New York Police Department mourning armband : Captain D Bergman, Australian Army

Places
Accession Number REL36549
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Heraldry
Physical description Elastic, Synthetic
Location Main Bld: Peacekeeping & Recent Conflicts Gallery
Maker Unknown
Date made 2001
Conflict Period 2000-2009
Description

Black elasticised woven arm band. The armband has a white border and the text 'NYPD / 9-11' , also in white.

History / Summary

Black armband collected by Captain David Bergman to commemorate the members of the New York Police Department killed on 11 September 2001. In late 2001 Bergman was studying Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons and hazards in the United States.

Along with four other Australian officers, he was seconded to the New York Police Department (NYPD) from 2 to 25 November 2001 to assist with anthrax / white powder attacks that were occurring in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. He was deployed as part of the NYPD Hazardous (HAMMER) teams operating across New York City. They would be called out to incidents to investigate and decontaminate areas if required. During November Captain Bergman attended over 30 incidents.

After working with HAMMER, he was then seconded to the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD). He worked four night shifts as part of the PAPD recovery team at Ground Zero at the World Trade Center, New York. He also visited Staten Island human remains recovery site, where all recovered material was taken for sifting, and the morgue where he went through identification techniques used to identify people.