NYPD Sergeant Carries Father's 9/11 Legacy

Eleven days prior to the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the NYPD promoted Detective Joseph Vigiano to the rank of sergeant. Vigiano's father, also a detective, and his uncle, a firefighter, were both killed during the attacks at the World Trade Center. Vigiano, now 33, has worn his father's shield, number 4501, since becoming a detective. He expressed sadness about leaving his previous unit, Emergency Service Unit Truck 7, which lost 14 members on 9/11.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch commended the Vigiano family's enduring commitment to service, stating their history "continues to live within this department." Vigiano recalled his father as a jokester and emphasized the strong bond he felt with his mother's colleagues at the 75th Precinct, who became a second family after his father's death. He plans to attend sergeant school for five weeks before his assignment. On the anniversary, he intends to join his mother and fellow ESU members for breakfast in Lower Manhattan.