Then-Chief of Detectives William Allee walks across World Trade Center rubble at the Fresh Kills landfill in this July 15, 2002 photo. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- William Allee was a cop’s cop.

The decorated officer slept with his shield under his pillow when he rose through the ranks and became chief of detectives.

But that didn’t mean he was running things from a cushy office. He was instead on the streets helping his cops, and above all, his beloved city.

The Willowbrook native sifted through the wreckage at the Fresh Kills landfill after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and fought against drugs, gangs and prostitution in the Lower East Side.

“It was always in his heart,” said his daughter, Diana Allee-Fulton.

Allee, 76, died last month from a 9/11-related illness at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is the highest-ranking uniform cop to die of a Sept. 11 illness, his family said.

“We’re still in shock,” Diana said. “It never entered my mind that this would happen.”

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Allee guides reporters on a tour of the Fresh Kills site after 9/11 in this 2002 photo. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

Devotion to public service

Allee first wanted to be a firefighter before embarking on a decorated 40-year career at the police department.

Inspired by his uncle, who was also detective, and two Queens cops from his old neighborhood, Allee went to the police academy and made a difference in several New York City neighborhoods, from Hell’s Kitchen, to the Lower East Side to Brooklyn.

While a lieutenant at Manhattan South Narcotics, he and his team worked tirelessly to rid the Lower East Side of drug dealers who preyed upon the community during the crack epidemic.

He also played a pivotal role while serving at Midtown South Precinct during the cleanup and revitalization of Times Square.

“He loved helping and protecting people,” said his daughter, Christine Allee-Escandon. “He was a cop’s cop because he was still on the streets.”

Allee has held ranks of officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, commander of detective squads, captain, deputy inspector, inspector, deputy chief and chief of detectives.

Allee was the recipient of 43 department recognition awards for excellent police work and two unit citations.

He retired in 2003.

“He was so proud (of being chief of detectives),” Diana said. “It was something he could never imagine.”

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Allee marches in the Manhattan Columbus Day Parade. (Staten Island Advance/Hilton Flores)

Leading through adversity

Allee was deeply devastated by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, his family shared.

He was at headquarters that fateful day and heard the planes go over. He phoned home after the first building collapsed, but was then missing for several hours after the second tower fell.

He and a fellow officer took refuge in a Verizon building, and emerged blanketed in dust.

“He was devastated,” Diana said. “It was such a horrible, horrible thing that his city and country was attacked. He couldn’t put into words.”

So he went into action.

Allee began managing what was a monumental crime scene, searching for civilians, firefighters and cops in the midst of the chaos.

He didn’t return home until the next day.

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Allee at the Fresh Kills site in 2002.

Sacred ground

After the tragic events, his work began. Allee was in charge of compartmentalizing and analyzing evidence from the World Trade Center site at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island.

In a C-SPAN documentary from January 2002, he said his team was able to identify 46 victims after digging through the debris at the former landfill.

“This is not a dump,” he said on the documentary. “It’s sacred ground.”

"This is an extension of the World Trade Center," he added. "I'm proud to be involved in this."

His daughters said he found jewelry, identification, wallets and other personal possessions.

“He treated every piece with respect,” they added. “He was at the landfill every day.”

Allee said he would come at night and drive around on an all-terrain vehicle thinking about how he got out and others didn’t.

“It’s humbling,” he said in the C-SPAN piece.

“This is the most horrendous thing that’s happened to this country,” he added.

When Allee retired, he was honored by then-police commissioner Ray Kelly.

"William Allee is a true professional and is leaving a lasting legacy," Kelly said after the retirement ceremony.

The former commissioner said Allee would be particularly remembered for the "sensitive way in which he led the recovery efforts at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills."

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Devastating diagnosis

Allee was diagnosed with the 9/11-related leukemia in September 2017, and doctors and his family were optimistic about his prognosis.

He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy, and had common side effects like hearing loss and a horrible cough.

A month before he passed, Diana was set to donate her bone marrow. But doctors were unable to perform the procedure because the cancer grew more aggressive.

The night before he died, he appeared fine and was joking with doctors, the family said.

Allee passed away on May 24 at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The leukemia had taken over his breathing and he went into cardiac arrest, the family said.

“Everyone was shocked,” Christine said. “There was no indication he would pass that morning.”

“He was such a great person, kind, giving and generous,” Diana added. “There’s such a void.”

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Saying goodbye

The NYPD covered Allee's casket with an NYPD flag when they escorted him out of the hospital.

Several former and current high-ranking members of the police department attended the wake.

Police Commissioner James O’Neill, former chief of detectives Robert Boyce and Rep. Dan Donovan (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) all paid their respects.

“He was a loving and devoted man,” Diana said. “He’s missed by so many people.”

Allee is survived by his wife of 52 years, Diane; his two daughters; and five grandchildren: Isabella Escandon, 17; Christian Escandon, 14; Gabriella Fulton, 14; William Fulton, 13; and Luke Fulton, 11.

"He was a wonderful grandfather," Diana said. "The grandkids are heartbroken. They miss him."