The Port Authority said yesterday it will not appeal a New Jersey state judge's order to release transcripts of World Trade Center emergency calls on Sept. 11, 2001.August 26, 2003 -- The Port Authority said yesterday it will not appeal a New Jersey state judge's order to release transcripts of World Trade Center emergency calls on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Although we remain profoundly disappointed that the judge's ruling did not address the merits of protecting the families from an invasion of privacy, we see no point in prolonging the legal process," the agency said in a statement.
The PA said it hopes the media "refrain from publishing gruesome, gratuitous or personal details."
The New York Times has said it wanted the material to evaluate emergency response and to tell the stories of heroes.
The agency informed Superior Court Judge Sybil R. Moses of its position during a conference call yesterday, said Bruce S. Rosen, a lawyer for the newspaper.
Moses, in Hackensack, ruled Friday that the transcripts must be released by 5 p.m. Thursday. The logistics of publicly releasing the transcripts, which comprise hundreds of pages, are still being developed, Port Authority spokesman Greg Trevor said.
Monica Gabrielle, co-chairperson of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, which was formed after the terrorist attacks, said she supported the release.
It should be evaluated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is examining the reasons the towers collapsed, and the Columbia WTC Evacuation Study, to prevent such loss from happening again, said Gabrielle, whose husband, Richard, was an insurance broker who died in the south tower.
Others who lost relatives said they won't read the transcripts.
"I'm sure it will come out, but it's not the right time," said Leila Negron, 36, of Bergenfield, whose husband, Peter, was among the 2,792 killed less than two years ago.
