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CHARLIE MILLS (Lost at the WTC disaster, 11 September 2001)
by Terry O'Neill
Two days after the September 11 attacks on America, a local television
station called to ask if I were willing to talk on camera about one of the
police officers lost there. His name was Charles M. Mills -- known as
Charlie to one and all. That call was the first news I'd had of his loss.
Charlie -- an intensely joyful man with startlingly piercing blue eyes -- had
a very distinguished career as a cop. He is most fondly remembered for his
service as Police Commissioner for the City of Schenectady where he realized
his lifelong dream of commanding a police agency. Charlie threw himself into
the life of that comunity. He was famous for going about incognito after
hours as the legendary Caliph of Baghdad once did to take the pulse of his
community.
A great mutual friend of ours was Tom Constantine, a long-time Schenectady
resident and former head of the New York State Police and the Drug
Enforcement Administration. During his years in Schenectady, Charlie and Tom
developed a close cooperative personal relationship.
In November 1993, as news emerged that President Bill Clinton wanted Tom to
come to Washington to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, the dynamic
duo of Constantine and Mills pulled off a spectacularly successful operation
that swept the streets of Schenctady clean of drug dealers so thoroughly that
violent crime in the whole of that county subsided markedly for as long as
six years afterward. At the time, however, one of our more skeptical
journalists referred to this operation as "Constantine's circus" and though
he opined that it would help Tom's chances of getting the DEA job, he
expressed doubt that it would have any lasting effect. He was much mistaken.
Charlie was lost while supervising the evacuation of employees from the World
Trade Center. At the time of his death, he was the chief of the revenue
crimes investigation unit of New York's taxation agency. As is Tom, I am
very proud of him, his service and his sacrifice. I wrote the following poem
about him and shared it with many of his friends. Tom Constantine suggested
that I share it with you, and so, we offer him to you, as the very paradigm
of a community police officer. You are most welcome to share it with the
community.
Schenectady had woes and ills.
And so, we hired Charlie Mills.
When Charlie took the town's commission,
He swore improvement as his mission.
He went to work at breakneck pace
To make an impact on the place.
No iv'ry tower for this Commish.
He cut his bait and caught his fish.
He lasted but a brief few years;
But left with our regrets and tears.
Yes, o, this town did Charlie touch
And that is why we love him much.
Was there a time when Charlie quailed?
When of our trust that Charlie failed?
Never happened. There's no way
That he'd not rush to save the day.
In times of old did al-Rashid
Concerned with all his people's need
Go forth at night in beggars' clothes
To learn first hand the people's woes.
Thus did Charlie pound a beat
Like any patrolman on the street.
Thus did Charlie win our hearts:
Community cop -- was Charlie's art.
From far away beyond our town
Someone sought to strike him down
And take from us our faithful friend
Who with such heart did us defend.
They tried by such horrific crime
To set a-back the hands of time.
However they might hurt us much
There's something that they cannot touch.
For everywhere that cops walk beats
There's some of Charlie on those streets.
You cannot keep a good man down
And still he watches o'er our town.
Behold our man from flames arise.
Behold our Charlie's ice blue eyes.
Towering tall above Ground Zero
Stands Charlie Mills, American Hero.
OfficerName: Charlie Mills
OfficerCity: Police Commissioner for the City of Schenectady
End of Watch: 09/11/2001
(Written at the suggestion of Tom Constantine, who lost three close friends at the WTC -- Charles M. Mills, John O'Neill (FBI ret.) and Fred Morrone (WTC Port Authority of NY & NJ Police Chief and NJSP ret.)
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