Ghussin Police Memorial
Fred was one of the first local law enforcement officers in this State to work high level terrorist cases. On 9/11 he was working with the FBI joint terrorist task force and responded to the World Trade center. He was diagnosed with lung cancer three years later and passed from the illness on 6-22-07.
Since that time the DIA has petitioned to have Fred added to the Police Officer’s Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.
Due to the diligence of Mike Nied, past secretary treasurer of the DIA, who now serves as the New York State Trustee for the Fraternal Order of Police and Chief Walter Alexander we finally realized this goal.
The entire membership owes both men our gratitude.
The services will be held during Police Week on May 15th in Washington D.C.
Michael Nied
TRIBUTE TO A COP
by Terrance Hayes
He came to America from a foreign country. He had all the hopes and dreams of all the immigrants that had preceded him. His name is Fred.
He worked in an all night diner as a dishwasher and cook. He was paid a pittance but he ate for nothing. He arranged a tiny living space in the rear storage area where he slept. His name is Fred.
In his native country he had been a Police Officer. He was one of nine children from a loving family. His name is Fred.
He felt the need to leave his family and his job to investigate the “New World” and he did so. His name is Fred.
He left the diner and became a bartender at a Pub near the United Nations. His linguistic skills came into play and made him popular. Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian and English were the languages that he could speak and understand. His name is Fred.
He drove a taxi cab to help his new family. Yes he married and had two sons. His name is Fred.
He finished school and now had two college degrees. One from his native country and one from his adopted country. His name is Fred.
He had a burning desire to be an American citizen. He applied, WAITED, went through the process and took, with great pride, the oath of allegiance to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. His name is Fred.
He applied for government jobs and was offered a position with the New York City Housing Authority Inspector General’s Office. He used his Police training and sense of right and wrong, to root out corrupt employees. He then went to the Department of Investigation as an Investigator with the Taxi and Limousine Commission. His name is Fred.
The outstanding work he was doing in uncovering corruption and abuse, of and by City employees had not gone unnoticed. He was offered a position with the New York County District Attorney’s Office. He was, upon completion of his second Police Academy, sworn in as a Police Officer by the New York County District Attorney himself, Robert Morgenthau. His name is Fred.
Throughout New York City there are only three hundred Detective/Investigators assigned to the five counties of New York City. Now he was one of them. His name is Fred.
He was assigned many cases. A majority of which had national and inter-national ramifications. He worked the homicide of the Jewish activist, Rabbi Meir Khane by El Sayid Nosair, the first World Trade Center Attack, the international banking scandal, The Bank of Credit Commerce International (BCCI). He, freely, lent his expertise to the investigation of the murder of a young Hasidic scholar, Ari Halberstram, murdered on the Brooklyn Bridge, by radicals, just because he was a Hasidic Jew. He worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other Federal agencies on a myriad of investigations, including the prosecution the blind terrorist Sheik Abdul Rahman, the Enron and the Tyco investigations, the Oil for Food Iraqui/United Nations Program. His name is Fred.
Through his transition from immigrant to citizen to Cop, he was always faithful to his Muslim faith. His name is Fred.
With his two sons grown he started another family and was blessed with two young daughters whom he doted on, as he did with his sons. He inculcated in “my girls” the love of ALL people and a strong love of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. His name is Fred.
The day dawned with a brilliance not seen before or after…September 11, 2001. As usual he was at work. After work he went to “Ground Zero” where he worked tirelessly with the rescue teams. He worked twelve- hour building security shifts at the District Attorney’s Office, returning to “Ground Zero” to assist with the rescue effort and then with the recovery volunteers. His name is Fred.
In 2005 he was stricken with cancers in multiple areas of his body. He fought the biggest fight of his life but it was a losing battle. Every Doctor and Specialist he saw, believed the cancers were presumptive of the “9/11 syndrome”. On Friday June 22, 2007 he died. His name WAS Fred.
He was a son, brother, husband, father friend, TRUE Muslim and a proud American Police Officer.
Please keep him, his family and all the victims of 9/11 in your hearts, minds and prayers.
Lest we forget, his name was Farid (Fred) Ghussin.