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Every day, PAPD women police officers add to their long, courageous history of protecting the people of New York, New Jersey and the millions who use Port Authority facilities daily. They do so with dedication and a selfless commitment to the public’s safety as they fight crime, disorder and terror. The Port Authority PBA is immensely proud to represent PAPD women. The PBA especially recognizes Port Authority Police Officer Chee Ying Yong, the 2025 Port Authority PBA Cop of the Year. In October 2025, Officer Yong saved the life of a victim suffering from multiple stabbing wounds inflicted by a murder suspect who, during the same incident, stabbed a woman to death and set the house ablaze. Officer Yong was instrumental in the apprehension of the murder suspect. PBA President Frank Conti introduced Police Officer Yong during the PBA’s annual Cop of the Year Dinner on February 6. The PBA thanks Officer Yong and all PAPD women for their courage and commitment.

Rest in peace, North Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper Steven J. Perry (EOW. 3/1/2026). Trooper Perry was killed while on patrol in the early morning hours of March 1, when his vehicle was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver. The driver is suspected of being impaired and reportedly has a history of three prior driving-while-impaired convictions. Trooper Perry was 30 years old and had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for almost seven years. He is survived by his fiancée and 9-month-old daughter. Steven, rest in the Lord’s eternal embrace. Always Honored, Never Forgotten.

Three Port Authority police officers were hospitalized after battling a two-vehicle inferno in a JFK Airport parking garage on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 3. The FDNY arrived and eventually extinguished the fire. Parking garage fires present unique challenges for firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel due to low overhead clearance that prohibits fire apparatus from entering the structure. Fortunately, the three Port Authority police officers were treated and released from the hospital.

Rest in peace, Tennessee Department of Corrections Correctional Officer Dustin Pedigo (EOW 2/24/2026). Officer Pedigo was fatally stabbed by an inmate while on duty at the Morgan County Correctional Complex in Wartburg, Tennessee. He was 35 years old and had served with the Tennessee Department of Corrections for 10 months. Dustin, rest in the Lord’s eternal embrace. Always Honored, Never Forgotten.

Rest in peace, brothers: Sergeant Michael Schlattman of the Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Sheriff’s Office was struck and killed while conducting a traffic stop (EOW 2/23/2026). Deputy Sheriff Kenneth Lewis of the Fort Bend, Texas, Sheriff’s Office was struck and killed while assisting a stranded motorist (EOW 2/23/2026). Master Trooper Stien Davis Jr. of the North Carolina Highway Patrol was killed in a rollover crash while on patrol (EOW 2/22/2026). Police Officer Caleb Abney of the Hahira, Georgia, Police Department was struck and killed while conducting a traffic stop (EOW 2/19/2026).

Thirty-three years ago today, on February 26, 1993, terrorists drove an explosives-laden truck into the World Trade Center garage beneath the North Tower. The explosives detonated, killing six people, as well as an unborn child, and injuring 1,042 others. Today, we remember those we lost: John DiGiovanni, Robert Kirkpatrick, Stephen Knapp, William Macko, William Mercado, Monica Smith and her unborn child. May they all rest in the Lord’s eternal embrace. Inside the PAPD WTC Command Station House on February 26, 1993, in the aftermath of the bombing. Port Authority police officers, some wounded in the blast, were the first of the first responders. They evacuated thousands, putting others before themselves amid the horror and chaos of the World Trade Center bombing.