NYPD Detective Remembered As Generous 9/11 Hero

NEW YORK (AP) -- A former New York City detective who helped sift remains at the toxic World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack is being remembered by friends and the department as a generous, loving hero.

Kevin Czartoryski, who died Sunday, most recently worked in the NYPD's public information office, and was the Department's liaison to the City's lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender community.

The 46-year-old was buried Thursday.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has called the detective a consummate professional.

Czartoryski retired in 2009 and suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which the lung tissue becomes thickened, stiff, and scarred. The NYPD medical board determined his condition was caused by his time at Ground Zero.

He is survived by his sisters, brothers and nieces and nephews.

(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)