Transcript: Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner O'Neill Deliver Remarks at the NYPD Battery Park Police Memorial Wall Ceremony

October 11, 2019

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you, Lieutenant. I want to thank everyone for being here. We are truly here in common cause. We are here in unity, all of us. Everyone is here to mourn together, to remember those we’ve lost and to truly honor their sacrifice. When I see this wall, I am reminded of the meaning of this police department, why it is so extraordinary, why the bond between members of the NYPD is so strong. I am reminded that there has been unbroken chain of service and duty, passed down generation to generation since 1845. We are definitely here to mourn, but we are also here to celebrate and everyone remember – we remember today was part of that unbroken chain, part of what made this department and makes this department so great and this city so great. I want to thank Commissioner O’Neill and all the leadership of the NYPD. I want to thank Vice President Bruno Pomponio for his very powerful words and we appreciate everything that Battery Park City Authority does to support the NYPD. I want to thank PBA President Pat Lynch and all the labor representatives here as well.

The NYPD has a motto that says so much and people believe in it and live by it. Fidelis ad Mortem. Days like today, we realize how true, how real those words are. We honor 47 of our fellow New Yorkers. We grieve with their families, their loved ones. We grieve with the entire NYPD community and we search, all of us, for some meaning in our sorrow and I think the meaning is to recognize what the NYPD represents every single day in this city. The good that is done every day, the people who are protected, the lives that are made whole by the men and women of this department and each officer kisses their loved ones goodbye before their tour and knows that danger lurks out there.

But our officers are always there for all of us and that was true on our very toughest day on September 11th and the months that followed and the 47 brave souls we honor today were there for us. They were there for the men and women they serve with. They were there for the families. The vast majority of people in this city would never have run into danger, would never have worked among the debris of that tragedy but because these 47 officers did the exact opposite, they not only went near and toward the danger, they kept working until the job was done. They showed the world something that the world needed to see at that moment that New Yorkers and Americans would not be intimidated. We would not back down in the face of terror. They answered the call because as Commissioner O’Neill often says, that’s what cops do. And that’s why we honor them.

One powerful example, Chief of Detectives William Allee answered that call, served this department, this city, for 40 years. A cops’ cop if ever there was one. Every day and night, he was out there leading the Ground Zero team that helped to identify victims. Chief Allee brought peace and closure to so many families through his heroic efforts and I can truly say that we lost a great New Yorker with his passing. And another exemplary member of this police force, Police Officer Kelly Korchak, she answered the call too. She was at the Academy on 9/11 and for weeks thereafter she worked on the pile. She was named “Cop of the Month” twice while working in the evidence collection team after 9/11 and well beyond her time at work, she devoted her life to helping others, to helping her family. She even taught her niece’s Girls Scout troop how to take fingerprints. That is a cops’ cop for sure. She passed on her love, her passion, for this job, for this department to the next generation. These are two great individuals, two examples among the 47 extraordinary people we honor today, each one of whom has a story of significance and importance, each one of whom sacrificed so much to make New York City safe.

They felt a need deep in their heart to serve others, to find a common purpose bigger than themselves and they lived by that belief. And to all the family members, to all the loved ones, to all the friends who are gathered here today, everyone up here knows that words cannot heal your pain, but we can say that this city and this department will always stand by you. On behalf of 8.6 million New Yorkers, I say thank you to all the family members and loved ones. We won’t forget you, and we will not forget ever the bravery and the sacrifice of those we honor today. God bless them, God bless the men and women of the NYPD, and God bless all of you.

[Applause]

Lieutenant Jamel Hodges, NYPD: Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. It is now my honor to introduce the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, the Honorable James P. O’Neill.

[Applause]

Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill: Morning, everyone. Thank you all for being here. This is one of the most important ceremonies we hold in the NYPD because it’s another opportunity to celebrate the lives of our heroes and to renew our promises to their loved ones that we’ll never forget their service or their sacrifice. Today, we’re back here as we were last year and every year since the memorial was dedicated.

This morning we added another 47 members of the service to the NYPD Wall. Each one of these names represents a unique life lived among families, friends, colleagues. Forty-seven sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands, and wives. They came from different backgrounds and cultural traditions but they all have at least one thing in common, their lives were spent and ultimately ended in service to this great city and the people they cared so deeply about. They knew it was possible that their service could be immortalized on this wall.

Every cop knows that and so do their families. But they served anyway. They knew the risk every time they chose to run toward the danger when everyone else was running away. But they did it anyway. They worked month after month in the largest rescue and recovery effort in our nation’s history. They thought only of getting the job done despite the risk to their own health and safety. Why? Because that’s what cops do. It’s an enormous responsibility and police officers bear it with pride, courage, and conviction.

As difficult as this can be for our loved ones and as painful as the sacrifices are, the people of New York City rely on us. That’s why our police department will continue to fulfill our commitment to them and also fulfill our commitment to you, the families and the colleagues who carry on the tremendous legacies of all who we have lost. Thank you for sharing these remarkable men and women with us and for your courage through extended illnesses and loss. You know you’ll always be a part of the NYPD family. Today we offer you again our deepest condolences and our solemn pledge to cherish and uphold the memories of your loved ones for all time.

Memorials like this will never fill the void left by these brave women and men but that’s not why we’re here. Know this wall ensures that those of us here now and every future generation will always remember. And perhaps even more importantly it ensures that visitors to this site take the time to learn who these heroes were and what they did for this great city. These officers are part of a rich tradition of service, a police family whose lineage stretches back 174 years and they and your loved ones will remain part of this family forever. That’s why we’ll be back here again and again to honor their memories, to uphold their legacies, and to celebrate their lives. Our family never forgets. As we continue the essential work of these heroic men and women, they live on in each one of us.

Thank you all again for being here and for everything you’ve done and continue to do for this department and for this city. We’re forever indebted to you and your loved ones. We’ll work hard every day to live up to the example you set. It’s an oath we’re proud to fulfill and a promise we’re honored to keep. Thank you very much.

[Applause]