Northampton Professor Was 9/11 First Responder

Northampton Community College Prof. Vertel Martin was the highest-ranking officer in the New York Police Department’s Queens Internal Affairs Bureau when the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11. Lt. Commander Martin led her officers to Ground Zero to begin search and rescue operations and was subsequently made the commanding officer of the World Trade Center Missing Persons Task Force. For months, Martin led the effort to locate the thousands who were killed, thought to be killed or missing as a result of the attack. As a member of the NYPD, she received the New York Police Foundation Award, two Medals of Valor and many other awards for excellent police work. She retired in 2002 and became a professor at in Bethlehem Township, joining the full-time faculty in 2006. Martin teaches a variety of classes to criminal justice students at the college, including Criminology, Law Enforcement & Investigative Techniques, and Corrections & Rehabilitation. This year, Martin was given the college’s Christensen Award, the highest award given by Northampton for teaching excellence. Martin’s motto is “some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.” On Thursday, Martin will be the keynote speaker at NCC's September 11 commemoration ceremony at 11 a.m. in Room 220 of the College Center.