THE ITALIAN ANTIQUE POLICE
It seems in Italy they have an Antique Police Force.
I don�t mean a police force consisting of older members, but an entire police force dedicated to preventing the theft and tracking of stolen ancient artifacts.
Highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal article written by Stephanie Gruner, the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Patrimony is perhaps the largest armed force of its kind anywhere, and most surely the world�s most effective.
There are over 300 of the country�s 120,000 carabinieri, in 11 offices from Venice to Palermo, leading the anti-looting and recovery efforts for this country�s antiquities.
�Each morning a report arrives on the desk of Col. Giovanni Pastore, second in command of a military police unit charged with protecting Italy�s cultural patrimony. The few pages list everything from antique watches to Renaissance paintings that were either ripped off or recovered the day before.�
A recent report listed that �robbers entered a church in Ascoli Piceno and left with two ancient wood pews, the better for making fake antique furniture. A burglar at a church farther north in Novara had just enough time to break the wooden arm off of a baby Jesus, as it lay cradled in the arms of the Virgin Mary, before making an escape. Thieves stole a cache of marble statues from a family villa elsewhere. On a bright note, more than two dozen sculptures, antiques and paintings were recovered just one month after their theft from a villa outside Milan.�
These antiques gumshoes have become internationally well-regarded, and have served as experts and trainers in Iraq, Kosovo, Cuba and Peru. Representatives from countries such as Greece and Hungary have traveled to Italy to learn how these officers work.
In an average week, carabinieri fly helicopters over archaeological sites taking aerial photographs to reveal illegal diggings. They go on offshore dives to prevent unauthorized underwater excavations. They also lecture at schools, universities and conferences �to convince Italians that looting and trafficking in their own cultural heritage isn�t just against the law, but against their own interests. Still other officers in their stylish black-and-red uniforms show up unannounced at antiques shops, auction houses and outdoor markets to videotape items for sale to match against the more than 2.5 million missing objects cataloged in the art squad�s vast database.�
They don�t stop there. There are others poring through other databases that list sales at auction houses such as Sotheby�s and Christie�s, and also surfing the internet to find hot antiquities for sale. They also utilize wire-tapping, satellites, and other modern technological devices in their battle to track down stolen goods.
What detective force would exist without its �sources of information� � paid and unpaid.
Archaeologists, museum curators, and the anonymous source all contribute to their success. �Sometimes it�s a tombaroli with a grudge against a competitor who tips them off. Other times word arrives out of the blue � like the email received recently with a link to an auction on eBay, listing for sale an Etruscan urn missing since the summer of 2004.�
Between 1970 and 2005, according to the organization�s own figures, 845,838 objects were reported stolen, while less than a third of that number were recovered and only 4,159 arrests were made. In addition, according to Col. Pastore, the number of robberies at private properties has decreased from 673 in 2003 to 619 in 2005. This unit has also confiscated over 228,000 counterfeit works since 1970.
Despite the odds, this unit is credited with doing an outstanding job.
The quantity of potential targets is quite astounding. Italy has some 6,000 registered archaeological sites, 100,000 or so churches, more than 45,000 castles and gardens, and roughly 35,000 historic residences � not to mention thousands of miles of coastline, beneath which lie yet more buried treasure. All are potential targets.
Some of the obstacles that arise include the issue that many of these valuabvles aren�t cordoned off behind ropes or protected by glass walls, much less watched around the clock by guards or cameras. �Italy is not a country of museums�, says a cultural ministry employee. �It�s a museum in itself, a large open-air museum.�
Not surprisingly, funding is another issue that often stands in the way.
Financing for cultural affairs have been drastically reduced by the government � by over 20% in just the past two years alone. While these cuts have hit protection efforts, it was also noted by the ministry official that �no matter how much money Italy has for art protection, preservation and anti-looting, it�s never enough.�
Not only protecting the theft of these antique items from their Italian home, the unit spends a considerable amount of time fighting the demand for these objects overseas. In the United States alone, hundreds of museum pieces remain under dispute as to their rightful ownership.
The squad�s operational headquarters, in Rome, houses the loot collected in their crime fighting efforts. A recent visit their showed art work from Picasso, Dali, Miros and a delicate Degas ballerina line up along the floor � all fakes. The seller applied for and got an export license for his �masterpieces� but they were stopped at the border � all counterfeit.
FOR THE FASHIONABLE DETECTIVE
A recent issue of GQ Magazine has noted a few �Commandments of Style� that may be of value to some of our more fashionable gumshoes.
The first commandment mentioned was to �Honor thy Tailor�. Finding a good tailor is so important � don�t leave it for the clothing hack in the dry cleaners, find a good tailor who will make what you wear look like it belongs on you.
Match your socks with your suit. Your socks should be a shade darker than your suit but not quite as dark as your shoes. Leave the socks with cartoon adornments in the drawer.
Put your wallet on a diet. Purge what�s not needed; carry your money in a money clip, and leave the other nonsense either in your desk drawer or in your (leather) briefcase.
Wear brown shoes with nearly everything. Brown shoes have become very underrated. Brown shoes knock your style up a notch; people notice them. They go best with gray, khaki, or navy. Dark brown shoes are easier to pull off than light brown shoes.
A pocket square, or white cloth handkerchief in the breast pocket dresses up the suit immeasurably. Don�t, however, use a matching square and tie. The pocket square should coordinate with your tie, but not be an exact match.
Despite our innate need to show affiliation, such as the �apple� or benevolent association pin, there really is no room for a lapel pin on a well dressed suit. That being said, the wearing of the distinctive �DB� pin in NYPD circles is an exception that The Minister is willing to make. (As the DB pin was once an award of merit and not attendance, and will especially be noted in its absence by esteemed retired Chiefs of Detectives!).
And, if I may mention another fashionable tip � a plaid sport jacket is best worn� in the closet. Right next to the sport coats with leather elbow pads.
Note by The Minister: Although he did not provide any material for this piece, I am quite sure that Ret. Det JOHN CANTWELL, himself a gumshoe at Conde Nast, publisher of GQ and other renowned publications, is quite familiar and continues to follow the commandments of the fashionable detective. The picture of a true "Manhattan Detective"!
INNOVATIONS IN SECURITY
Noted in a recent issue of SECURITY MANAGEMENT magazine, the expansion of CCTV cameras is booming in almost every aspect of everyday life.
In the area of public transportation, CCTV cameras have been introduced not only to stations, tunnels and passageways, but is now seeing the introduction inside of train cars as well.
These expanded applications are being seen in various areas of the country.
Public buses in Cincinnati and Chicago already have surveillance systems on board. In Houston, wireless transmission onto video in real time from buses to a control center has already been put in place.
The light rail system under construction in Phoenix will have several cameras per car.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) just began installing cameras on its subway trains. It has a goal of four cameras per car.
New York�s MTA, it is noted, is not one of the systems on board with these cameras, though.
Although the MTA is �in the midst of a massive security upgrade that includes an integrated electronic security system, biometrics for access control, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear detection, it has no immediate plans for cameras on trains.� That�s due, in large part, to networking issues.
The MTA is, however, beginning a pilot project in which cameras will be installed on buses, but issues involving trade unions still need to be settled. These issues with unions apparently are strong enough for the MTA President for Capital Construction, Mysore Nagaraja, to note that �eventually we�re going to get (cameras), but I don�t know if it will be in my lifetime.�
Until a major incident strikes the transit system, I guess these trade union issues will be enough to prevent the advancement of cameras into the security component of the MTA.
KITTY GENOVESE
On March 13th, 1964, one of one of the most infamous crimes in American history occurred in the Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens, New York. At around 3 AM, 28-year-old Catherine "Kitty" Genovese was attacked, sexually assaulted, and murdered as she walked from her parked car.
The assault lasted thirty-five minutes and occurred outside of an apartment building where a reported 38 witnesses either heard or saw the attack and did nothing to stop it.
A front-page article in the New York Times sparked an avalanche of press and weeks of national soul searching. The case has lived on in plays, musicals, TV dramas -- it even spawned a whole new branch of psychology.
Today the name Kitty Genovese remains synonymous with public apathy.
REFLECTIONS
I sometimes find myself reflecting over the past twenty-five years, on my career in policing as it stands thus far.
I sometimes get reminded, not always in the kindest of ways, that I have become one of the �old timers� around here. Although I can�t for the life of me understand how, and don�t for even a second believe it, but it�s hard not to realize it when you stand and talk to a group of new recruits fresh out of the Academy.
Heck, I find myself looking at some Sergeant�s and wondering if their mother�s know they�re out so late!
I�ve been driving the Belt Parkway to the Conduit and Atlantic Avenue for 25 years!
I can remember being a rookie in District 33, taking the same route, and passing by Pitkin Avenue & the Conduit every morning observing a young blonde male panhandling in the street. Wonder whatever happened to him? He was probably a lot older than he appeared � how did he ever make out?
Remember the short black male who would work along Atlantic Avenue, panhandling for money as he rubbed his stomach in a circle to indicate he was hungry? He was around for a while as well � then just seemed to disappear one day. As did the white female with short hair who weighed about 75 pounds; when I was in Warrants back ten years ago I recall seeing her BCI photo attached to a prost warrant. Not very surprised.
Then there was the black male with a plastic jug on his head who would dance up and down at Atlantic Ave near Schenectady, with a large stick in his hand. I believe he passed on some years ago.
As I was saying, though, without a blink of an eye I�ve become an old-timer. (But I don�t want to be an old timer!) It just happens that way.
I�m talking to a group of new white-shield detectives coming into the Bureau, trying to extend a bit of orientation to the new job, and recalling my own days seated in those seats in a reversed role. Then, it was Tommy Burke talking to a group of 20 newly assigned white-shield Transit Detectives. We were in Gold Street, when that building housed a major part of the Transit Police Department�s offices � including the Detective Division and Training. Tommy told us all the �big secret� of being a Detective � which is just as true today as it was in 1985. �Getting people to tell you what happened, and then acting on that information�. I use that today in the training I also conduct � and it is just as important as ever.
I was in the white-shield class with Jerry Lyons, who would eventually end up as my partner later in the Robbery Squad. We shared a lot of laughs, and a lot of good successful case investigations � as I did with Mike Sapraicone and Jeff Aiello.
I share a Combat Cross with Jerry, as we were sharing a bag of peanuts in the porters room at Cleveland Street on the J line in a booth robbery stake-out. The perps in the pattern hit on the day I returned from vacation, with Glenn Davidson and Freddie Crocket in our backup car in the street. We made them sorry they came to rob our token booth that night.
Mike Sapraicone, a great detective, and an even greater entrepreneur. Can you believe I learned my �people skills� from Jerry and Mike? Working with those guys personified that saying, �the more I learn, the more I realize that I need to learn�. Times past�
I drive up and down Bushwick Avenue daily, and recall the times I did so with Willy Melendez in the car with me, as Detective partners in District 33. Willy was a lot like another detective I was to meet years later � he could get anywhere, as long as he started at Bushwick Avenue! Carol Sciannameo almost came to blows with him one time when she demanded, �if you drive down Bushwick Avenue one more time I�ll strangle you�. Willy was the senior detective in the team, and as such he demanded to always drive the car. It didn�t matter whether he knew where he was going or not.
Then there was Clarence Surgeon in the Robbery Squad. Bob Nardi noted that driving with Clarence was like a Mister Magoo adventure � he�d drive around in circles, eventually getting where you needed to go.
Bob Nardi was great at recognizing people in a crowd. Like the time he recognized Rod Carew hailing a cab in Times Square, or when he noticed Yoko Ono crossing our path as we drove through Central Park. Bob is still chasing crooks up in the Bronx, as far as I know.
Some people pop into my mind every now and then, and it�s usually because I recall some happy times we shared. I can�t ever remember a time with Gamon Stewart when I wasn�t either laughing, or learning a lot about being a detective. Or ever having a bad time on patrol in Anti-Crime with Louie Mauro in District 33. Louie had a story for everything, and taught me a lot about working anti-crime and decoys. A great cop, Louie made a robbery collar as he left the command on his last tour before official retirement. True to form.
I think often about Fran Lozada, and the times we shared on patrol in District 33. The time that we were teamed up in Anti-Crime for summons enforcement, for The Duke to see how we�d work out, and we came writing a book of (personal C) summonses each, and two collars. Fran should have been here nearing her 25 years, certainly with a gold shield � a life cut way too short.
Hey, as it�s been said, �this is the life we chose�. And, by the way, Bushwick Avenue is still a *&?!@ to drive on!
INTERESTING WEB SITES
Property tax search http://nycserv.nyc.gov/NYCServInquiry/NYCSERVMain
NYS Professions: Online Verifications http://www.op.nysed.gov/opsearches.htm
HOAXBUSTERS HomePage
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HoaxBustersHome.html
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
May 10, 1922 Ptl Henry Pohndorf, 38 Pct, Shot- robbery arrest
May 10, 1979 PO Robert Soldo, 108 Pct, Shot- off duty incident
May 11, 1959 Ptl Harry Hafner, Hwy3, Motorcycle accident
May 12, 1925 Ptl Charles Godfrey, 16 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 12, 1932 Sgt Theodore Werdann, 87 Pct, Injured on patrol
May 12, 1944 Ptl Joseph Curtis, Mtd, Line of duty injury
May 12, 1951 Ptl Harold Randolph, 75 Pct, shot- off duty incident
May 13, 1913 Ptl Charles Teare, 12 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 15, 1934 Ptl John Morrissey, Telegrph Bur, Injured- assaulted
May 16, 1864 Ptl George Duryea, 19 Pct, Arrest-robbery
May 16, 1947 Ptl Frank Golden, 108 Pct, Shot- accidental discharge
May 17, 1927 Det Morris Borkin, DetDiv, Shot- burglary arrest
May 17, 1930 Ptl William Duncan, 18 Pct, Shot- GLA arrest
May 18, 1922 Ptl Douglas Hay, 49 Pct, Assaulted
May 18, 1962 Det Luke Fallon & Det John Finnegan, 70 Sqd � Shot-robbery
May 19, 1931 Ptl William O�Connor, Mtd, Shot
May 19, 1997 PO Anthony Sanchez, 13 Pct, Shot- robbery
May 20, 1920 Ptl John Fitzpatrick, DetDiv, Shot-GLA arrest
May 21, 1968 Det Richard Rolanz, 103 Pct, Line of duty heart attack
May 21, 1971 Ptl Joseph Piagentini & Ptl Waverly Jones, 32 Pct � Assasinated
May 21, 1996 PO Vincent Guidice, 50 Pct, Arrest- Cut by glass, assaulted
May 23, 1919 Ptl Emil Carbonell, Mcy, Auto accident on patrol
May 23, 1927 Ptl Walter Wahl, 7 Pct, Fire rescue
May 23, 1939 Ptl Nicholas Moreno, 87 Pct, Shot- investigation
May 25, 1970 PO Miguiel Sirvent, 71 Pct, Shot- robbery
May 26, 1924 Det Bernardino Grottano, DetDiv, Shot- burglary in progress
May 26, 1947 Ptl Phillip Fitzpatrick, Mtd, Shot- robbery
May 26, 1998 PO Anthony Mosomillo, 67 Pct, Shot- arrest, warrant
May 28, 1948 Ptl Charles Meyer, Hwy3, LOD injury
May 28, 1966 Ptl John Bannon, 110 Pct, Shot- off duty incident
May 28, 1970 Ptl Lawrence Stefane, 9 Pct, Stabbed by EDP
May 28, 2000 PO David Regan, 62 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
Note from The Minister: Some observations upon reviewing the listing of Line of Duty Deaths needs to be mentioned, concerning some deaths with a significant impact on this writers life.
Det's Fallon & Finnegan, of the 70 Squad, killed in the line of duty 44 years ago in 1962 when they interrupted a robbery in progress in a tobacco store. Their deaths have been noted previously on this web site.
The assasination deaths of Patrolmen Piagentini and Jones in Harlem's 32 Precinct in 1971, 25 years ago, during the terrible 70's and the BLA efforts.
The death of PO Anthony Mosomillo of the 67 Precinct, a precinct warrant officer killed while apprehending a subject on a warrant.
We pledge that all those officers killed in the line of duty will NOT be forgotten. Take a moment to remember these brother and sister officers, and their families, as you continue on your day to day activities. May they rest in peace.
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL REMINDER:
Just a short reminder that May 15 is National Law Enforcement Officers Day, and that the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial services will be conducted this weekend in Washington D.C.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
�Nothing is impossible for those who don�t have to do the work.�
THE DETECTIVES FORTE: TALKING TO PEOPLE
A detective must be good at talking to people � all kinds of people. Complainants, witnesses, victim�s family, and suspects who we require a statement from.
One of the truly best at interviewing people is Retired Detective Gennaro (Jerry) Giorgio, of Manhattan North. In a recent book written by Professor Robert Jackle, titled �Street Stories� (which has been highlighted on this site previously), Giorgio provides his keys for interrogation.
It is certainly worth posting here.
"Detective Gennaro Giorgio, dressed to the nines and with his customary aplomb, testified about his cat-and-mouse interviews and conversations with (a suspect).
Giorgio�s rules for interrogation are simple and straightforward:
"Know the case from beginning to end, down to the smallest detail.
Specific knowledge is the key to successful interrogation.
Listen patiently to suspects. Never confront them in an accusatory way.
At first, write nothing, taking in everything a suspect says without challenge. Then go back over the suspect�s statement, writing it out carefully.
Read it back to the suspect and have him sign it.
Lock suspects into their statements, whether true or false.
Then key in on inconsistencies in the statements or on aspects of the statements one knows independently to be false.
Make careful notes of casual conversations with suspects. Sometimes suspects blurt out damning statements spontaneously at off-guard moments.
Observe the suspect�s demeanor carefully during the interview,especially when he is telling known lies. Make a mental note of any behavioral patterns that regularly accompany the known lies, such as facial tics, hand rubbing, head touching, turning away, licking lips, or displays of anger.
Point out the lies without, at first, letting the suspect know how one knows he is lying. Ask the suspect why he is lying.
Then point out some piece of actual evidence that contradicts his story. Insistently but quietly demand an explanation for the discrepancy. If none is forthcoming, move on to the next discrepancy.
If one has no tangible evidence on hand, use dodges, ruses, or tricks to elicit statements from suspects.
At a certain point, offer the suspect an out�a plausible explanation, justification, or excuse for his depredation, suppressing all personal moral revulsion and clearly indicating that one understands and indeed empathizes with such a motive or account.
In short, let suspects convict themselves with their own words. Denials of guilt are as useful legally as admissions or confessions if one has independent evidence to undermine the denials and thus the suspect�s credibility before a jury.
THE ROCKFORD FILES
The Rockford Files is generally regarded as one of the finest private eye series of the 1970s, and indeed of all time, consistently ranked at or near the top in polls of viewers, critics, and mystery writers.
The series offered superbly-plotted mysteries, with the requisite amounts of action, yet it was also something of a revisionist take on the hard-boiled detective genre, grounded more in character than crime, and infused with humor and realistic relationships. Driven by brilliant writing, an ensemble of winning characters, and the charm of its star, James Garner, the series went from prime-time Nielsen hit in the seventies, to a syndication staple with a loyal cult following in the eighties, spawning a series of made-for-TV movie sequels beginning in 1994.
The show�s concept originally sketched the premise of a private eye who only took on closed cases, but this was a concept quickly abandoned in the series.
The Rockford Files ran for five full seasons, 114 episodes running from 1974-1977. It came to a premature end in the middle of the sixth, when Garner left the show due to a variety of physical ailments brought on by the strenuous demands of the production. Yet Rockford never really left the air; not only has the series remained steadily popular in syndication and on cable, three of a projected six made-for-television reunion movies aired on CBS between 1994 and 1996 (the first scoring blockbuster ratings). In addition, a loyal cult following celebrates the series on the Rockford Files Web site, and Internet discussion groups.
Jim Rockford did indeed break the mold set by television's earlier two-fisted chivalric P.I.s. His headquarters was a mobile home parked at the beach rather than a shabby office off Sunset Boulevard; in lieu of a gorgeous secretary, an answering machine took his messages; he preferred to talk, rather than slug, his way out of a tight spot; and he rarely carried a gun. (When one surprised client asked why, Rockford replied, "Because I don't want to shoot anybody.")
No troubled loner, Jim Rockford spent much of his free time fishing or watching TV with his father Joe Rockford (Noah Beery, Jr.), a retired trucker with a vocal antipathy to "Jimmy's" chosen profession. Inspired by an episode of Mannix in which that tough-guy P.I. took on a child's case for some loose change and a lollipop, the producer decided to make Rockford "the Jack Benny of private eyes." Rockford always announced his rates up front: $200 a day, plus expenses (which he itemized with abandon). He was tenacious on the job, but business was business--and he had payments on the trailer.
The Rockford Files hewed closely to the hard-boiled tradition in style and theme.
The series' depiction of L.A.'s sun-baked streets and seamy underbelly rivals the novels of Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald. Chandler, in his essay "The Simple Art of Murder," could have been writing about Jim Rockford when he describes the hard-boiled detective as a poor man, a common man, a man of honor, who talks with the rude wit of his age.
Rockford's propensity for wisecracks, his fractious relationship with the police, and his network of shady underworld connections, lead straight back to the classic writing of Dashiell Hammett. As for his aversion to fisticuffs, Rockford was not a coward, but a pragmatist, different only by degree (if at all) from Philip Marlowe; when violence was inevitable, he was as tough as nails.
Most tellingly of all, he shared the same code as his L.A. predecessors Marlowe and Lew Archer: an unwavering sense of morality, and an almost obsessive thirst for the truth. Thus, despite his ostensible concern for the bottom line, in practice Rockford ended up doing as much or more charity work as any fictional gumshoe (as in "The Reincarnation of Angie," when the soft-hearted sleuth agrees to take on a distressed damsel's case for his "special sucker rate" of $23.74).
During its run the series was nominated for the Writer's Guild Award and the Mystery Writer's of America "Edgar" Award, in addition to winning the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 1978.
INTERESTING WEB SITE
Check out this site that allows you to generate a police sketch, its pretty cool:
http://flashface.ctapt.de/
NEW RESTRAINT � HANDCUFFS?
As I�ve said before, you can never tell what you may find in an old issue of Spring 3100.
The June 1957 issue of SPRING introduced a new restraint � handcuffs � that were being carried by MOS. (Or, at that time, would have been referred to as MOF).
All members appointed after June 1956 were required to carry handcuffs as official equipment. In addition, all MOS who desired to replace �worn-out, defective or lost nippers� were also encouraged to so equip themselves.
Prior to this, the authorized, required restraint device was a pair of �nippers�. These looked like a small chain with flat handles on each end that you could wrap around a prisoner�s wrist and tighten so as to restrain them. If you�ve ever seen a real pair of these nippers, you�d have to wonder how this task was ever safely accomplished.
The two-page photo spread on �how-to� use handcuffs was accompanied by this advice.
�Handcuffs are only to be used on a prisoner, to prevent escape, or on sufficiently disorderly or mentally disturbed persons to prevent injury to themselves or others. Only where absolutely necessary are they to be used on juveniles or women�. This closing line of precaution was also added: �Before employing the use of handcuffs, make certain that the key to open them is readily available�.
They also specifically mentioned the caution in handcuffing a prisoner to another patrolman! Prisoners should not be handcuffed to an officer�s gun hand, making it difficult if not impossible to draw his revolver if needed. He should only cuff himself to the prisoner �if another officer is accompanying him�.
I wonder how many calls ESU had that year to free someone from handcuffs?
(This particular issue of Spring 3100 has special meaning to The Minister of Investigation � this was the month / year I was born. My father, who would have just celebrated his 1 year anniversary on the job, would have had to break down and make sure he had a pair of handcuffs! Actually, his appointment class in the Academy would have been one of the first to have trained with, and been issued, handcuffs. My, how times change.)
What else of interest?
You could have bought a house in Atlantic City, complete with fruit trees, electric, on 2 acres of land for $8990. A 2-family home in St. Albans, complete with a finished basement and a hot water heater was selling for $21,990. And a 6 room house in upstate Walden, complete with �city water�, a new roof and a garage, probably neighbors to Billy Ponzio, was for sale for $11,000. A 2-family house that was way out there in Smithtown, on 1 acre of land, could have been yours for $17,000.
MOS VS. MOF
We are all aware of the phrase "MOS" used to refer to a "Member of the Service".
What is an "MOF"?
Sometime in the mid-1970's, the term "MOF" was replaced by "MOS". It's original meaning, "Member of the Force" referred to the Police Force - but when that term became too politically incorrect (the use of the word "force" was not likeable), the term was changed - and we became members of the "Police Service" and NO LONGER the "Police Force".
SECURITY FORCES
(Or maybe: Security Services??)
Many law enforcement practitioners find themselves retiring from policing to take a job in private security.
I found it interesting to discover, from a recent issue of SECURITY MANAGEMENT magazine, that the turnover in security force workers is estimated to be between 100 and 300 percent per year.
I had to read that over a few times � 100 to 300 percent per year turnover in security workers!
I would imagine the single biggest task you�d have as a security manager somewhere is hiring and training your �square-badge� force, while at the same time keeping your current staff motivated, while addressing the potential for problems occurring from disgruntled guards who have had access to your critical areas.
Sounds like fun, doesn�t it?
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
May 1, 1892 Ptl Robert Nichol, 20 Pct, Off duty fire rescue
May 1, 1964 Ptl Edmond Schrempf, TPF, assaulted
May 1, 1981 PO John Scarangella, 113 Pct, Shot- car stop
May 2, 1974 PO William O�Brien, 10 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 3, 1913 Ptl William Heaney, 12 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 3, 1921 Ptl John Conk, 97 Pct, Struck by horse
May 3, 1931 Ptl Bernard Sherry, 15 Pct, Shot- burglary in progress
May 3, 1964 Det Joseph Greene, DetDiv, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1863 Ptl Francis Mallon, 4 Pct, Shot by EDP
May 4, 1914 Ptl Michael Kiley, 156 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 4, 1931 Ptl John Hoey, 40 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1938 Ptl Thomas Hackett, 4 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1968 Ptl Gerard Apuzzi, 107 Pct, Asphyxiated
May 4, 1981 Lt Jan Brinkers, PSA8, Shot- off duty robbery arrest
May 5, 1934 Ptl Arthur Rasmussen, 3 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
May 5, 1971 Det Ivan Lorenzo, Narco Div, Shot- off duty incident
May 6, 1934 Ptl Lawrence Ward, 23 Pct, Shot-investigation
May 6, 1964 Ptl Stanley Schall, 70 Pct, Line of duty heart attack
May 7, 1931 Ptl John Ringhauser, 102 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 8, 2000 PO David Regan, 62 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 9, 1939 Ptl William Holstein, Mcy2, Motorcycle accident
THE DETECTIVES FORTE: TALKING TO PEOPLE
A detective must be good at talking to people � all kinds of people. Complainants, witnesses, victim�s family, and suspects who we require a statement from.
One of the truly best at interviewing people is Retired Detective Gennaro (Jerry) Giorgio, of Manhattan North. In a recent book written by Professor Robert Jackle, titled �Street Stories� (which has been highlighted on this site previously), Giorgio provides his keys for interrogation.
It is certainly worth posting here.
"Detective Gennaro Giorgio, dressed to the nines and with his customary aplomb, testified about his cat-and-mouse interviews and conversations with (a suspect).
Giorgio�s rules for interrogation are simple and straightforward:
"Know the case from beginning to end, down to the smallest detail.
Specific knowledge is the key to successful interrogation.
Listen patiently to suspects. Never confront them in an accusatory way.
At first, write nothing, taking in everything a suspect says without challenge. Then go back over the suspect�s statement, writing it out carefully.
Read it back to the suspect and have him sign it.
Lock suspects into their statements, whether true or false.
Then key in on inconsistencies in the statements or on aspects of the statements one knows independently to be false.
Make careful notes of casual conversations with suspects. Sometimes suspects blurt out damning statements spontaneously at off-guard moments.
Observe the suspect�s demeanor carefully during the interview,especially when he is telling known lies. Make a mental note of any behavioral patterns that regularly accompany the known lies, such as facial tics, hand rubbing, head touching, turning away, licking lips, or displays of anger.
Point out the lies without, at first, letting the suspect know how one knows he is lying. Ask the suspect why he is lying.
Then point out some piece of actual evidence that contradicts his story. Insistently but quietly demand an explanation for the discrepancy. If none is forthcoming, move on to the next discrepancy.
If one has no tangible evidence on hand, use dodges, ruses, or tricks to elicit statements from suspects.
At a certain point, offer the suspect an out�a plausible explanation, justification, or excuse for his depredation, suppressing all personal moral revulsion and clearly indicating that one understands and indeed empathizes with such a motive or account.
In short, let suspects convict themselves with their own words. Denials of guilt are as useful legally as admissions or confessions if one has independent evidence to undermine the denials and thus the suspect�s credibility before a jury.
THE ROCKFORD FILES
The Rockford Files is generally regarded as one of the finest private eye series of the 1970s, and indeed of all time, consistently ranked at or near the top in polls of viewers, critics, and mystery writers.
The series offered superbly-plotted mysteries, with the requisite amounts of action, yet it was also something of a revisionist take on the hard-boiled detective genre, grounded more in character than crime, and infused with humor and realistic relationships. Driven by brilliant writing, an ensemble of winning characters, and the charm of its star, James Garner, the series went from prime-time Nielsen hit in the seventies, to a syndication staple with a loyal cult following in the eighties, spawning a series of made-for-TV movie sequels beginning in 1994.
The show�s concept originally sketched the premise of a private eye who only took on closed cases, but this was a concept quickly abandoned in the series.
The Rockford Files ran for five full seasons, 114 episodes running from 1974-1977. It came to a premature end in the middle of the sixth, when Garner left the show due to a variety of physical ailments brought on by the strenuous demands of the production. Yet Rockford never really left the air; not only has the series remained steadily popular in syndication and on cable, three of a projected six made-for-television reunion movies aired on CBS between 1994 and 1996 (the first scoring blockbuster ratings). In addition, a loyal cult following celebrates the series on the Rockford Files Web site, and Internet discussion groups.
Jim Rockford did indeed break the mold set by television's earlier two-fisted chivalric P.I.s. His headquarters was a mobile home parked at the beach rather than a shabby office off Sunset Boulevard; in lieu of a gorgeous secretary, an answering machine took his messages; he preferred to talk, rather than slug, his way out of a tight spot; and he rarely carried a gun. (When one surprised client asked why, Rockford replied, "Because I don't want to shoot anybody.")
No troubled loner, Jim Rockford spent much of his free time fishing or watching TV with his father Joe Rockford (Noah Beery, Jr.), a retired trucker with a vocal antipathy to "Jimmy's" chosen profession. Inspired by an episode of Mannix in which that tough-guy P.I. took on a child's case for some loose change and a lollipop, the producer decided to make Rockford "the Jack Benny of private eyes." Rockford always announced his rates up front: $200 a day, plus expenses (which he itemized with abandon). He was tenacious on the job, but business was business--and he had payments on the trailer.
The Rockford Files hewed closely to the hard-boiled tradition in style and theme.
The series' depiction of L.A.'s sun-baked streets and seamy underbelly rivals the novels of Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald. Chandler, in his essay "The Simple Art of Murder," could have been writing about Jim Rockford when he describes the hard-boiled detective as a poor man, a common man, a man of honor, who talks with the rude wit of his age.
Rockford's propensity for wisecracks, his fractious relationship with the police, and his network of shady underworld connections, lead straight back to the classic writing of Dashiell Hammett. As for his aversion to fisticuffs, Rockford was not a coward, but a pragmatist, different only by degree (if at all) from Philip Marlowe; when violence was inevitable, he was as tough as nails.
Most tellingly of all, he shared the same code as his L.A. predecessors Marlowe and Lew Archer: an unwavering sense of morality, and an almost obsessive thirst for the truth. Thus, despite his ostensible concern for the bottom line, in practice Rockford ended up doing as much or more charity work as any fictional gumshoe (as in "The Reincarnation of Angie," when the soft-hearted sleuth agrees to take on a distressed damsel's case for his "special sucker rate" of $23.74).
During its run the series was nominated for the Writer's Guild Award and the Mystery Writer's of America "Edgar" Award, in addition to winning the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 1978.
INTERESTING WEB SITE
Check out this site that allows you to generate a police sketch, its pretty cool:
http://flashface.ctapt.de/
NEW RESTRAINT � HANDCUFFS?
As I�ve said before, you can never tell what you may find in an old issue of Spring 3100.
The June 1957 issue of SPRING introduced a new restraint � handcuffs � that were being carried by MOS. (Or, at that time, would have been referred to as MOF).
All members appointed after June 1956 were required to carry handcuffs as official equipment. In addition, all MOS who desired to replace �worn-out, defective or lost nippers� were also encouraged to so equip themselves.
Prior to this, the authorized, required restraint device was a pair of �nippers�. These looked like a small chain with flat handles on each end that you could wrap around a prisoner�s wrist and tighten so as to restrain them. If you�ve ever seen a real pair of these nippers, you�d have to wonder how this task was ever safely accomplished.
The two-page photo spread on �how-to� use handcuffs was accompanied by this advice.
�Handcuffs are only to be used on a prisoner, to prevent escape, or on sufficiently disorderly or mentally disturbed persons to prevent injury to themselves or others. Only where absolutely necessary are they to be used on juveniles or women�. This closing line of precaution was also added: �Before employing the use of handcuffs, make certain that the key to open them is readily available�.
They also specifically mentioned the caution in handcuffing a prisoner to another patrolman! Prisoners should not be handcuffed to an officer�s gun hand, making it difficult if not impossible to draw his revolver if needed. He should only cuff himself to the prisoner �if another officer is accompanying him�.
I wonder how many calls ESU had that year to free someone from handcuffs?
(This particular issue of Spring 3100 has special meaning to The Minister of Investigation � this was the month / year I was born. My father, who would have just celebrated his 1 year anniversary on the job, would have had to break down and make sure he had a pair of handcuffs! Actually, his appointment class in the Academy would have been one of the first to have trained with, and been issued, handcuffs. My, how times change.)
What else of interest?
You could have bought a house in Atlantic City, complete with fruit trees, electric, on 2 acres of land for $8990. A 2-family home in St. Albans, complete with a finished basement and a hot water heater was selling for $21,990. And a 6 room house in upstate Walden, complete with �city water�, a new roof and a garage, probably neighbors to Billy Ponzio, was for sale for $11,000. A 2-family house that was way out there in Smithtown, on 1 acre of land, could have been yours for $17,000.
MOS VS. MOF
We are all aware of the phrase "MOS" used to refer to a "Member of the Service".
What is an "MOF"?
Sometime in the mid-1970's, the term "MOF" was replaced by "MOS". It's original meaning, "Member of the Force" referred to the Police Force - but when that term became too politically incorrect (the use of the word "force" was not likeable), the term was changed - and we became members of the "Police Service" and NO LONGER the "Police Force".
SECURITY FORCES
(Or maybe: Security Services??)
Many law enforcement practitioners find themselves retiring from policing to take a job in private security.
I found it interesting to discover, from a recent issue of SECURITY MANAGEMENT magazine, that the turnover in security force workers is estimated to be between 100 and 300 percent per year.
I had to read that over a few times � 100 to 300 percent per year turnover in security workers!
I would imagine the single biggest task you�d have as a security manager somewhere is hiring and training your �square-badge� force, while at the same time keeping your current staff motivated, while addressing the potential for problems occurring from disgruntled guards who have had access to your critical areas.
Sounds like fun, doesn�t it?
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
May 1, 1892 Ptl Robert Nichol, 20 Pct, Off duty fire rescue
May 1, 1964 Ptl Edmond Schrempf, TPF, assaulted
May 1, 1981 PO John Scarangella, 113 Pct, Shot- car stop
May 2, 1974 PO William O�Brien, 10 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 3, 1913 Ptl William Heaney, 12 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 3, 1921 Ptl John Conk, 97 Pct, Struck by horse
May 3, 1931 Ptl Bernard Sherry, 15 Pct, Shot- burglary in progress
May 3, 1964 Det Joseph Greene, DetDiv, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1863 Ptl Francis Mallon, 4 Pct, Shot by EDP
May 4, 1914 Ptl Michael Kiley, 156 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 4, 1931 Ptl John Hoey, 40 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1938 Ptl Thomas Hackett, 4 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1968 Ptl Gerard Apuzzi, 107 Pct, Asphyxiated
May 4, 1981 Lt Jan Brinkers, PSA8, Shot- off duty robbery arrest
May 5, 1934 Ptl Arthur Rasmussen, 3 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
May 5, 1971 Det Ivan Lorenzo, Narco Div, Shot- off duty incident
May 6, 1934 Ptl Lawrence Ward, 23 Pct, Shot-investigation
May 6, 1964 Ptl Stanley Schall, 70 Pct, Line of duty heart attack
May 7, 1931 Ptl John Ringhauser, 102 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 8, 2000 PO David Regan, 62 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 9, 1939 Ptl William Holstein, Mcy2, Motorcycle accident
