The family of a former New York Police Department detective who worked at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks has criticized city officials for using his words in public remarks while repeatedly denying their claims for related disability benefits.

Michael Hanson, an NYPD detective assigned to the Emergency Service Unit (ESU), spent eight months assisting with recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site following the 2001 attacks. He died in 2018 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Hanson's wife and daughter have attributed his illness to conditions he was exposed to during his work at Ground Zero. However, despite 13 applications, the City of New York has denied the family’s requests for 9/11-related disability benefits and a pension, a decision they continue to challenge.

Last week, in a ceremony honoring officers who died on or after September 11, Mayor Eric Adams quoted Michael Hanson’s words to motivate current ESU officers. The mayor said, “In the words of ESU Detective Mike Hanson, who before he passed gave his younger officers a rule to work by: ‘Do what you can for who you can, with whatever it takes.’” Mayor Adams was speaking alongside the dedication of a street named after Officer Perry in East Harlem, as part of the 25th anniversary commemorations of the terror attacks.

However, Hanson's family expressed frustration over the use of the quote, highlighting that the mayor omitted the last part of the phrase, which ends with “to get it done,” and questioning whether officials were aware of the ongoing denial of benefits affecting those who worked at Ground Zero. “Does he know that the man he’s quoting died worrying about his family being taken care of because the city has denied him benefits that should’ve been there for someone sick or dying from 9/11 exposures?” Hanson’s daughter, Kate Hanson, posted in response.

Cathy Hanson, Michael Hanson’s widow, said the repeated denials added to the family’s hardship. “He was denied 13 times for a 9/11 pension,” she said. “If the mayor or his staff would’ve took a couple of minutes to figure that out he could’ve mentioned that people who suffered that day are still being denied.”

The family’s account underscores ongoing disputes over eligibility for 9/11-related health benefits, as survivors and first responders contend with long-term health impacts of their exposure at the disaster site. City officials have thus far maintained their positions on denying certain claims, although specifics of the denials in Hanson’s case were not detailed by city representatives.