Robert M. Morgenthau
District Attorney of New York County
Remarks on the First Anniversary of
September 11, 2001

We are here to remember and reflect on the events of September 11, 2001 and to commemorate those whose lives were lost in that tragedy.

We at the District Attorney’s Office were fortunate to have been spared the worst results of the attack on the World Trade Center, but many of us were directly affected. One member of the office was trapped with her family near the site of the attack; others were driven from their homes; some lost friends or family members. In the larger sense, of course, we were all touched by the events of that day and will never view our lives, our liberties and our civic responsibilities in the same way again.

I am proud to say that the response of the men and women of the District Attorney’s Office to the devastation of 9/11 reflected the resilient spirit evident throughout the city. Two staff members rescued their colleague trapped near the Trade Center; others, including a volunteer firefighter, joined the recovery efforts at Ground Zero; still others were called to duty in the National Guard and the armed services; many other volunteered in kitchens feeding the rescue workers. And many made charitable contributions to the DANY World Trade Center Relief Fund.

Equally important, everyone on the legal and support staffs of the office made a significant contribution by coming to work, in some cases staying through the night, to make certain the office remained open for business. This was no easy task, especially in the first days after the attack; the building itself was closed, the smell of soot and smoke was in the air and we had no idea what lay down the road. But with help from the courts, the police and many others, the District Attorney’s Office never closed; we continued handling cases, fielding complaints and pursuing leads and investigations, some of them connected with the events at the Trade Center. Keeping the institutions of government functioning was one of the urgent tasks to be faced in the aftermath of the tragedy; you all rose to meet that challenge, and I thank you.

One year later, there are other great tasks facing us as a nation and a city: ensuring there is no repetition of the atrocities committed here, Washington and elsewhere, bringing those responsible to justice and compensating the victims and their families. For New York, rebuilding and restoring the economic vitality of downtown Manhattan and the city as a whole is critical, and we, as an office, will need to play our part again. We must continue to make extraordinary efforts against street crime, white collar crime and corruption to ensure that the city remains an inviting and safe place to live and work and retains its standing as the world’s commercial and cultural center. I know you are all up to the job.

By applying ourselves to the work ahead, we will be honoring the victims of last year’s disaster in a most fitting way. The World Trade Center was, after all, a site and a symbol of industry, of commerce and of America’s and New York’s great public and private endeavors. Indeed, that was the very reason it became a target. Most of the victims of the attack died at work: some in private businesses, others in public service, some engaged in their usual pursuits, and others in selfless and heroic acts of rescue. Among the courageous men and women who lost their lives that day were many serving in law enforcement: officers from the New York City Police Department and the Port Authority Police Department, New York Court Officers and members of the New York State Office of Tax Enforcement, the New York City Fire Marshals, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service.

While we pay our lasting respects to the New York City firefighters and all others who perished in the tragedy, it is appropriate that we in the District Attorney’s Office take particular note of our colleagues in law enforcement who died in the line of duty a year ago today. Let us resolve to honor them by re-committing ourselves to the important work that we shared with them and to which they dedicated their lives. I will close these proceedings by asking representatives of the law enforcement agencies who suffered losses to read the names of those who were lost:

New York City Police Department
First Deputy Police Commissioner George A. Grasso

New York State Office of Court Administration
Sergeant Thomas Kilcullen

New York City Fire Marshals
Chief Fire Marshal Louis Garcia

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Special Agent Lucian Gandolfo

United States Secret Service
Special Agent Grady Marshall

New York State Office of Tax Enforcement
Supervising Investigator Gary Rogers

New York and New Jersey Port Authority Police Department
Captain Anthony Fitzgerald

Let us observe a moment of silence. . . . Thank you for coming.