Edward Charles Gilpin
Agency patch
Captain

Edward Charles Gilpin

Illness
End of Watch September 7, 2006
Age 61
Tour of Duty 32 yrs
The Vigil Panel 154 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Captain Edward Gilpin died of illnesses he contracted after inhaling toxic chemicals and materials while working hundreds of hours at Ground Zero, the site of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Captain Gilpin had served with the New York City Police Department for 32 years and is survived by his wife and son. He was assigned to Patrol Borough Manhattan South.

Captain Gilpin had served with the New York City Police Department for 32 years and is survived by his wife and son. He was assigned to Patrol Borough Manhattan South.

September 11, 2001 - The Years After

Captain Edward Charles Gilpin was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 57 years old that fall.

He died on September 7, 2006 - 4 years and 11 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 61.

He is one of 599 officers honored here, and one of 450 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

Captain Gilpin had served with the New York City Police Department for 32 years and is survived by his wife and son.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-8FC7E5AD
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Captain Gilpin gave the New York City Police Department 32 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Captain Gilpin.

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

Agency

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

Service Record

End of Watch September 7, 2006
Tour of Duty 32 yrs
Age 61
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail 9/11 related illness
Weapon Aircraft; Passenger jet

Captain Edward Charles Gilpin is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In NY, 655 of 2,147 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 30.5% of this state's fallen. That is 30.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At New York City Police Department, 538 of 1237 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 43.5% of this agency's fallen.

New York City Police Department
538
of 1,237 officers
43.5% Illness
NY — Statewide
655
of 2,147 officers
30.5% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Edward Charles Gilpin's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Edward Charles Gilpin Compares

Age at Death
61
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
32
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Edward Charles Gilpin is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location