be here and it is here because they were there for us. God bless our country, God bless our city, God bless the 42 lives that we are going to honor today. Thank you very much.

Lieutenant Conway: And thank you Mayor Adams. It's now my pleasure to introduce the police commissioner of the City of New York, the Honorable Thomas G. Donlon.

Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon: Thank you, mayor, for your kind words, and they are surely heartfelt words as I have spoken to Mayor Adams on many occasions about situations where we lose the lives of people in service.

But good morning everyone and thank you for being here on this beautiful day and also a day of remembrance. This is one of the most difficult days of the year but it's also one of the most important because today we renew a promise we made to 42 New York City Police Department heroes. We promise to honor their service, to remember their sacrifice and to always be there for their families. And while we can never repay the debt we owe them, we can and always will keep that promise.

Every name on this wall represents a life of service but also so much more. They were sons, daughters, fathers, mothers and wives. They came from different backgrounds but they shared at least one thing in common. They all swore an oath to protect others when they first joined our NYPD family. Despite the very real risks they faced, they chose to serve. And the public needs to fully understand their dedicated efforts which continue on a daily basis.

It's a special type of person that makes that choice to run toward the danger when everyone else is running away and to witness the NYPD officers and supervisors running towards where an issue has occurred whether it's shots fired or a person that needs any kind of help. But as we always know these families were always always special and will continue to be special to us. Now it is our duty to keep telling their stories, continue their important work and honor their legacy. This ceremony is part of that responsibility but it's certainly not all.

We know that there is no memorial that could ease the pain of their loss. Nothing will fill the void but these brave men and women, our purpose today is to honor them. Today we're making sure that for generations to come people can hear their stories on this wall and when we do that our loved ones are never really forgotten.

I want to thank Mayor Adams for his remarks this morning and for his continued support of the NYPD and his dedicated efforts on a daily basis time and time again inquiring about the safety of our officers in the industry. And thank you to the Battery Park City Authority for creating this beautiful tribute to our heroes. To the families your courage and strength continue to inspire us and you will always be part of our NYPD family. We offer you our deepest condolences and today and every day we renew our solemn vow to never forget these 42 New York City Police Department heroes. Thank you.

Lieutenant Conway: And thank you Commissioner Donlon. At this time I'm going to ask everyone to please rise for the unveiling of the memorial wall.

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