First Grade Det. Luis G. Alvarez passed away of cancers and other illnesses related to his work on the rescue and recovery from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Det. Alvarez’s death was deemed “in the line of duty” by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the New York City Police Pension Fund (NYCPPF). Det. Alvarez was a member of the Bomb Squad, which was instrumental to the 9/11 rescue and recovery work.
Det. Alvarez was a former United States Marine who joined the NYPD on October 15, 1990, and was promoted to Detective on March 30, 1995. He received second grade on June 29, 2000, and first grade on September 27, 2002. Because of his WTC-related illnesses, Det. Alvarez retired from the force on October 15, 2010, and he continued to suffer from cancer for many years until he finally succumbed on June 29, 2019.
During his last months, he testified before the United States Congress to rally Congress to support the renewal of the Det. James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The subsequent legislation that extended and fully funded the original act was named “Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.”
Det. Alvarez was survived by his wife and children, and other family members. In the years since his death, the Police Department and the public have honored him in several ways: with a street renaming at 50th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, New York; a memorial park on Terrell Avenue in Oceanside, New York; and by naming after him an NYPD K-9 for the Counterterrorism Bureau.
