Heneghan’s Dunwoody Blog

My memory of September 11, 2001 by Dunwoody Councilman John Heneghan

John@JKHeneghan.com (John Heneghan) — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:34:28 -0400

I have posted this personal story on my blog several times previously but it has been a few years and with the 25th Anniversary upon us, it is time for me to retell my personal experience from September 11, 2001.

Twenty Five years ago today I was in Arlington, Virginia (near the Ballston Metro Stop) attending a training course which was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. As we were getting ready to start the class, a blackberry went off stating that a plane hit the World Trade Center and we were lucky enough that the location had a TV connected to cable and therefore it was immediately turned to CNN. The class watched as the reporters were unsure what they were seeing and we tried to figure out if it was small general aviation accident or something more serious. Just then on live TV we saw the second plane hit the tower and we knew that the first plane must have been similar. We sat in awe with the rest of the world as we watched that screen to try to comprehend what we were actually seeing.

At about 9:30 half of the class was on the telephone seeing what needed to be done as the other half watched the screen. The facilitator of the training class was a contractor who wanted to start the class (in order to get paid?) and after a 5 minute argument with most of the remaining students in the room, a supervisor made the call and said that the TV should be turned off and the class should go on. Not less than 2 minutes later, the person with the blackberry (in 2001 he must have been pretty special because they were probably rare.) stood up and yelled that "the Pentagon was just hit!”

The Pentagon is located in Arlington, Va the same city as the training course and my hotel was even closer as I was staying in the Crystal City area, just blocks from the Pentagon. People scrambled, everyone was dazed, cell phones didn’t work, locals jumped in cars to get home to their families and I decided to try to get back to my hotel since most of my co-workers had already left.

Thousands of people decided to go home the way they came and the Metro mass transit subway system wasn’t made to accommodate that level of traffic. People were reflective, several were crying, scared, shoulder to shoulder, a mass of humanity, now a hundred of feet below ground in a subway station that was build to be a fallout shelter in case of nuclear attack. On top of everything else, it seemed that the trains had now stopped running.

Underground, time had stopped. I might have been there an hour, but it seemed ten. What was happening up on the surface? Were we now at war? What was next? Babies were crying, mothers were holding them tight but there was very little other sound. A Metro conductor, held the microphone to his ear and yelled that the trains were now running again, the platform erupted in cheers; 10 minutes later I was on a train heading back to my hotel.

As I got out of the Crystal City Metro Station, I could smell the Pentagon burning less than a mile away and I was able to walk faster then the stream of cars who were trying to get out of the area. Back in the hotel, I sat alone in a very dark hotel room surfing channels to get as much information as I could absorb. I watched in horror on the Spanish Channel as they showed in graphic detail of people jumping to their death and then I watched as the towers fell. Finally I got a hold of my wife to let her know that I was fine and where I was located.

At the time Kristin was a United Airlines flight attendant, based out of Newark, NJ who was on medical leave because she was eight months pregnant with my son Gavin. Had she been flying, it is very likely that she would have been on United Flight 93 because it was one of her regular flights. Flight attendants obtain trips based on seniority and with Kris’s 12 years of seniority at the time, was able to hold the cross continental trip scheduled for San Francisco. Flying all of her trips from the Newark base while we lived in Atlanta meant that she shared a flop house with other flight attendants near the Newark airport. She and 15 other flight attendants shared a room at the Hampton Inn that contained a bunch of beds and was permanently set for them on a first come, first serve basis. Two of Kristin’s “roommates” in the shared hotel room were working Flight 93 that day and crashed in the field in Pennsylvania. From that day on, Kristin never flew again as a United Airlines Flight Attendant.

My return flight possibilities back to Atlanta were non-existent and I didn’t have a rental car since I was taking public transportation around D.C. Luckily my super social wife spread the word to her friends that I was stuck in Washington and the very next day I was picked up by the husband of one of her friends from a Dunwoody playgroup who was working in New York and passing through D.C.

As we departed Arlington we pulled onto I-395 and the Pentagon with the huge black hole in the side came into view, we knew from that day forward the definition of the word "normal" was forever changed.

Dunwoody City Council agenda for Monday August 24, 2026 (122 Townhomes, 2027 Meeting Schedule, Georgetown Trail along 285, Ziskind Donation, Technology & AI Policy, Safe Streets)

John@JKHeneghan.com (John Heneghan) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:11:56 -0400

DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Monday, August 24, 2026
6:00 PM
DUNWOODY CITY HALL - DUNWOODY HALL
4800 ASHFORD DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GA 30338

Agenda 6 pm - City Site Agenda

City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page.

They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/83080467641 or phone +14703812552,,83080467641#

You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.

Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

LifeLine Animal Showcase

PUBLIC COMMENTS - Public Comment allows the City Council the opportunity to listen to the public (3 minutes per speaker / 30 minutes total).

Safe Streets Update

2027 City Council, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Planning Commission Meeting Schedules

Contract for Wayfinding Sign Installation

Springwood Park Concept Design Services

SECOND READ: RZ 26-05, 1200 & 1240 Ashwood Parkway and 4754 Ashford Dunwoody Road: Ashwood Grove LLC requests a rezoning from the O-I (Office-Institution) district to the PD (Planned Development) district to allow the development of 122 attached homes.

FY2026 Mid-Year Budget Amendment

Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy for the City of Dunwoody

Adoption of Proposed Updates to Technology Policy

Agreements with Georgia Department of Transportation for the Georgetown Trail project

Contract with Bostic Associates for Sidewalk Ramp Upgrades

Creation of Endowment for Homecoming Park by the generosity of the Ziskind Family.

Flock updated privacy, accountability, security, and transparency safeguards. City of Dunwoody will review policy changes, followed by Council requesting review of public Flock Transparency Portal mentioned in Flock statement.

John@JKHeneghan.com (John Heneghan) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 23:00:00 -0400

Birth of the Dunwoody Police Department - April 1, 2009 - Statement of Chief Billy Grogan

Council approved Flock to continue on April 13, 2026 after voicing security concerns and making modifications to our service contract with Flock.

Dunwoody approves Flock contract after delays over security and privacy concerns

Dunwoody City Council approves controversial Flock contract

Based on more concerns over Flock, additional safe guards are being put in place.

The Hill - 08/13/2026 - Flock will add privacy guardrails to camera systems amid backlash

The Next Web - Flock Safety cuts data retention to seven days after dozens of police abuse cases

Flock statement - August 13, 2026

Flock Updates Privacy, Accountability, Security, and Transparency Safeguards

Dunwoody will review service agreements & contracts based on Flock service agreement changes tightening safeguards where possible and will review Flock Transparency Portal for possible implementation.

AJC - August 17, 2026
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based surveillance technology company, has deployed more than 120,000 automated license plate reader cameras nationwide. It says its network completes billions of license plate scans each month while serving more than 7,000 law enforcement agencies.

While supporters say the technology helps police solve crimes faster and share information across jurisdictions, critics argue the same systems raise questions about privacy, data sharing, transparency and oversight.

In part two of a two-part episode about surveillance, AJC producer Fraser Jones meets with ‪@BennJordan‬ to discuss the cybersecurity behind Flock Safety and heads to Dunwoody, Georgia, where residents, elected officials and police are debating how much power should come with collecting and sharing so much data. As city leaders debate the future of their relationship with Flock Safety, questions about privacy, transparency and local control take center stage.

As Flock's network continues to grow, communities are being forced to answer a difficult question: Who should control the data generated by modern surveillance technology?

AJC Editor's note: On Aug. 13, Flock announced it is changing its default ALPR data retention period from 30 days to seven days, though agencies can still choose longer retention periods.

AJC Aug 17, 2026 - This city trusted Flock. Now residents are sounding the alarm. | Full Episode

AJC July 20, 2026 - Atlanta is the most surveilled city in America. Here's why. | Full Episode

Dunwoody City Council agenda for Monday August 10, 2026 (Townhomes, Vape Shops and Special Event funding by the City)

John@JKHeneghan.com (John Heneghan) — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 00:30:00 -0400

I can't imagine a Fourth of July in Dunwoody without a Parade?
I believe Council should be supporting Special Events more than we currently do.

DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Monday, August 10, 2026
6:00 PM
DUNWOODY CITY HALL - DUNWOODY HALL
4800 ASHFORD DUNWOODY ROAD
DUNWOODY, GA 30338

Agenda 6 pm

City Council meetings are live-streamed on the City of Dunwoody’s Facebook page.

They are also available for viewing (no two way communication) on Zoom,
https://dunwoodyga-gov.zoom.us/j/86452715091 or phone +14703812552,,86452715091#

You can access the video after the meeting on the City of Dunwoody’s YouTube page.

Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

Award Presentation: 2026 Officer of the 2nd Qtr: T. Kinslow; Employee of the 2nd Qtr: J. Horn (Chief Carlson)

Public Comment

City Manager's Monthly Report (Eric Linton)

Discover Dunwoody Mid Year Presentation (Ray Ezelle)

FIRST READ & Public Hearing: RZ 26-05, 1200 & 1240 Ashwood Parkway and 4754 Ashford Dunwoody Road: Ashwood Grove LLC requests a rezoning from the O-I (Office-Institution) district to the PD (Planned Development) district to allow the development of 122 attached homes. (Madalyn Smith)

Contract Amendment with Practical Design Partners Womack Road Sidewalk Final Design (Tiffany Siegel)

Approval of Contracts with Ascension Program Management, Comprehensive Program Services, Vandermeer Management, and Skanska USA Building for On-call Program Management Support (John
Gates)

Ordinance to Amend Chapter 27 of the Code of Ordinances to Define and Provide Use Regulations for Vape Shops

City Sponsorship of Special Events

Heneghan opinion - There are several special events hosted by the local non-profit organizations that are older than the City and if these special events went away, we the citizens would be missing a bit of nostalgia for the small town / family community that we strive to be. Namely the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade hosted by the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, the Lemonade Days Festival hosted by the Dunwoody Preservation Trust and to a lessor extent the Light Up Dunwoody celebration also hosted by the DHA. These key community events are recognized by the Dunwoody City Council as being premier events and are eligible for up to 100% cost sharing for Dunwoody Police Support whereby the city picks up the full cost of traffic control and police presence. Other lessor events or those put on by for profit companies (like the Dunwoody Art Fest) don't get such a deal on police services but are supported.

As you may remember there was an unfortunate incident during the 2025 parade where people were hurt and since that time the City has hired a risk manager to ensure all city possible liabilities are covered and therefore the insurance requirements for special events have been ramped up or enforced where they might not have been in the past (rightly so). The fact is that these special events are hugely expensive, subject to weather loses and barely break even on a good year. Based on the now mandatory insurance costs being paid by the Non-Profit hosting the event, inquiries were made to the City in April of 2026 about adding a financial sponsorship of $5,000 dollars above the already generous donation of police services in order to cover the insurance costs. This cash donation is allowed by the City as per the 2018 policy in section VI / A unfortunately meetings were held and it was decided that no cash donation would be made at that time.

Numerous special events have fallen off the non-profit calendars over the years for lack of financial efficiency therefore I asked that this matter be brought to the full council for discussion prior to the Mayor's Budget in a few months as I believe supporting an organization like the Dunwoody Homeowners Association (as well as DPT) with a minor cash donation to cover these premier special event insurance costs is much cheaper then having the DHA drop the parade whereby the cost for the city to then take over and run the event would be astronomically more than our seed money donation to keep the current event viable. I know this 2018 document needs to be updated but the spirit of the document lives on whereby we as a City need to continue to support our traditions, invest in nostalgia and foster community. Just my 2 cents.

Contract for Wayfinding Sign Installation

Springwood Park Concept Design Services