By Colin Mixson
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Mayor Mamdani joined Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to honor 42 NYPD officers who died in the line of duty at a ceremony in Battery Park City on Tuesday.
The fallen officers’ names were added to the NYC Police Memorial wall at Liberty St. and South End Ave., joining more than 900 names of New York’s Finest etched in stone for having made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The work of being an NYPD officer demands immense sacrifice,” Mamdani said at the unveiling ceremony. “Every day, our officers wake up and choose to take on an enormous burden, to risk their lives for strangers that they’ve never met. And every day, no matter the danger, no matter the threat, these officers answer the call made of them.”
Of the officers honored Tuesday, all but one perished due to World Trade Center-related illnesses, Mamdani said.
“Forty-one of the officers we honor today served in the rescue and recovery efforts after the horrific terror attacks of September 11,” the mayor said. “Years later, they fell ill, and their families, who had already given so much, were asked to once again give more.”
Among those was former Chief of Department Joe Esposito, who served at the World Trade Center and died at age 73 after a battle with brain cancer.
“He was a mentor to generations of cops, and he understood what they faced because he was so often right there beside them,” Tisch said of Esposito. “The bond with his cops defined Chief Espo, and the lessons that he taught them remain part of the New York City Police Department today.”
Also added to the wall was the name of Det. Didarul Islam, who was working an off-duty private security shift at a Park Ave. office building in Midtown when he was cut down alongside three other people as a gunman opened fire in the building’s lobby.
“Last year, in the midst of the most horrific mass shooting our city had seen in 25 years, Detective Islam placed himself in harm’s way so that his fellow New Yorkers could escape to safety,” Mamdani said.
“After his senseless murder, his family welcomed me into their home. They spoke to me of the husband, the father, the brother they were mourning, a man who was compassionate, humble, selfless and kind.”
Dedicated on Oct. 20, 1997, the NYC Police Memorial was designed by architect Stuart Crawford to honor NYPD service members who died in the line of duty or while serving the nation.
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