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Major

Rodrick C. Covington

New York State Police — Albany, NY

September 11, 2001 → Illness

End of Watch March 31, 2022

Age 62

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

The Vigil Panel 395 · Column 3 · Line 19 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 170

Incident

Major Rodrick Covington 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.

Major Covington had served with the New York State Highway Patrol for 26 years.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Major Rodrick C. Covington 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 March 31, 2022 - 20 years and 6 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 62.

He is one of 600 officers honored here, and one of 38 at New York State Police.

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 and four children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: September 26, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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

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

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Major Covington gave 27 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of New York. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Major Covington.

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

Agency

Department New York State Police

Type State Police

Location Albany, Albany County, NY

Platform Identity nysp.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 31, 2022

Tour of Duty 27 yrs

Age 62

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Cause Detail 9/11 related illness

Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

The Sacrifice · Illness

Rodrick 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 2022, 135 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 4th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Rodrick was 62. 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. Rodrick had served 27 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%. Thursdays: 15.7%.

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