The year 2001 will hold a special meaning in our hearts. It will also be known as an unprecedented year for law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

On Saturday, May 4, a tribute to the more than 100 law enforcement officers who died last year trying to help others was held by the New York State Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) during a tribute ceremony in Hicksville. The names were added to the Memorial Wall at 911 Police Plaza. Among the inscriptions are the names of the 71 officers who perished in the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, including Hicksville's own New York City Police Officer Walter E. Weaver and Port Authority Police Officer George Howard.

A crowd of more than 500 attended the ceremony, including families of officers lost on Sept. 11th. The day began with a procession down West John Street. The families of the 71 police officers lost in 2001 were each given a rose to place in front of the Memorial Wall and a bouquet of roses was also placed to represent all those who were not present.

Several dignitaries attended the ceremony, including Patrick Lynch, New York City Police Benevolent Association president; Susan McCormack, president of Survivors of the Shield (SOS); Joseph Morris, chief of the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD); Charles DeRienzo, superintendent of the PAPD; Marge Dwyer, Parents SOS president; James Kelty, supervising fire marshal; James Carr, president of NYS Supreme Court Officers Association; Peter Farrell, NYS Tax Enforcement; Frank Ferreya, president of the FOP; Ed Cannon, chief of NYPD, and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto. Detective Sgt. James Bartkowski of the Garden City Police Department was master of ceremonies.

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, keynote speaker at the dedication, said, "Today, we are here to celebrate the lives and commemorate and honor those people that committed their lives to serving other people and, in doing so, put their lives at risk. We will never know the agony and depths of your grief and we want to do everything we can to help you. We have been forced to recognize the brevity of our own lives and we thank God for these men and women who made this sacrifice and we honor them by participating in this ceremony today."

Chauncy Parker, director of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice representing Governor George Pataki, said, "On behalf of Governor Pataki, I would like to express first and foremost the governor's deepest condolences to the families of the heroes who lost their lives on September 11. I was 11 blocks away [that morning] and I was running the other way, away from danger, while these heroes were running toward danger."

Prior to last Saturday's memorial service, the FOP Memorial Wall at 911 Police Plaza was inscribed with the names of more than 1,000 of New York's finest, dating back to 1792. Every year, the names of fallen officers are added to the wall.

The New York State Fraternal Order of Police is comprised of 20,000 law enforcement officers representing almost every department in the state. The organization is dedicated to contributing substantial time, effort and financial support to a number of charities and projects, including the World Trade Center Police Disaster Relief Fund, which to date has distributed over $3 million to families of officers who perished in the terrorist attacks.

- Victoria A. Caruso