Say Detective's Death Due To WTC Exposure

By REUVEN BLAU

Det. Kevin Hawkins, who worked in Mayor Bloomberg's security detail and spent two months at Ground Zero after 9/11, died May 7 from kidney cancer.

The Chief-Leader/Michael O'Kane A FINAL TRIBUTE: Friends and family members gathered May 10 to pay their last respects to Det. Kevin Hawkins, who worked in Mayor Bloomberg's security detail and spent two months at Ground Zero after 9/11. His family and union believe his death from kidney cancer was caused by his exposure to toxins during his work on the pile. Walking behind his pallbearers are his widow Marie, and daughter, Natalie.

His family and union said they believe his death was directly caused by his exposure to the toxic dust and debris during his work in the rescue and recovery effort on the pile.

Detectives' Endowment Association Vice President Vic Cipullo noted that Detective Hawkins never smoked and worked out every day before he became ill. "He's 41 years old and he came down with a cancer," he added.

'Integrity and Strength'

"Kevin brought a quiet reserve and a sense of duty to everything he did," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement. "He fought this disease with the same integrity and strength that he displayed serving our country and our city."

Detective Hawkins joined the NYPD in 1987, and also served two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, noted Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. "Detective Hawkins was an outstanding member of the service," he said in a statement.

Seeking Added Benefits

Before his death, Officer Hawkins filed a claim seeking to make him eligible for a disability pension.

His wife, Marie, and three children, Nicholas, Stephanie, and Natalie, plan to file for added benefits under newly amended state legislation named after Det. James Zadroga, who died from lung ailments following his work at Ground Zero.

Under that legislation signed into law last summer by then-Governor Pataki, his wife will be entitled to monthly payments pegged to his final average salary.

Mr. Cipullo said that Officer Hawkins's death highlights the need to maintain funding for the Mt. Sinai screening program. "So that hopefully we can detect some of these illnesses earlier," he remarked.

Numerous reports have shown that first-responders who assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks have incurred increased respiratory ailments and other potentially fatal sicknesses. Many of the city's Detectives sifted through rubble at Ground Zero, the City Morgue and the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island looking for evidence and other remnants.

Need for Screening

The DEA has created a program offering members who worked at Ground Zero a complete body scan designed to detect potential ailments. The body scan test, which normally costs $850, is available to active Detectives for $175 and all retirees for $375. Inner Imaging, the company the DEA retained to conduct the exams, is affiliated with Beth Israel Medical Center.

More than 40 percent of the union's 5,500 active members have sought vouchers for the test, Mr. Cipullo noted. In all, 2,288 vouchers have been issued.