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Madison Square Park Playground Dedicated to Female Cop Killed on 9/11

By DNAinfo Staff on March 10, 2012 4:11pm

By Sarah Tan

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

FLATIRON DISTRICT — A Madison Square Park Playground was dedicated Saturday in honor of the only female police officer killed on 9/11.

Family and friends of Officer Moira Ann Smith, who was 38 and worked in the 13th Precinct when she rushed to Ground Zero before the towers fell, were joined by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly for the ceremony.

"It's an incredible honor to have a playground dedicated, a place full of life and laughter," Smith's husband, retired police officer James Smith, said. "Life and laughter was what she was all about."

Quinn and Kelly also wanted to acknowledge that the park stood to honor not just Smith, but also her fellow police officers of the 13th Precinct who were killed that day. 

Just months after the terrorist attack, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani awarded a medal of honor to Smith for her bravery. Her daughter, Patricia, who was just 2 years old at the time, accepted it on her behalf. At Saturday's dedication, Patricia spoke to the crowd about keeping the memory of her mother alive. 

"My mom will always be my hero and role model and I feel she is watching over all of us," Patricia Smith, now 12, said. "I want to thank everyone for coming out to celebrate my hero and my family's hero."

Al Doyle, 60, and his wife, Pat Sallin, 64, have lived within the 13th Precinct for most of their lives. Though they didn't know Smith personally, Sallin, who had worked in the precinct office, said she had seen her before and knew of her. 

"She was a very community-minded person," Doyle said, "and we should never forget all the police officers that put their lives on the line today."