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Community Board Votes to Co-Name Gramercy Street For Fallen Cop

By Mary Johnson | November 9, 2011 9:05am | Updated on November 9, 2011 9:15am
On Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, a Community Board 6 committee voted in favor of co-naming a Gramercy street after NYPD Officer Glen Pettit, who died on 9/11.
On Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, a Community Board 6 committee voted in favor of co-naming a Gramercy street after NYPD Officer Glen Pettit, who died on 9/11.
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GRAMERCY — Glen Pettit lived his life behind a camera. 

First, it was as a photographer and videographer, freelancing for various New York news outlets likeThe New York Times, Newsday and News 12 on Long Island.

Then, it was as a police officer with the NYPD, documenting emergencies and police responses — until the 9/11 attacks, when Pettit died in the line of duty.

Now, more than a decade later, there is a push to name East 21st Street in Gramercy after the fallen officer, who was just 30 years old at the time of his death.

Members of Community Board 6's public safety, environment and transportation committee passed a resolution Monday in favor of adding Pettit's name to the stretch of road, which runs on the north side of Gramercy Park.

The street to be named for Petitt runs parallel to Gramercy Park.
The street to be named for Petitt runs parallel to Gramercy Park.
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DNAinfo/Amy Zimmer

The request to co-name the street is supported by City Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, who noted the block in question's proximity to the Police Academy, where Pettit did much of his work.

Several members of the board's committee noted that they had read Pettit's bio prior to the meeting. It was moving, they said before voting in favor of the resolution.

Pettit joined the NYPD in 1997 and began his police career on patrol in Chelsea's 10th precinct before moving to the Police Academy Video Production Unit in 2000, to work on developing training videos for new recruits.

The academy is located just a block from the street proposed to carry Pettit's name.

A year later, on Sept. 11 2001, Pettit headed to Ground Zero to join the rescue effort. He shot video on the scene while helping hundreds of people escape — but his service cost him his life.

“He was at the Trade Center, where he met his demise, doing his duty, taking pictures,” committee chair Fred Arcaro said in detailing the proposal.

 

Pettit was one of 23 NYPD officers who died in the 9/11 attacks. In 2002, he was posthumously honored with a memorial plaque at the Police Academy on East 20th Street in Gramercy.  

In a statement issued at the time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the young officer for his work “recording the activities of New York’s finest at crime scenes and emergencies.”

“We are forever grateful to Officer Pettit for his courageous acts on September 11th and for his outstanding service throughout his career,” Bloomberg added in the statement.

The resolution will go before the full community board on Weds., Nov. 9, for a final vote.