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Police Officer

Dennis J. Howard

New York City Police Department — New York, NY

September 11, 2001 → Illness

End of Watch August 5, 2020

Age 60

The Vigil Panel 382 · Column 2 · Line 13 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 1,221

Incident

Police Officer Dennis Howard 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 Howard served with the New York City Police Department, assigned to the Citywide Traffic Task Force.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Police Officer Dennis J. Howard was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 42 years old that fall.

He died on August 5, 2020 - 18 years and 10 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 60.

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, two children, a sister, a brother, and one grandchild.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: neuraspine_01krbxtmn22wbz0pt92h06daq8
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 Dennis. Claim this record.

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

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Tributes

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

— 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 August 5, 2020

Age 60

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Cause Detail 9/11 related illness

Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

The Sacrifice · Illness

Dennis 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.

Compare against

Time

In 2020, 346 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 2nd heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Dennis was 60. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

August holds 10.2% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Wednesdays: 14%.

By month

By day of the week

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