Remembering Fred V. Morrone and His Officers

Ferdinand (Fred) V. Morrone, as many would tell you, was a Cops cop. Before

he ever became Superintendent of the New York Port Authority Police

Department, Fred had a law enforcement career that most would

envy. Born in Brooklyn, he started his career with the New Jersey

State Police in 1963, and continued his education, receiving his

political science degree from Stockton State College in 1974 and

masters in Public Administration from Rider University in 1977.

Before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from a 30-year career with the New

Jersey State Police in 1993, one of his last cases was part of a federal task force

working with the FBI investigating the 1993 bombing of the World Trade

Towers. By 1996, he had taken the job as the Superintendent of Police and

Director of Public Safety at Port Authority Police Department, leading 1,300 plus

sworn officers and overseeing one the worlds most complicated aviation,

maritime, transit, bus, bridge and tunnel security forces.

In his 5 years with the Port Authority, he was credited with establishing several

innovative programs. Fred had a vision, he understood the importance of training

for terrorism long before 9/11; he understood the significance of training new

recruits to the highest standards at the Department’s academy and being ready

24/7. He thought globally, understanding transportation security, how the world

was changing and what it meant for intergovernmental collaboration. To that end

 

 

he created the International School for Airport and Seaport Security with the

vision of brining counterterrorism training to 3rd world countries. He even

expanded the role of officers and how they worked operationally introducing the

use portable heart defibrillators, establishing bike patrols in the airports, a scuba

team, commercial vehicle inspection unit, an airborne services unit (Helicopters)

and a motorcycle unit.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Fred was working in Jersey City across

the river from New York City when the news came in. A plane had struck tower

one of the World Trade Center where Fred’s office was. He immediately got to

the Towers to help. He was the type of leader who would never expect to send

any officer into harms way if he himself was not willing to do the same.

Fred Morrone was the highest-ranking police officer and public official to die in

the Towers. He along side with his 36 fellow officers perished that day when

Towers collapsed.

At the time of his death Fred was the incoming president of the

INTERPORTPOLICE – International Association of Airport and Seaport Police.

Soon after the tragedy the INTERPORTPOLICE established an international

training fund in his name to assist in training officer from around the world. Later

in 2007 the Superintendent Fred V. Morrone 9/11 Memorial Award was

established and presented to Mayor Rudi Giuliani as the inaugural recipient. The

inaugural award was made by Steuben Glass and has a value of $8,000, but

what it represents is priceless. A duplicate resides with the Port of New York and

 

New Jersey Police Department. In addition the International Police & Public

Safety 9/11 Medal was established to honor those police officers and public

safety officials who are the best of the best in fighting terrorism. The police

officers of the Port Authority Police and New York Police Departments who were

killed in the line of duty on 9/11 were the inaugural recipients of the International

Police and Public Safety 9/11 Medal, for Valor. Those who receive the 9/11

Medal are given the right to use the acronym IPM after their name. Today those

awards and the INTERPORTPOLICE shield bears 37 stars representing those

honorable officers from the New York and New Jersey Port Authority Police as a

way of never forgetting.

I have had the great opportunity of serving the INTERPORTPOLICE for five

years. I cannot say how honoured I am to have had the experience to work

along side officers from around the world that work every day to protect their

communities and the global transportation and supply chain network. Many of

the men and women in public safety work tirelessly each and every day, 24/7

unnoticed.

One never knows what will come next, but we do the fight is long from being over

and each one of us play an important part in keeping the world safe. We

continue our efforts leaning from the innovations offered by Fred.

We miss our friend Fred Morrone and our colleagues who perished that day. We

must not ever forget them. They are our heroes in the truest since of the word

and have set a standard for other officers and officials to live by.

 

Others continue their work and we are pleased to continue to honour those you

are among the best of the best in the world.

Last, but never least in Fred’s life was his family, his wife Linda, and his three

children, Fred, Alyssa, and Gregory.

Fred and his officers never gave a second thought to what they were doing on

September 11, 2001. If Fred were here to speak for himself, he would tell you

that he and his officers were just doing their job.

Jay Grant

Secretary General & Director

INTERPORTPOLICE

 

International Association of Airport and Seaport Police Working Globally – Protecting Locally for 45 Years