Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at 171St NYPD Medal Day Ceremony

June 14, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you, Lieutenant. It is always an honor to be a part of NYPD Medal Day, and to celebrate our Police Department and the tremendous service it does to our city.

I want to thank and acknowledge the leadership of the NYPD – Commissioner Bratton, First Deputy Commissioner Tucker, Chief of Department O’Neill, and all of the NYPD leadership gathered here today.

I also want to thank the labor leaders who represent the men and women of the NYPD – Pat Lynch of the PBA, Roy Richter of the CEA, Ed Mullins of the SBA, Michael Palladino of the DEA, and Steve Birbiglia of the LBA. Thank you to all.

Today, we honor 54 outstanding individuals, each of whom did something extraordinary in the service of the people of this city. And this week in particular we are grateful – we are grateful and filled with appreciation for each and every one of the members of the NYPD and for members of law enforcement all over this country.

As a nation we’re grappling with the worst – the worst mass shooting in our history. And everyone is in a state of mourning. Everyone is feeling the magnitude of what happened in Orlando, Florida. It was an act of terrorism for sure, and also an act of hatred.

Now, the eyes of our nation turn here as well because this city is a beacon in all times, good and bad. This city is a reminder of what America was meant to be – a place for everyone, every faith, people of every background, immigrants from all the countries of the globe gathered together. Not in perfect harmony but in the kind of harmony we see every day on the streets of this city, and the kind of harmony we see here today for this ceremony.

And we know that we have a special responsibility to our nation – to protect people from terror, to show that this beacon will be safe.

We also understand the consequences of terror because we felt them so grievously. And since 2001, the City of New York – and in particular the NYPD – have been in a constant state of vigilance. It’s not something we ever move away from.

We don’t let down our guard. We learned on 9/11 that vigilance had to be common for us.

9/11 was the single deadliest day for law enforcement in U.S. history – 23 NYPD officers died that day, and so many others from the Port Authority and other police forces. Another 98 of our men and women in blue, and many more from across the country has since succumbed to 9/11-related illnesses.

But despite all these losses, we never succumbed to the pain. We were never intimidated. We did not allow terrorists to change who we are – not allowing them ever to change our values, to undermine our democracy.

Instead, that terrible day actually made us stronger. We learned how to band together, and we also learned what we had to do to make the NYPD even stronger. And year after year we have continued the work of making what was already the finest police force in the nation stronger still.

Today the NYPD has the strongest and most sophisticated anti-terror capacity of any city in this nation. And since 9/11, due to the extraordinary work of the men and women of the NYPD, working closely with our federal partners – 20 different plots directed at New York City or originating in New York City were thwarted. 15 years of success. Denying terrorists every opportunity.

At the same time, this extraordinary police force has driven down crime year after year. And we are by far the safest big city in America. There is so much to be proud of.

This record of success, this record of valor has allowed this city to thrive and to be that beacon to the world. So I want to say on behalf of eight-and-a-half million New Yorkers, thank you to all the men and women of the NYPD and a particular commendation to these 54 individuals for what they have done for our city. You are the best of New York City, and we commend you.

Today we celebrate officers who exemplify not a brief tradition, but a 171-year tradition of service. And there are several who should be held out because of what they mean to all of us and celebrated in particular. The first of these is officer Kenneth Healey of the Technical Assistance and Response Unit in Queens. Police Officer Healey and three fellow officers faced an anti-police terror attack. Out of nowhere a deranged man lunged at them with a hatchet. The attacker was killed by the officers, but not before he caused real harm with Police Officer Healey suffering severe injuries. There was no ambulance immediately available, so his fellow officers rushed him to the hospital in his squad car. By his incredible will Police Officer Healey survived, so this morning we salute his bravery with the NYPD’s highest award, the Medal of Honor. And for their rapid response and selfless assistance, his fellow officers will receive department commendations today.

Also receiving a Medal of Honor today is Detective First Grade Brian Moore of the 1-0-5 Precinct in Queens. The story of Detective Moore’s death at just 25 years of age moved us all. He was a Police Officer that was so admirable in so many ways. Detective Moore and his partner pulled over to question a suspect who then opened fire on the officers’ car. The shooter was arrested but we lost Detective Moore. Brian Moore survived by his father Raymond, a retired NYPD sergeant and his mother Irene and a family that includes a retired NYPD detective, four current NYPD officers, and two Nassau County police officers, one of whom who is former NYPD.

Our final Medal of Honor recipient is Detective First Grade Randolph Holder of the Housing Bureau Anti-Crime Unit. Responding to a report of shots fired, Detective Holder and others pursued several men. One of the men who had just robbed someone at gunpoint fired, mortally wounding Detective Holder. His killer was then apprehended. Detective Holder, also an extraordinary young man, was upholding a family tradition as well, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who had been police officers in Guyana.

These heroes I’ve just told you about – and the dozen more who we will honor today – remind us of just what one human being can do for another, just how brave people can be. Their stories inspire us. Even in a time of pain in our nation, they uplift us. The men and woman we honor today recall the prayer of St. Francis which I recited at Detective Moore’s funeral. “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” The officers we honor today are instruments of peace, of protection, and of love for our great city. We congratulate them, we thank them, we thank their families, and we thank the finest police department in the world. God bless you all.