25 years after losing his father on 9/11, Casey joins the NYPD legacy

NYPD graduate Casey Kloepfer (left), gets his shield and officer Ronald Kloepfer (right) died on 9/11 At four years of age, Casey Kloepfer was too young to understand why his father never came home from work. Twenty-five years later, he carries that loss into the same department his father served, wearing his father's badge number and playing for the NYPD lacrosse team his father helped create, states an online report by NYC Government website. For Casey, the connection to his father is not confined to a photograph, a memorial or a family story. It is woven into the uniform he wears and the department he chose to join.A father lost on September 11Ronnie Kloepfer was an NYPD officer who was killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was among the thousands of first responders who rushed toward danger as others tried to escape. His death left behind a family that, like so many others, had to navigate life without someone who had been at its center. Ronnie's connection to the NYPD extended beyond his work as a police officer. He was also instrumental in establishing the department's lacrosse team, bringing together officers through a sport he loved and the team would even...