Detectives' Endowment Association, Inc. — Paul DiGiacomo, President

The DEA Honor Roll

Official Line of Duty Deaths

The DEA extends our thanks to retired Sgt. Mike Bosak and the late Det. John Reilly for their research on early “Line of Duty” deaths and NYPD Departmental history.

George Washington Walling, in 1858, was the first “Chief of Detectives” of the Metropolitan Police force. Officially, the “Detective Force” turned out of 25th Precinct, which, at that time, was in the downtown area of Manhattan.

In April of 1870, James Jameson became the first Chief of Detectives of the New York Police Department. In 1882, Captain Thomas Byrnes established the Detective Bureau, centralizing the function out of Police Headquarters.

The first Detective “line of duty” death may have been George W. Trenchard, who was killed off-duty on June 2, 1853 while fighting a fire; but he was referred to as a “shadow,” a designation conceptually similar to that of a Detective, but one that predated the use of the term in the New York City police force.

Therefore, the DEA’s Honor Roll begins after the New York Police Department began to refer to Police Investigators as “Detectives.”

If you know the whereabouts of family members of Detectives killed in the line of duty, or if you have stories, articles, or recollections to contribute about NYPD Detectives who made the ultimate sacrifice, please notify Sam Katz at the DEA at samkatz@nycdetectives.org

Prior to September 11, 2001, line of duty deaths had to occur when the member of the service was an active member of the NYPD in the employ of the City of New York. The member had to be “taking police action” while on or off duty as determined by the NYPD. However, after 9/11 and after the passage(s) of the presumptive World Trade Center Death and Disability bills in the State of New York, changes were made in certain line of duty designations to accommodate those members of the service whose deaths were tied to illnesses they contracted as a result of their work on the rescue and recovery from the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. In many cases, those illnesses and deaths occurred after retirement.

The DEA Honor Roll represents official Line of Duty deaths as determined by the New York City Police Department and the New York City Police Pension Fund. You can find the New York Police Department’s own NYPD memorial website lists, which include all ranks of Line of Duty deaths, a memorial to United States Armed Forces deaths, a 9/11 Tribute, and a COVID tribute at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/about/memorials/memorials-landing.page

The following are members of the DEA who made the ultimate sacrifice for the citizens of New York. They are listed in alphabetical order. You can also use our website search engine to research specific Detective’s names.

 

Jason Rivera

Det. First Grade Jason Rivera

Wilbert Mora

Det. First Grade Wilbert Mora

Search the Honor Roll

Name
Rank
Date of Death
Detective, Second Grade
01/11/2006
Detective
08/13/2014
Detective
03/10/2003
Detective First Grade
07/13/2011
Detective
02/09/1963