Twenty-four years ago, on May 30, 2002, the World Trade Center 9/11 Rescue and Recovery operations formally came to an end with the removal of the Final Column.
The Final Column is topped with “PAPD37,” a tribute to the 37 Port Authority police officers who were killed in the line of duty at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. One of the 47 columns that supported the inner core of the South Tower, it remained intact, embedded in the bedrock beneath the tower.
Today, the Final Column stands in the 9/11 Museum as a symbol of the resilience and courage of the 9/11 first responders. Members of every PAPD recruit class that has graduated from the Port Authority Police Academy since September 11, 2001, have taken their oath of office beside the Final Column in the 9/11 Museum.
To members of the PAPD, the Final Column represents the strength of a police department wounded like no other in the history of American law enforcement, yet determined to continue protecting the people of New York and New Jersey, as well as the millions who use Port Authority facilities each day.
The Port Authority PBA takes exceptional pride in representing America’s finest police officers.