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Richard E. Taylor
Agency patch
Police Officer

Richard E. Taylor

New York City Police Department — New York, NY
September 11, 2001 → Illness
United States flag New York flag
End of Watch March 6, 2016
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
The Vigil Panel 368 · Column 4 · Line 13 ›
Gender Male
Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 1,221

Incident

Police Officer Richard Taylor died as the result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks.

Officer Taylor had served with the NYPD for 30 years.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Police Officer Richard E. Taylor was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001.

He died on March 6, 2016 - 14 years and 5 months later - of an illness contracted there.

He is one of 600 officers honored here, and one of 451 at New York City Police Department.

The most recent of these deaths was October 24, 2025.

Officers who worked the search, rescue, and recovery at the World Trade Center site breathed contaminated air for weeks and months afterward. Many developed cancers and respiratory disease, and they have gone on dying of it ever since.

Seventy-two officers were killed on the morning itself. Hundreds more have died in the years that followed. They are honored here together, because the same attack killed them all. With some it simply took longer.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Richard. Claim this record.

Also honored at requiem.nw. One record, 2 gates. Richard is one person.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Police Officer Taylor gave the New York City Police Department 30 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Taylor.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department New York City Police Department
Type Police Department
Location New York, NY
Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 6, 2016
Tour of Duty 30 yrs
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

The Sacrifice · Illness

Richard is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  3. See the roll
  4. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 2016, 31 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 12th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Richard had served 30 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

March holds 5.9% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Sundays: 14.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause. The weapon recorded was aircraft; passenger jet, in 29.5% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

New York City Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Richard among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Richard E. Taylor

New York City Police Department · End of Watch March 6, 2016

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 16-E

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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