Photo credit: Michael Hnatov
Accession Number: C.2013.996.1
Dimensions: 6 in X 9 in X 12 in
Dimensions (Metric): 15.24 cm X 22.86 cm X 30.48 cm
Credit Line: Gift of John R. Soltes, in memory of the 37 PAPD officers
Description
Plastic hard hat with cap-style brim and interior ratchet suspension. The hard hat is bright blue, with the Port Authority Police Department logo on the front. On the sides of the hard hat is printed "SPECIAL OPERATIONS." On the left is a sticker of the PAPD logo with a black band across and "09/11/01" printed in the band. "Always Honored" is printed above and "Never Forgotten" is printed below. On the right is the Port Authority commemorative 9/11 sticker with an American flag over the Twin Towers. The back of the hard hat has the PAPD memorial sticker and text in red: "WAT 37." The hard hat is covered in recovery workers' signatures written in black marker.
Historical Notes
Retired Port Authority Police Department officer John Soltes procured the signatures on this PAPD hard hat on May 29, 2002, at an event marking the official close of recovery operations at Ground Zero. Soltes was part of “Team Romeo,” a group of retired Port Authority police officers who worked for the entirety of the recovery period at Ground Zero.