Remembering First Responders

Along Atlantic City’s Boardwalk, a memorial brings the work and sacrifice of first responders into a setting usually associated with entertainment and recreation. A standing police officer, a kneeling firefighter, and a police dog form one sculptural group. Nearby, two granite towers recall the World Trade Center.

Dedicated on December 5, 2014, the memorial honors firefighters, police officers, and K9 officers, alongside those who lost their lives responding to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Its placement at the Boardwalk and St. James Place makes remembrance part of an everyday public space.

Sculptor Brian Hanlon created the bronze figures. The police officer was modeled after Melvin Vincent Santiago, a Jersey City officer killed in the line of duty in July 2014. His likeness gives the broader tribute a connection to an individual life and to a family and community affected by that loss.

The adjacent September 11 memorial, also designed by Hanlon Sculpture Studio, uses two seven-foot granite towers to represent the Twin Towers. A firefighter’s helmet and a police shield are carved into their upper surfaces, connecting the forms of the buildings with the people who entered them to help others.

The figures and towers offer two related ways of remembering. One recognizes the continuing responsibilities of emergency service; the other recalls a particular day when those responsibilities demanded extraordinary sacrifice.

Together, they preserve a place for reflection amid the activity of the Boardwalk. The memorial asks those passing by to remember the people behind the uniforms, their service to others, and the lives lost in carrying out that work.