The Unseen Hero Who Died Trying to Protect the NYPD From Coronavirus
Dennis Dickson, armed not with a gun and badge but with a mop and disinfectant, tried to fend off the pandemic at NYPD headquarters. He fell sick and died earlier this week.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photo NYPD
NYPD custodian Dennis Dickson was assigned the first floor of headquarters, which includes the memorial wall that lists the names of the officers who died in the line of duty.
With the arrival of the pandemic, Dickson showed his own kind of courage simply by continuing to come to work. His bravery was in that sense akin to that of transit workers and delivery people and cashiers. They do not face the same danger as frontline medical workers, but they do put themselves at markedly more risk than those of us who shelter in place.
Dickson’s labors had an added significance because he worked long hours cleaning and disinfecting any surfaces in his first-floor post that might cause others to become infected with coronavirus. And he did his work with notable dedication.
