College of DuPage to commemorate 22nd anniversary of 9/11 attacks

Join College of DuPage and local law enforcement leaders to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The ceremony will be presented at 7:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11, at the college's Sgt. Robert J. Miller Homeland Security Education Center on the Glen Ellyn's campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.

The commemoration will begin with an introduction by Associate Dean of Public Services Tom Ross, followed by reflections from COD President Dr. Brian Caputo.

Jim Volpe, the retired Wheaton police chief and current director of COD's Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, and director of COD's Fire Science/EMS program Ryan Lambert will also share their experiences of hearing the news that day, as well as how it impacted them and the direction of their careers.

The ceremony includes a moment of silence at 7:46 a.m. to mark the time of the first attack.

COD's facility provides an appropriate backdrop for the commemoration as one of only a few educational institutions nationwide selected to receive a relic from the twin towers. A 1,000-pound beam section from the World Trade Center is housed at the HEC to memorialize the lives lost and honor the heroic spirit of first responders and civilians.

Learn more about the World Trade Center Beam Memorial at www.cod.edu/hsti/facilities.

The college's Homeland Security Education Center houses the Justice Studies and Fire Science Technology programs, Suburban Law Enforcement Academy (SLEA) and the COD Police Department. The building includes forensics and cybercrime labs, an internet crime investigation lab, an ambulance simulator, a mock courtroom/auditorium, a simulation hazmat/smoke room and the first nonmilitary municipal 4-D immersive training lab.

Additionally, the center features a life-size street scene with fire truck bays, ambulance simulator and working fire hydrants - and it's the only one of its kind in the entire nation. This state-of-the-art facility is quickly adding to COD's reputation as a national homeland security powerhouse.