By Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — The NYPD remembered 103 of its members who died in the line of duty by adding their names to the department’s “Hall of Heroes” at its lower Manhattan headquarters.
The extensive list included 60 NYPD members who died during the pandemic, the first time the memorial has noted cops and civilian employees who died of COVID 19.
| DOWNLOAD: The patrol car checklist: A veteran-to-rookie field guide
“These officers and civilian members continued to show up for this city at a moment when uncertainty affected everything about daily life,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “Their presence in this memorial is long overdue.”
Mayor Mamdani joined Police Commissioner Tisch in unveiling the bronze plaques that will forever grace the lobby of 1 Police Plaza.
“A name on a plaque cannot capture the fullness of an officer lost, the sound of their laughter, the warmth of their smile,” Mamdani said on Tuesday. “Time may have passed, but the pain is still there. While we can’t fill the hole caused by their loss, we can refuse to let their memory fade.”
Among the cops honored Tuesday was Detective Didarul Islam, who was killed at a Midtown office skyscraper on July 28 by Shane Tamura.
Tamura drove from his home in Las Vegas to shoot up NFL headquarters and opened fire as soon as he entered the building, police said.
Islam, who was on an off-duty, paid security detail that afternoon, was promoted to NYPD detective at his funeral.
Others honored include former Chief of Department Joseph Esposito, who died of a 9/11 illness in 2024.
With the exception of Det. Islam, those remembered either died of a 9/11 illness or from complications of COVID, officials said. Those named included civilian employees, school safety officers, traffic enforcement officers and crossing guards.
Regardless of their position or rank with the NYPD, adding their names onto a plaque will forever etch “their legacies into the history of this department,” Tisch said.
“When a name is placed here, it doesn’t simply mark a loss,” she said. “It joins a line of NYPD members who made the decision to serve this city knowing what that choice could cost them. These walls signify what that sacrifice has meant across nearly two centuries. Long after assignments change and tours end, these names will stay here as a reminder of what it means to answer this noble calling.”
©2026 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
