The DEA Honor Roll
Official Line of Duty Deaths
Sandra Y. Y. Adrian
Rank: Detective, Second Grade
Shield Number: 1004
Command: Internal Affairs Bureau
Date of Death: 01/11/2006
Cause of Death: Illnesses contracted as a result of work on the rescue and recovery from the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001.
Det. Second Grade Sandra Y. Adrian was the first female DEA member whose death was declared in the line of duty. She was in her 19th year with the Police Department when she died on January 11, 2006, at age 45 of brain cancer contracted as a result of her work on the World Trade Center rescue and recovery efforts, particularly her work at the Fresh Kills Landfill.
Det. Adrian earned six recognitions for excellent and meritorious police duty. She was appointed to the New York City Housing Police on July 28, 1987, and was promoted to Detective in Housing on April 30, 1995. Housing merged with the NYPD in May of ’95, and on June 28, 2002, Det. Adrian was promoted to Detective Second Grade. During her career, she served in the Internal Affairs Bureau, which was her command at the time of her death.
Det. Adrian is remembered as always pleasant and “fun to be around,” dedicated, mild-mannered, low-keyed, and loyal to the Department. She was survived by her brother and her sister. Her death was officially declared in the line of duty in 2009, when her name was unveiled on the NYPD Memorial Wall. Det. Second Grade Sandra Y. Adrian is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.