34 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: SEPTEMBER 2017 by Jaclyn Barrientes I t was one of the dark- est days in American history. The sight of smoke billowing from the tops of the World Trade Center tow- ers and the Pentagon, the symbol of this country’s military power and might, will never be forgotten by the people who watched it unfold on television. But it will especially never be forgotten by those who saw it with their own eyes in New York City and Washington, DC. Among those who saw the towers come down are the men and women who continued to search through the rubble for survivors. In some cases, those involved in rescue and recovery efforts were look- ing for their friends. They worked through the days and nights, around the twisted metal and fumes, in hopes of finding anyone buried beneath who might still be alive. As the days progressed, they instead hoped to find the remains of those killed on that day, to bring clo- sure to the families waiting to hear about their loved ones. Law enforcement agen- cies lost 72 officers the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, most of whom came from the New York (NY) Police Department and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department. Since then, 88 officers have died of illnesses relat- ed to the recovery efforts, diseases and cancers that likely came from inhaling poisonous fumes after the collapse of the towers and the walls of the Pentagon. New Jersey State Po- lice Lieutenant William George Fearon passed away late last year from brain cancer. He was one of the first responders on the scene after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, spending three months at the site looking for survivors. He remained in good spirits after being diag- nosed with a glioblastoma in 2015 and two surger- ies. Lt. Fearon’s name can be found on the eastern wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Me- morial in Washington, DC. Joining him last year on the Memorial was Ar- lington County (VA) Po- lice Department Corporal Harvey Snook III, who died in January 2016. Corporal Snook died as a result of cancer related to working at the Pentagon following the terrorist at- tack as he searched for survivors and collected evidence. He was diag- nosed in 2014. Initially, the Memorial Fund had engraved only the names of the 72 of- ficers who had died on September 11, 2001. As the cases of possible 9/11-related illness grew, it was determined that name submissions for the Me- morial should be further reviewed. The Memorial Fund’s criteria for placement on the wall was updated to match the National In- stitute for Occupational Safety and Health’s World Trade Center Cancer Cri- teria that determines an association between ex- posure to the wreckage of the World Trade Center in New York City and cancer. As a result, in the spring of 2017, the Memorial add- ed the names 72 officers who had died in previous years from 9/11-related illness. Along the wall, visi- tors can find the names of these heroes, such as Patrice M. Ott, an NYPD officer who died in Sep- tember 2006 of acute my- elogenous leukemia. Of- ficer Ott contracted the disease after performing rescue and recovery duties at Ground Zero. The name of Port Au- thority of New York/New Jersey Police Department Officer John Mark Cor- tazzo, who died in March 2009 of a blood cancer, is also on the Memorial. Officer Cortazzo started searching through destruc- tion the day the towers collapsed. The names of these of- ficers who weren’t aware they were sacrificing their own lives to save those who could be trapped in the rubble will be re- membered, forever etched into the marble walls of the Memorial, a solemn place for their loved ones, as well as the families and friends of all 21,183 officers whose names are currently engraved. Jaclyn Barrientes is the Communications and Digi- tal Media Manager at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Visit www.lawmemorial.org for more information about law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Losing officers that we turned to after 9/11 Corporal Harvey Snook III Arlington County (VA) Police Department Lt. William George Fearon New Jersey State Police Officer Patrice M. Ott NYPD John Mark Cortazzo Port Authority of New York/New Jersey Police Department I N T H E L I N E O F D U T Y