Daughter of Fallen 9/11 Officer Graduates From NYPD Police Academy

The daughter of a police officer who was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks graduated from the New York Police Department Police Academy.

Photographs and video footage from the fateful day showed Ramon Suarez after he'd commandeered a taxi to get to the epicenter of the attacks and began saving people.

The last time he was seen, he was running back into the North Tower after he and another officer saved a woman who was unable to walk get out of the building, reported Pix 11.

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“Even now, 17 years later, none of us have completely come to terms with what happened that day, and I don’t think we ever will,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said during the graduation ceremony on Oct. 15, where a total of 249 new police officers were sworn in, reported the New York Post.

“But this morning, we’re here at the NYPD Police Academy graduation of Ramon’s daughter, and that in and of itself says a lot about how far we’ve come and how the NYPD will never be deterred from the critical work that we do.”

The commissioner then addressed Jillian Suarez directly.

‘I Know Your Dad is Proud of You’

“I know your dad is proud you’re wearing his shield today Jillian and so are we,” O'Neill told her after she officially graduated from the academy, according to Pix11. “Congratulations Police Officer Suarez.”

Jillian Suarez was just 9 years old when her father died.

She said she remembered her father seeming to be in his uniform all the time.

“I always admired him for that,” she told Pix11 in April when she joined the NYPD along with 270 other recruits. “He truly loved his job.”

‘I Did It Because of Him’

She previously worked at the NYPD Forensics Lab, and went to school at St. John’s University. She had her sights set on becoming an officer for a long time.

“I chose my career because of him,” she said. “I mean, I did it because of him. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

Her mother, Carmen Suarez, added that she believes her husband would be proud of his daughter.

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After the swearing in on Oct. 15, Jillian Suarez said she felt her father’s presence.

“When the confetti came down, I felt him hugging me,” Suarez, 26, told the New York Post. “I’ve always loved law enforcement, but obviously when my dad had passed away, I realized that I wanted to follow his footsteps, and I want to continue the legacy.”

From NTD.tv