“Controlling information is power, and they (the FBI) don’t want to let it go.”
Police Commissioner Kelly as quoted March 25, 2007 from the Washington Post
“When you control the mail, you control information.”
Newman on Seinfeld
WHAT’S THIS CHICKEN HAVE TO DO WITH DETECTIVE WORK?
Two recent occurrences regarding chicken connected to detective work should be mentioned.
I just read an obituary for the founder of the Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken chain, Al Copeland, who recently died at the age of 64.
It seems that Mr. Copeland, who grew up in New Orleans, started out at the age of 18 with a one-man doughnut shop. He moved on to chickens when Kentucky Fried Chicken came to town, and after trying several different recipes, he finally chose a spicier Louisiana Cajun style, reopened his chicken restaurant, and called it Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken.
So, where’s the detective part?
Well, it seems that he named the restaurant Popeye’s after the Gene Hackman character in the film “The French Connection”.
Hackman played Detective Popeye Doyle – the one with the pork pie hat – based on the true story of the NYPD drug bust in the 1960’s. You know the film, the one with the famous chase scene under the el.
I just don’t get it, though. Popeye Doyle was a New York Irishman, NYPD police detective, working on a drug case involving a connection to France. Where’s the chicken come in? I’ve watched the movie – many times – and have read the book. I don’t recall any part of the story where chicken plays any part whatsoever. They never went out and ate chicken, no one in the film cooked chicken, he didn’t wear a chicken-pie hat, I just don't get it. A fast food restaurant that specializes in Louisiana Cajun-style fried chicken, from a New Orleans chicken restaurateur, is actually named for an NYPD Detective?
After mulling around that chicken story all day, I then am introduced to another true chicken-detective story. Two chickens in one day?
Tony Viggiani, one of the finest detectives I know, was recounting a story about an arrest for homicide that took place not so far in the past. Armed with the suspects photograph, and doing what detectives do, the team was out scouring the neighborhood in search of the perp. After he’s spotted on the street, the detectives move in.
As the perp is grabbed, he is carrying a plastic shopping bag. The detectives grab the bag as the cuffs are put on, prompting this spontaneous statement from the perp: “I know I did something really bad, and I’m going away for a long time – Can I at least have the chicken?” It seems the bag contained his recently purchased order of fried chicken.
Another example of fried chicken and its role in detective work. Another in a long line stories too true you can't make up.
Some call it ironic.
I call it just another story from this Naked City.
POLICEWOMEN, DECOYS AND THE TPF
The department’s monthly magazine, SPRING 3100, has been providing a written historical review of the department for decades. Get your hands on some old issues of this magazine and you can be assured a virtual walk through time, a time sometimes little understood by current day law enforcement.
A look through the magazines “Self Portrait” of February 1964 recently provided just such a perspective for me.
As has been noted on this site in the past, there was at one time a Bureau of Policewomen.
There was noted a “growing awareness of the usefulness of women in law enforcement, especially in those jurisdictions where their natural attributes and talents have been incorporated into the broad spectrum of police functions”. Keep in mind this was, at the time, “forward thinking”.
There were, at that time, approximately 340 policewomen on the department, of which more than 25% of them were assigned to the Youth Division.
“The Bureau of Policewomen functions as a personnel pool for all units within the department. Most detective squads, specialized units and borough commands have short-term, intermittent need of a policewomen’s services. When specialized departmental divisions require continued and extensive use of female officers, policewomen are permanently assigned. More than 25% of the policewomen force is detailed to the Detective Division. Policewomen are now eligible to compete for promotional ranks, beginning with sergeant”. This was in 1964!
A few pages away from the details of the Bureau of Policewomen was that of the Chief Inspector’s Office, and the Tactical Patrol Force.
The TPF was established in 1959 to supplement the regularly assigned foot patrol personnel in any given area during periods when unusual crime conditions require reinforced manpower.
TPF was the origin of the now borough uniform task forces.
The TPF worked from 6PM to 2AM, the hours which accounted for the greatest percentage of crime.
What was not stated, but was a well known fact, was that entry to the TPF was limited to Patrolmen over six-feet in height.
In addition to providing the enhanced patrol presence in high crime areas, they also provided two other functions which, at that time, were unique to that command.
One of the tasks that TPF undertook was “Operation Decoy”. Selected members would, while attired in women’s clothing, work as part of three-man teams in sections of the city where street crimes were on the rise. “One team member acts as the woman, and the other two are the back-up men”. I guess utilizing the members of the Bureau of Policewomen was not considered? Better to put a dress on Rocco, hairy legs and all, I guess.
It was also the TPF that utilized another state-of-the-art tactic: Civilian Clothes Patrol.
In today’s department, when every precinct has what sometimes seems like more MOS and units performing duties in plainclothes than they do in uniform, it is hard to imagine the day when the civilian clothes patrol was a special concept, undertaken by a citywide, specialized unit to address street crime.
The former Street Crime Unit sprung from the ranks of the TPF civilian clothes patrol, at a time when the plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit of the precinct wasn’t even considered. Other than those in the Detective Division (it was still a Division, not a Bureau), the only people performing plainclothes duties were the few precinct Captain’s Men, addressing vice and gambling enforcement, and the Division and Boro Plainclothes Unit, also to address vice and gambling. Narcotics enforcement fell under the direction of the Detective Division.
Women as cops, and civilian clothed enforcement- two concepts taking rise in the early 1960’s!
DNA INFORMATION
Check out this website on DNA:
Police Commissioner Kelly as quoted March 25, 2007 from the Washington Post
“When you control the mail, you control information.”
Newman on Seinfeld
WHAT’S THIS CHICKEN HAVE TO DO WITH DETECTIVE WORK?
Two recent occurrences regarding chicken connected to detective work should be mentioned.
I just read an obituary for the founder of the Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken chain, Al Copeland, who recently died at the age of 64.
It seems that Mr. Copeland, who grew up in New Orleans, started out at the age of 18 with a one-man doughnut shop. He moved on to chickens when Kentucky Fried Chicken came to town, and after trying several different recipes, he finally chose a spicier Louisiana Cajun style, reopened his chicken restaurant, and called it Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken.
So, where’s the detective part?
Well, it seems that he named the restaurant Popeye’s after the Gene Hackman character in the film “The French Connection”.
Hackman played Detective Popeye Doyle – the one with the pork pie hat – based on the true story of the NYPD drug bust in the 1960’s. You know the film, the one with the famous chase scene under the el.
I just don’t get it, though. Popeye Doyle was a New York Irishman, NYPD police detective, working on a drug case involving a connection to France. Where’s the chicken come in? I’ve watched the movie – many times – and have read the book. I don’t recall any part of the story where chicken plays any part whatsoever. They never went out and ate chicken, no one in the film cooked chicken, he didn’t wear a chicken-pie hat, I just don't get it. A fast food restaurant that specializes in Louisiana Cajun-style fried chicken, from a New Orleans chicken restaurateur, is actually named for an NYPD Detective?
After mulling around that chicken story all day, I then am introduced to another true chicken-detective story. Two chickens in one day?
Tony Viggiani, one of the finest detectives I know, was recounting a story about an arrest for homicide that took place not so far in the past. Armed with the suspects photograph, and doing what detectives do, the team was out scouring the neighborhood in search of the perp. After he’s spotted on the street, the detectives move in.
As the perp is grabbed, he is carrying a plastic shopping bag. The detectives grab the bag as the cuffs are put on, prompting this spontaneous statement from the perp: “I know I did something really bad, and I’m going away for a long time – Can I at least have the chicken?” It seems the bag contained his recently purchased order of fried chicken.
Another example of fried chicken and its role in detective work. Another in a long line stories too true you can't make up.
Some call it ironic.
I call it just another story from this Naked City.
POLICEWOMEN, DECOYS AND THE TPF
The department’s monthly magazine, SPRING 3100, has been providing a written historical review of the department for decades. Get your hands on some old issues of this magazine and you can be assured a virtual walk through time, a time sometimes little understood by current day law enforcement.
A look through the magazines “Self Portrait” of February 1964 recently provided just such a perspective for me.
As has been noted on this site in the past, there was at one time a Bureau of Policewomen.
There was noted a “growing awareness of the usefulness of women in law enforcement, especially in those jurisdictions where their natural attributes and talents have been incorporated into the broad spectrum of police functions”. Keep in mind this was, at the time, “forward thinking”.
There were, at that time, approximately 340 policewomen on the department, of which more than 25% of them were assigned to the Youth Division.
“The Bureau of Policewomen functions as a personnel pool for all units within the department. Most detective squads, specialized units and borough commands have short-term, intermittent need of a policewomen’s services. When specialized departmental divisions require continued and extensive use of female officers, policewomen are permanently assigned. More than 25% of the policewomen force is detailed to the Detective Division. Policewomen are now eligible to compete for promotional ranks, beginning with sergeant”. This was in 1964!
A few pages away from the details of the Bureau of Policewomen was that of the Chief Inspector’s Office, and the Tactical Patrol Force.
The TPF was established in 1959 to supplement the regularly assigned foot patrol personnel in any given area during periods when unusual crime conditions require reinforced manpower.
TPF was the origin of the now borough uniform task forces.
The TPF worked from 6PM to 2AM, the hours which accounted for the greatest percentage of crime.
What was not stated, but was a well known fact, was that entry to the TPF was limited to Patrolmen over six-feet in height.
In addition to providing the enhanced patrol presence in high crime areas, they also provided two other functions which, at that time, were unique to that command.
One of the tasks that TPF undertook was “Operation Decoy”. Selected members would, while attired in women’s clothing, work as part of three-man teams in sections of the city where street crimes were on the rise. “One team member acts as the woman, and the other two are the back-up men”. I guess utilizing the members of the Bureau of Policewomen was not considered? Better to put a dress on Rocco, hairy legs and all, I guess.
It was also the TPF that utilized another state-of-the-art tactic: Civilian Clothes Patrol.
In today’s department, when every precinct has what sometimes seems like more MOS and units performing duties in plainclothes than they do in uniform, it is hard to imagine the day when the civilian clothes patrol was a special concept, undertaken by a citywide, specialized unit to address street crime.
The former Street Crime Unit sprung from the ranks of the TPF civilian clothes patrol, at a time when the plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit of the precinct wasn’t even considered. Other than those in the Detective Division (it was still a Division, not a Bureau), the only people performing plainclothes duties were the few precinct Captain’s Men, addressing vice and gambling enforcement, and the Division and Boro Plainclothes Unit, also to address vice and gambling. Narcotics enforcement fell under the direction of the Detective Division.
Women as cops, and civilian clothed enforcement- two concepts taking rise in the early 1960’s!
DNA INFORMATION
Check out this website on DNA:
Seems that the District Attorney's office in Denver has decided to share their knowledge about DNA and prosecution.
Here’s another site with additional info on DNA:
Here’s another site with additional info on DNA:
Check out these photos, recently posted on the great web site, Policeny.com
Everything from the Beatles to Lauren Bacall and Malcolm X!
This is one of the best PD sites on the internet. It MUST be bookmarked on your computer!
UNTOUCHABLES MEMORIAL RUN & BBQ
Norman Horowitz would like to let everyone know that the Untouchables Motorcycle Club is hosting their 1st Annual Memorial Run and BBQ, for the benefit of the widows and children of NYPD’s PBA and DEA who have lost family members in the line of duty.
The event will take place at Wantagh State Park in Wantagh, on Sunday July 20, from 12pm to 5pm.
The run, (a motorcycle run, not an actual foot-run, hence the Untouchables MOTORCYCLE Club) starts at Cunningham Park in Queens, with a 9am registration. The run will commence at 11 am. If not participating in the run you may also register for the BBQ at Wantagh Park at 1130.
The donation of $20 per rider, $15 for passenger, with $20 for non-riders and $5 for children under 10, will provide you with hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, june ham, beverages as well as live music.
“Ride for those who cannot.”
UNTOUCHABLES MEMORIAL RUN & BBQ
Norman Horowitz would like to let everyone know that the Untouchables Motorcycle Club is hosting their 1st Annual Memorial Run and BBQ, for the benefit of the widows and children of NYPD’s PBA and DEA who have lost family members in the line of duty.
The event will take place at Wantagh State Park in Wantagh, on Sunday July 20, from 12pm to 5pm.
The run, (a motorcycle run, not an actual foot-run, hence the Untouchables MOTORCYCLE Club) starts at Cunningham Park in Queens, with a 9am registration. The run will commence at 11 am. If not participating in the run you may also register for the BBQ at Wantagh Park at 1130.
The donation of $20 per rider, $15 for passenger, with $20 for non-riders and $5 for children under 10, will provide you with hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, june ham, beverages as well as live music.
“Ride for those who cannot.”
