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Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir today joined family members in honoring School Safety Agent Orville Williams who died in the line of duty on November 16, 1999. School Safety Agent Williams was remembered during the NYPD Civilian Memorial Service for his commitment to City children and the duties he swore to uphold.
"School Safety Agent Orville Williams was the sole civilian member of the Police Department to die in the line of duty last year," Mayor Giuliani said. "He died trying to protect the children of our schools. His death is even more tragic because he was young himself, only twenty-five years old at the time, and he had so much more to give to his family and to his City."
Police Commissioner Howard Safir said, "His commitment to the children of New York and unwavering dedication to the duties he swore to uphold as a member of the NYPD School Safety Division will always be his legacy and a proud example for all who follow him. He has reminded us that the heroes that make up the New York City Police Department are found in all ranks and assignments."
School Safety Agent Williams responded to an altercation at Franklin K. Lane High School in the Woodhaven section of Queens where he was assigned when he collapsed after breaking up the fight. He was removed to Jamaica Hospital where he died a short while later. Agent Williams had been appointed to the NYPD Division of School Safety on July 9, 1997, and he was assigned to the Franklin K. Lane High School at the time of his death.
The annual Civilian Memorial Service is held to honor civilian members of the service who lost their lives in the line of duty. The names of these members are added to plaques and unveiled during the ceremony. In 1999, School Safety Agent Orville Williams was the lone civilian member of the service who died in the line of duty.