ROCKWALL, Texas - As the nation marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Rockwall Police Department honored one of its own for his service at Ground Zero in the weeks following the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Sgt. Steven Brassil, who joined the Rockwall Police Department in February 2007, previously served with the New York City Police Department.
Brassil was a member of an NYPD recruit class when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. At the time, he and his classmates were only about one-third of the way through their police academy training.
The attacks abruptly changed that training.
Brassil and the other recruits were immediately assigned to duties at and around Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. For weeks, they worked in various roles supporting the search, rescue and recovery operations in the rubble of the World Trade Center.
Twenty-five years later, employees with the City of Rockwall's Utility Billing, Finance and Inspections departments commemorated Brassil's service by creating a shadow box containing items from his time with the NYPD.
The Rockwall Police Department recognized Brassil as part of its observance of the anniversary, highlighting both his work in New York following the attacks and the law enforcement career he later continued in North Texas.
"We are proud to recognize Sergeant Brassil's service following the attacks and grateful that he later chose to continue his law enforcement career with the Rockwall Police Department," the department said.
