October 20, 2016Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you, Lieutenant.We all have a solemn task today to honor those who put on a uniform, chose a noble path, serve this City and gave everything in that service. We are adding eighteen names to the NYPD Memorial Wall – a moment of grief for sure, but also a moment of pride and a moment of gratitude for their service. And we always express our gratitude, our sympathy, our solidarity with the families who have felt so much pain, but who know that the NYPD will always be with them. I want to thank the leadership, the NYPD here today – Commissioner O’Neill, First Deputy Commissioner Tucker, all the leaders present. I want to thank the leaders of labor with us today – Pat Lynch of the PBA, Michael Palladino of the DEA, and all the other labor leaders with us.And I want to reflect on the history that is evident behind us. There are 863 names on this memorial wall. Their service goes back to 1849 – a very different time and a very different city, but something that creates a continuity – a consistency between those who served then and those who serve now. There is an unbroken chain of commitment to others and of a willingness to sacrifice. When you see all these names together on a wall, it is humbling. It is an example of human bravery all collected in one place for us to see. And it is a reminder that we as human beings, we start our life with a simple impulse – when there is danger, when there is a threat our impulse is to run away from it, to avoid it. But the members of the NYPD have a different impulse, a different understanding. They make a choice, and, again, it is a noble choice to run toward the danger and to serve us every day, not just in times of the most dire crisis, but every single day. And New Yorkers feel safe because of the NYPD. We feel strong. We see a reflection of the best in our society.The names we will dedicate today, two names of brave men who fell in the line of duty here on the streets of this city – Detective Brian Moore and Detective Randolph Holder. And it is very moving to recognize that it was literally one year ago today that we lost Detective Holder. We all remember that day very, very clearly and painfully. Detective Holder responded to reports of shots fired and pursued the gunman, and, as he closed in, the gunman senselessly took Detective Holder’s life. And it’s a reminder of what it takes to overcome that human impulse, because Detective Holder and Detective Moore – so many others have overcome, have directed their bravery to the danger.There is a quote by Nelson Mandela that says so much about these individuals. He said, “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”The men and women on this wall were people like us. They felt fear, they felt pain, but they chose to ignore and overcome those feelings and do something remarkable for the rest of us. The NYPD will continue to build on their legacy, on their example, and we will never forget them.So, on behalf of eight and a half million New Yorkers, I want to thank the families. I want you to know we will hold your heroes in our hearts always.Thank you. God bless you all.[Applause]Lieutenant Tony Giorgio, NYPD: And thank you Mr. Mayor. It is indeed my pleasure to introduce the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, the Honorable James P. O’Neill.[Applause]Police Commissioner James O’Neill: Good morning, everyone. Thanks for being here. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for being here. Shari, thank you for being here. Ben Tucker, Monsignor, the executive staff, and everybody standing up in blue, thank you for being here today, and thank you for doing what you do.This is one of our most important ceremonies in the NYPD. As the Police Commissioner I get to participate in many ceremonies, but this is my first at the Memorial Wall, and it’s so meaningful to me. This is – we use this day to honor 18 people for their courage, for their commitment to this city, for making this city such a great place to live and work. It’s crucial that we never forget their service, and we never forget the sacrifice of our fellow officers. This city is like no other, and that doesn’t happen by accident. That happens because of the hard work of the men and women standing in front of me. I’d like to hope that we’ll never have to add another name to this wall. That’s not possible based on the work that we do. We confront danger – as the Mayor said we go to danger. That’s why we became police officers. We made the decisions in our life at some point to do good, to do right. Put that uniform on, put that shield on, put on your gun belt, walk out that precinct, walk out the district, walk out the PSA and do what’s right, and do what’s good for this city, and do what’s good for this country. And you do a terrific job.I’m not sure you understand the magnitude of what you’ve accomplished in this city. I’ve been a cop for a long time – some of you maybe not so long. I know what this city was like in the 80s and 90s, even the early 2000s. Take a look at what you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished. Be proud of who you are and what you do – it’s important you always remember that. Sometimes it’s not easy being a cop, I understand that. This work’s not easy. It’s complicated. We go into complicated situations. Sometimes it works out – sometimes not so well. That’s what we get paid to do. And we get paid to make those decisions, so thank you for everything you do.The business of policing is one of great danger and sometimes of great sacrifice. So again, we’ll be back again to commemorate and to celebrate the lives of the heroism of our other brothers and sisters. This job involves risks and sacrifices. It involves going towards the things from which others flee. We see it time and time again. We do that because we need to help the people of this great city. This is the burden of being a cop – a heavy weight we all bear in law enforcement. And as difficult as this burden is for us, as painful as this sacrifice sometimes becomes, the people of this city rely on us.Today, we’re here to celebrate the lives and the careers and the sacrifices of 18 people whose names we are adding to the Memorial Wall – adding Brian’s name, Randolph’s name – two good friends of my Steve Bonano and Jimmy Guida.For the families – thank you for sharing these remarkable men and women with us and for your courage through extended illnesses and loss. We’ll continue to fulfill our commitment to you – you know you will always be a part of our family. Today, we offer you again our deepest condolences and solemn pledge to cherish and uphold the legacies of your loved ones for all time. Our department’s motto is fidelis ad mortem – faithful until death. But we the survivors remain faithful to our fallen brothers and sisters forever. They live on in this memorial where we’ll meet again and again to celebrate their lives.Thank you very much.