Twelve members of the New York City Police Department will ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange tomorrow, Thursday, December 30 in recognition of their outstanding work over the last year. A thirteenth, Stephen L. Hammerman who is the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters, will ring the closing bell in honor of his retirement this week from the Department.

Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, who will join the distinguished dozen on the trading floor, said that: "They represent why New York is such a safe city."

The 12 to ring the Opening Bell are:

* Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence David Cohen * Deputy Commissioner Cohen and his team uncovered a plot to bomb the Herald Square subway station. Two would-be bombers were arrested and potential mayhem was averted.

* Assistant Chief Jack McManus * Assistant Chief McManus headed the NYPD's massive and complex planning and operational coordination of the Republican National Convention. The huge undertaking went off without a hitch, and reinforced New York City's reputation as the safest large city in America.

* Sergeant Kevin Harford * Sgt. Harford of Manhattan South was off-duty and driving in Queens last June when he spotted a burglary suspect he had investigated earlier in the day. He surreptitiously followed the suspect, contacted his precinct police and helped coordinate the arrest. He epitomized the ideal that police officers may be off duty, but always "on the job."

* Officer Thomas Moran * Officer Moran attended his usual roll-call at which the wanted poster of murder suspect was circulated. Later that night, Officer Moran was on patrol in the subway and noticed a person sleeping. Upon closer investigation, the officer identified the sleeping man as the murder suspect. He woke the man, calling him by name. When sleepy suspect replied "that's me," Officer Moran placed him under arrest.

* Officers Ivy Dror and Ramon Gomez * On Christmas Eve, two officers from the 110th Precinct, Dror and Gomez, put their special skills to good use. Officer Dror, an Emergency Medical Technician, helped an expectant mother deliver a healthy baby girl in the back seat of a taxi, while Officer Gomez translated instructions to the new mom in Spanish.

* Detective Cheryl Melchionna * She showered love, food and other necessities of life on two elderly and impoverished women, helping them to escape the clutches of a drug addicted relative and bring their abuser
to justice.

* Officers James Conroy and Chuck Schnetzer * These Harbor Unit officers were surprised to spot a Pale Male look-alike struggling in the frigid waters of the East River. They jumped in and saved the injured hawk from drowning. The hawk was pulled out of the water and nursed back to health before being returned to the wild last week.

* Detective Martin Duffy * Members of the Emergency Services Unit are used to getting unusual calls , but none more so than when Detective Duffy was asked to contend with a tiger in a Harlem apartment. Detective Duffy repelled down the side of the building and shot a tranquilizer into the animal so it could be safely removed.

* Detectives Thomas Byrnes, Steve Grafakos, and James McCafferty * These three men represent the investigative triumvirate that diligently pursued justice in the murder of Mark Fisher. These men refused to be stymied by uncooperative witnesses, the passage of time or any other obstacle. Their unfailing determination ultimately cracked the case with an arrest in November and another in December. The closing bell will be rung by Deputy Commissioner Stephen L. Hammerman. Driven by a his life-long love of the NYPD and a post 9/11 desire to return to public service, Commissioner Hammerman left a lucrative and prestigious post at Merrill Lynch & Company to help the Police Department navigate the legal challenges of the 21st Century. He joined the Department as the Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters on February 4, 2002.

The Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters serves as the Police Commissioner's General Counsel and provides guidance to the NYPD and its Executive Staff in all legal matters affecting the Police Department.

Deputy Commissioner Hammerman was Vice Chairman of the Board of Merrill Lynch & Co. He served as one of three employee Directors on the corporation's 11-member Board of Directors and as a member of the firm's
Executive Committee. He has served as a Director of the New York Stock Exchange, as Chairman of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), and as a Director of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

Deputy Commissioner Hammerman has served the United States Government as New York Regional Administrator for the Securities and Exchange Commission and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division for the Southern District of New York. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and received his law degree from New York University.


WHAT: TWELVE DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT TO RING OPENING BELL AT THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE

WHEN: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, AT 9:30 A.M.

WHERE: THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE