As news outlets across the county share stories and videos to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) Leslie Etheridge recently shared her experience as a New York City Police Department officer during the tragedy with Houston Public Media. 

Her interview was part of the station’s 9/11 special, joining other testimonials and accounts. Michael Hagerty, Houston Public Media and Houston Matters senior producer, interviewed Etheridge on Sept. 8. The two discussed her time with the NYPD, the day of the attacks and weeks that followed, and her thoughts and memories now 25 years later. 

Now the director for the Center for Safe and Secure Schools, Etheridge served various roles in the NYPD, including over the department’s school safety division. After her retirement, she joined Texas Southern University as captain of police in 2017 before joining HCDE in 2023.