Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Robert Helmke died of cancer 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.
Officer Helmke was a U.S Air Force veteran serving 7 years at Offutt Air Force Base in the 544 Strategic Intelligence Wing.
He served with the New York City Police Department for 12 years and with the U.S. Immigration Service at JFK Airport for 5 years.
September 11, 2001 - The Years After
Police Officer Robert Bernard Helmke was assigned to the search and recovery at the World Trade Center site after September 11, 2001. He was 38 years old that fall.
He died on July 28, 2007 - 5 years and 10 months later - of an illness contracted there. He was 43.
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
He was assigned to the Medical Division and is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NY-017DAC48- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You walked into it and it took years to finish the job.
Police Officer Helmke gave the New York City Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Helmke.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Robert Bernard Helmke served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Robert Bernard Helmke is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NY, 629 of 2,147 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 29.3% of this state's fallen. That is 20.2 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At New York City Police Department, 521 of 1237 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 42.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Bernard Helmke's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Bernard Helmke Compares
Offender Outcome
19 suicide attackers
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Bernard Helmke is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1,236 officers from New York City Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
