The tragedies that occurred on September 11, 2001 shook the nation and resulted in the deadliest day in law enforcement history. As a collector of law enforcement artifacts, and a story-teller of American law enforcement, the National Law Enforcement Museum has the privilege and honor of having the following artifacts from that infamous date in our history.
Hard Hat and Flashlight
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department donated this helmet and flashlight in May 2002, when 37 officers’ names from the department were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. It was the most ever for a US department in a single event.
FLEOA Badge
This is a Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) badge. It was sitting in one of the offices on the 77th floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center and was later found by the owner at Ground Zero.
Melted Revolver
This .44 caliber Smith & Wesson 629 Classic revolver was destroyed during the September 11 attacks. It was in a case, in a safe, in the Six World Trade Center building. Bits of its blue plastic case melted into the frame.
Damaged Flag
Damaged during the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, this flag was found by the donor in a pile of wreckage at the Fresh Kills landfill, the Staten Island recovery site where law enforcement processed building debris.
Building Fragment and Airplane Fragment
On the left is a fragment from the facade of a World Trade Center building, recovered from the Fresh Kills landfill.
On the right is a metal fragment from one of the airplanes that hit the World Trade Center, given to the donor by a member of the NYC Bomb Squad.
Folded Flag
This flag covered the remains of Captain Kathy Mazza of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, which were recovered from Ground Zero in February 2002. Captain Mazza was last seen assisting people out of one of the towers when the building collapsed.
Everyone has a personal story about September 11, 2001. It is our hope that sharing these historic artifacts help to broaden that story, and share a bit of perspective of American law enforcement in the process.