Thursday, July 31, 2003

EARLY DETECTIVE LIFE

As it has been noted here on some prior postings, life in the Detective Bureau was slightly different before overtime-for-pay was allowed. Not that the work was any less; you just didn�t get paid for it.

A recent contribution from a retired MOS, who served as a detective in the late 50�s-early 60�s, led some insight into "The Bureau Before OT".

A good collar by a patrol cop was one way of getting into the Bureau back then. A defined career path, as we know it today, did not exist. It was common for "white shield" investigators to be in a squad � performing investigative functions � for years without seeing the Detective shield. That�s what prompted the eighteen-month bill by the DEA.

If you made an arrest on the late tour you would be excused at 5 o�clock, to leave you time before you had to appear at court with your prisoner. Arrest processing could take days! There was no such thing as paid overtime, so if you sat down there on your days off processing an arrest, it was your own time. You had to have your prisoner fingerprinted � only detectives could fingerprint your prisoner � then pick up the prisoner�s "yellow" sheet at BCI � his criminal history record, get him photographed, and then to arraignment. Time was also spent waiting for a patrol wagon to bring your prisoner down to court.

Rule of a Homicide Investigation: If you didn�t solve it in 24 hours then you went to 48 hours, then 96 hours � whatever you needed. When you caught a homicide, you and your team worked on it until it was finished. No overtime. Because overtime wasn�t being paid, everyone stayed to work the case. You might get a couple of hours after the second day to go home, clean up, shower and change, then get back to the case. If the case was solved you might look forward to the Squad Commander giving you a Tuesday or a Wednesday off � big deal, right?

There was no such thing as going sick in the Bureau. A new detective learned this right away. If you�re sick call in for the day! If you went sick then it meant losing money as well. If you went sick you lost half-days pay for each of the first three days you were out sick.

Overtime for Detectives did not come into being until about 1971-1972, and then they were limited to only getting paid for 100 hours. This 100 hour cap lasted for quite some time, as The Minister recalls sometime around 1984 the 100-hour cap was just then being lifted.

Life was sure different!




EARLY PAY SCALE

A Department Pay Scale, effective January 1, 1963, reveals the following:

A Patrolman after 3 years of service earned: $7,631.00

Detective 3rd Grade earned: $7,943 to $8,052

Detective 2nd Grade earned: $8,405 to $8,770

Detective 1st Grade earned: $9,426 to $9,791

Sergeant, Supervisor of Detective Sq earned: $9,426 to $9,791

Lieutenant, Commander of Det. Sq earned: $10,180 to $10,545



DETECTIVE�S DUTY CHART: 1967


What did a detective duty chart look like in 1967? When Eddie Zigo and Don Shea were catching cases in the 73 Squad, it looked something like this:

4&2; 4&2; 4&1; 5&2; then repeat this sequence

The tours: Day Duty was 8 am to 5 pm
Night Duty was 5pm to 8am. This was the overnight tour.
Open Day: A 9 hour tour designated by the Borough Commander.

It looked something like this:

Day Duty; Open Day; Night Duty; 2 days RDO
Day Duty; Open Day; Night Duty; 2 days RDO
Day Duty; Open Day; Night Duty; 1 day RDO
Open Day; Day Duty; Open Day; Night Duty; 2 days RDO
Repeat sequence

And you thought today�s chart, with the "turn-around" tour, was crazy?


FROM THE LAW LIBRARY: THE BURDO DECISION

ALL detectives should be aware of the Burdo decision, as it touches on something we do all the time.

In People v. Burdo, from October 30, 1997, the New York State Court of Appeals issued the following decision.

"The Court concluded that the police were not permitted to interrogate the defendant about a murder where the defendant was in a correctional facility awaiting trial on an unrelated rape charge on which counsel had already been appointed. A defendant represented by counsel on the charge for which he is in custody cannot be interrogated in the absence of counsel "on any matter".

If the subject is incarcerated awaiting trial then he has an attorney assigned, and cannot be spoken with about any incident without his/her attorney being present.


INTERESTING WEB SITES

Private Investigator Licensing Laws for all States

http://www.oregonpi.com/


THE INTERNET INFO SERVICE: Nearly 80,000 links (695 pages) of Internet information. This site is well-organized and keeps getting bigger and better.

http://info-s.com/


YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP�

Seems that a year ago, some Boeing employees on the field decided to steal a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out of the plane and home. When they took it for a float on the river, they were quite surprised by a Coast Guard helicopter coming towards them. It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator that is activated when the raft is inflated.

They are no longer employed there.

Monday, July 28, 2003

HONOR LEGION CEMETERY PLOT

A recent posting mentioned the Shomrim Society�s Cemetery plots.

Did you also know that the Honor Legion has a cemetery plot in Cypress Hills Cemetery, Queens?

This cemetery plot was originally known as the "Metropolitan Police Benevolent Burying Association Plot". Buried in grave No. 1 is Ptl. Charles Thompson, 4th Pct., Metropolitan P.D., of the Oak St. Stationhouse. He was stabbed after making an arrest on Nov. 4, 1867, and he died from his wounds Nov. 29, 1867, at the age of 29 years.

There are over 100 men & women buried in this burial plot. A number of Line of Duty deaths are buried in the plot. There is also one patrolman who was Killed in Action at San Juan Hill during the Spanish American War, and one other patrolman who was drafted in WWI and Killed in action in France who is also buried there.

In the 1950's the Honor Legion of the Police Department became the administrator of the burying plot.

In the 1870s a fund was established to erect a monument at the cemetery plot. A six foot bronze statue in the uniform of a Metropolitan P.D. policeman was erected on top of a ten foot stone pedestal. The statue stood watch over the cemetery plot for almost 95 years until it was stolen from the cemetery during the night of April 12,1966. While the base upon which the statue stood was recovered a week later the statue itself was never recovered. It was assumed that it was melted down for its metal content. Only the stone pedestal remains.


INTERESTING WEB SITES

A wide variety of search engines, worth looking into:
http://www.virtualfreesites.com/search.html

The Nation's Courts Directory: This site has been developed to provide access to web sites maintained by courts nationwide. The directory listings at Courts.net are organized in sections, covering courts in all states, the Federal system, Guam, D.C., Canada and Australia. Check it out.

http://www.courts.net/


U.S. National Archives & Records Administration
http://www.archives.gov/


United States Department Of Justice: Access to the multi-department web sites at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/02organizations/02_1.html



FROM THE LEGAL DESK

'Miranda' Violation Voids Conviction
The Recorder

The California Supreme Court on Monday, July 13, overturned a murder conviction after finding the 18-year-old, uneducated suspect confessed to police after they deliberately violated his Miranda rights. The justices seemed to pay strong heed to an attorneys' group that filed a motion that said officers are being taught to ignore Miranda in hopes of getting impeachment evidence.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1056139992744



THE CUTTING EDGE OF CRIME SCENE TECHNOLOGY

That�s how a new 3-D digital imaging camera has been described by the Durham, NC Police Department.

Whether the case is cracked today or in six months, police in Durham will always have a three-dimensional rendering of the crime scene where one woman was killed and three others were wounded. Investigators took advantage of an offer from a Chapel Hill, NC company to use its scene digitizer to map out, in full color, the interior of an apartment. Such cutting edge 3-D imaging is also bleeding to digital security surveillance.

More details at:

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/wpublisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=63&docId=l:37716639&topicId=13696&start=3&topics=single



MORE TALK ON PIZZA

I�ve gotten some pretty good response from my recent posting on DiFara�s Pizza. I stand by my determination that this is about the best pizza you�ll find anywhere.

I�ve also been reminded that SPUMONI GARDENS on 86th Street, in Bensonhurst, also has great pizza. After dinner you can walk next door for some � spumoni! Of course.

But for the most part that�s a little off the beaten path for a Brooklyn North gumshoe.



YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP: TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION!


A medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at a Poison Control Center reports the following item.

A woman recently called in and was very upset because she caught her little daughter eating ants.

She was quickly reassured that the ants are not harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the hospital.

She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to kill the ants. I told her that she better bring her daughter in to the Emergency room right away.


Wednesday, July 23, 2003

DET. SGT. CANTOR AND DET BORKIN

May 17, 1927 Det. Morris Borkin, #518, 4th Sqd (7th Det. Sqd)
June 4, 1927 Det. Sgt. Benjamin Cantor, #723, 4th Sqd (7th Det. Sqd)

While performing night duty in the 4th Det. Squad, Det. Sgt. Cantor and Det. Borkin decided to have a meal in Gold�s Cabaret, 152 Forsythe St., in lower Manhattan, on May 17, 1927.

The detectives had just sat down at a rear table, when three young gunmen announced a stickup.

As Borkin who was facing the stickup men drew his revolver, two of the gunmen fired at him, hitting him in the body and legs. He was able to get one shot off which struck one of the bandits.

Shot five times Borkin died at the shooting scene. The bandit who was shot by Det. Borkin died at Bellevue Hospital on May 25th.

Sgt. Cantor was shot in the back as he attempted to draw his revolver. The other two bandits were arrested and convicted, one became insane while awaiting execution, the other one was executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison on March 1, 1928.

In a book "Police Reporter" by Theodore Prager, published 1957, Prager states that he meet Borkin & Cantor coming out of the Clinton Street stationhouse on their way to a meal. They invited him to join them but as he had just eaten he declined. Fifteen minutes later as he was talking to the desk officer a call came in two detectives shot.

Det. Borkin was married. At the 1928 annual NYPD medal day ceremony Det. Borkin was posthumously awarded the NYPD Medal of Honor. Mayor James Walker presented the medal to his widow.

Sgt. Cantor was appointed to the NYPD in 1910. He was 42 years old, and married. At the 1928 annual medal day ceremony Det. Sgt. Cantor was posthumously awarded the NYPD Medal of Honor. Mayor James Walker presented the medal to his widow


SHOMRIM CEMETERY PLOTS

Did you know that, unlike other religious or ethnic fraternal organizations within the Police Department, cops in the Shomrim Society are buried alongside one another, their shield numbers sandblasted in granite tombstones next to Hebrew Scripture?

The Shomrim Society has grounds in two cemeteries, one in the Old Montefiore Cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens; the other in New Montefiore Cemetery in Farmingdale, L.I.

Both graveyards are marked with a massive granite obelisk inscribed with 20 names - all Shomrim Society members killed in the line of duty since 1927, when partners Morris Borkin and Benjamin Cantor were slain in a shootout at a lower East Side restaurant.

Their names are now etched into the top of the Shomrim Society monument, their bodies buried in "honor graves" reserved for cops killed in the line of duty.


FOR THE CULINARY DETECTIVE

In the never-ending search for the best pizza in the city, I may have come across what I can only describe as the finest tasting slice I can remember ever having. This place has to be at the top of any list.

DiFara�s Pizza, located on Avenue J and E. 14 Street, is high on taste and low on d�cor. But then again, what�s more important!

The place has been there for 40 years. Domenico DeMarco has been making pies since it opened, and he�s found a recipe for success. As fast as the pies come out of the oven the slices are gone, and for good reason.

He uses fresh basil in his sauce that gives it a pleasant taste. He uses only freshly grated mozzarella cheese � watch him grate it by hand over the pie as he�s making it. Then, when the pie comes out of the oven and it�s steaming hot, he grates fresh parmiggiano cheese over the top � letting it melt in as the pie cools. You cannot believe the taste � you have never had pizza like this before! The crust is thin, and very tasty.

As far as the d�cor goes, it was probably last painted 40 years ago when the store opened. If you want a table cleaned, no problem � go ahead and wipe it off. The air conditioning is the same as when he first opened the doors � open a window, prop the door open, and let the breeze blow in. That�s as close to air conditioning as you�ll get.

If you�re in the area, drop in and try it. Go in with a friend, order a pie, and delight in a great pizza. Get one with all the toppings; it�s an event watching him make it, and a greater event as you eat it. Mangia!


INVESTIGATIVE TIP: DNA AND LATENT PRINTS

When wishing to examine a piece of evidence for both latent prints and DNA, keep this in mind.

Process the item for prints first.

Then process for DNA.

When you process for prints, let the examiner know that the item will be further processed for any DNA evidence. Processing for prints will not damage any DNA evidence, but processing for DNA may damage any latent prints.



INTERESTING WEB SITES

Alexa.com is one of the best search engines around! It's even equipped with sophisticated features and downloads. Google was always my top pick, but Alexa outshines them all!

http://www.alexa.com/

U.S. Government Manual Database

As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States
Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of
the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information
on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United
States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees. This web site
gives you a searchable database.

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html


BOOK REVIEWS

The following book, which is part of The Minister�s library, has received some pretty good reviews from readers in the field.


""NYPD: Stories of Survival From The World's Toughest Beat", edited by Clint Willis, is a series of short stories compiled from ten different sources, several of them cops.

It spans the times from the beginning of the NYPD right up to the present with first hand accounts of cases, some still open, from the Detectives who worked them. Written in plain, language, you can almost picture the scenarios described, complete with streets and neighborhoods, cops, perps and situations.

It�s a very easy read, and most of the stories are amusing. It would also make a nice gift for the cop on your list.


The Investigator�s Little Black Book 3

This book, written by Robert Scott and published by Crime Time Publishing, is a resource that is claimed to be �used by thousands of private investigators, law enforcement agencies, media organizations and others�.

This book is also part of my library, and is a worthwhile purchase. The huge collection of investigative resources includes agency names, telephone numbers, and web addresses to help you uncover information.

You can purchase it through: www.crimetime.com

Check out the web site for more information.



REMEMBER�

To Contact the Minister of Investigation, send an e-mail to:

LTJAC77@yahoo.com









Friday, July 18, 2003

OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO A DEAR FRIEND

There is absolutely no way to describe the grief we are feeling here in Brooklyn North over the tragic death of Michael Christopher Cunneen, the son of Chief Joseph Cunneen.

In a tragic accident while at a concert in Pennsylvania, Michael Cunneen, the twenty-one year old son of Joe and Alice Cunneen, was killed.

The family has established a Memorial Fund in Michael�s name. Donations to the fund may be made to:

The Michael C. Cunneen Memorial Fund
116 Beach 221 Street
Breezy Point, NY 11697

Please take a moment to say a prayer for the Cunneen family. The support of their many loved ones, their family and friends both in the department and outside, will be there to help bring them through this terrible time.



A LOOK TO THE PAST

A review of the department�s Personnel Summary of July 1967 reveals some interesting figures.

In 1967 the department�s highest ranking uniformed member was known as the Chief Inspector. This person, equivalent to today�s Chief of Department, earned $25,478. per year.

The Chief of Detectives earned $20,470. This rank, while listed separately, was equivalent to an Assistant Chief Inspector-Chief of Staff and a Supervising Assistant Chief Inspector. Each of these ranks, along with the ACI-Chief of Patrol, had a quota of 1, and was filled by 1.

There were fourteen additional ACI�s, earning from $16,681 to $19,231 per year.

A Lieutenant-Commander Detective Squad earned $11,319 to $12,727 per year. The quota for this rank was 74, and there were 74 so employed. A Lieutenant earned $10,479 to $11,313 per year.

There were 93 Sergeant-SDS members filling the position that had a quota of 95. They earned the Lieutenant�s pay equivalent, $10,479-$11,313.

Sergeant�s earned $9,344 to $9,899 per year.

The department had a quota of 283 First Grade Detectives (there were 276 of them) and 780 Second Grade Detectives (there were 761 of these). There was a quota of 1,734 Third Grade Detectives, and the department had 1,725 of these positions filled. It should be noted that these figures did NOT include the female�s filling these positions. There were an additional 4 female First Grade Detectives, 10 Second Grade Detectives, and 45 Third Grade Detectives. All of the quotas for these female ranks were filled. The salary of the male and female MOS were identical. They were:

First Grade Detective $10,479 to $11,313
Second Grade Detective $9,344 to $9,899
Third Grade Detective $8,831 to $9,275

There was a total of 2,821 Detective�s at the time. This included the male and female ranks. First Grade Detectives made up 10% of the Detective rank, Second Grade rank had 27%, and Third Grade Detectives consisted of 63% of the total Detective rank.

Patrolman and Policewoman earned $7,032 to $8,483 per year.

The department consisted of a uniformed force of 28,048.



P.O. CHRISTIE MASONE AND PO NORMAN CERULLO, 79 PCT.

Apr 02 1978: P.O. Christie D. Masone #12544, 79th Precinct
Apr 02 1978: P.O. Norman R. Cerullo #19133, 79th Precinct

In the early hours of April 2, 1978, these two officers were investigating the suspicious actions of two men near an alley at Willoughby St. and Throop Ave., Brooklyn.

While Officer Masone was frisking one suspect the man began to grapple with him. As Officer Cerullo went to the aid of his partner, the second suspect drew a handgun and opened fire on the officers. They were both mortally wounded.

Officer Cerullo returned fire wounding the suspect who was subsequently captured. The other suspect was killed by his former associate.

Officer Cerullo was appointed to the department on January 2, 1970. He was married. Officer Masone was appointed on January 15, 1971. He was married with three children.

On June 12, 1979, at the NYPD annual medal day ceremonies both Police Officers Cerullo and Masone were posthumosly awarded the NYPD Medal of Honor. Mayor Edward Koch presented the medals to the widows of the officer, Mrs. Nancy Cerrullo and Mrs. Cathy Masone.



FBI MAKES ADVANCES IN AGENT TECHNOLOGY
(From the National Journal)

In the late 1980s, the Internal Revenue Service began a technology modernization program to replace its decades-old computing system. The effort was a disaster. The agency spent $4 billion and ended up with an unworkable computer system that had to be scrapped and replaced in the late 1990s. W. Wilson Lowery, the FBI's executive assistant director for administration, has a plan for ensuring that his agency doesn't repeat the IRS's mistakes.

Lowery spent 30 years at IBM in various management positions before FBI Director Robert Mueller wooed him to the FBI in June 2002 to oversee the bureau's technology overhaul. So far, Lowery is on track with the upgrade. By the end of March, the agency had succeeded in creating one network by linking 21,025 of its desktop computers spread across 622 locations. The success marked the first time FBI agents in the field could connect by computer with the home office in Washington.

Lowery is also making sure that the FBI's 11,500 agents have access to laptop computers and portable computing devices to speed up investigations. By year's end, all agents and analysts will have access to a new computer tool called the "virtual case file," which is expected to enhance the FBI's ability to analyze the enormous amount of data it receives daily. Lowery, whose style is both straight-talking and personable, sat down with National Journal on June 13 to discuss the re-engineering effort. The following are edited excerpts from the interview.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0603/063003nj1.htm



MORE ON JOHN JAY COLLEGE

Did you know that from 1966 to 1968 John Jay College, at the time known as the College of Police Science, was located in the Police Academy on East 20 Street?

It later moved to Park Avenue South, before moving to its present location uptown in Manhattan.


NICKY, BANTER AND THE RED SOX

There is nothing like the banter of a squad office. Anywhere. Anyplace. Anytime. Add to this feature the likes of Nicky Dimonda, Vito Friscia, John Muller� there�s no telling what will be going on.

Take the time Nicky�s car was totaled by a driver who passed a stop sign on Utica Avenue and Park Place; or maybe it was Prospect Place; it could have been St. John�s Place; then again, car parts were recovered on Linden Boulevard. Try to get a straight answer from Nicky. Good luck.

Or the time John Muller brought a plate of sushi into the office for lunch. John Barba told him if he ever brought sushi in the office again, he�d throw the plate out the window� with Muller right behind. Did it stop him? Never.

John may have had his lunch money stolen a few times in grammar school, but he�s certainly one to come back strong. A better sense of humor you will not find anywhere close by. But then again, look who he works with, and you�ll see he has to be that way to maintain his own sanity.

Poor John. Like the time he spilled the coffee, and, the neat nick that he is, he promptly grabbed the mop from the bucket that the cleaner had left behind, mopping up the spill. Only problem, the bucket of water was actually filled with liquid wax; cleaned the floor up just nice, but then along comes the PAA with a handful of papers, heels, onto the wet wax� the doctor�s said it was a clean break, but she�d be out several weeks to recover. What can you say?

How about the time Angel was interviewing the complainant in the squad office, and she turned to Bobby Rivera and said "Can I speak with an English speaking detective"? Angel was speaking English; only it was his version of English. Good luck!

Speaking of interviews, you know the ribbing Muller got when he went out with Nicky and Vito to interview an uncooperative stabbing victim at St. Mary�s Hospital. "Make sure you take your interview book with you", and "Did they teach the part about interviewing a hospitalized hostile witness at the John Reid Interviewing Techniques course"? John�s still the sharpest dressed detective in the squad, now that Johnny Belfort has taken to wearing polo shirts.

Who else but Nick Dimonda would challenge John Muller to a foot race out in front of Two Tom�s before a retirement dinner? There they were, two grown (?) men, in suits, limbering up on the sidewalk, waiting for Jay Genna to drop the white napkin to start the race. As it is told, Muller looked like a lizard in the beach sand; Nicky came to a stop 40 feet into the race, only to wait for John so he could continue and beat Muller by more than a few strides. "I could have beat you Nicky, if we raced a little longer". That�s OK, because while these mighty (Special) Olympians were engaging in a track meet on the street a certain Squad Sergeant was eating all the steaks that were being passed around the table. "You�re only supposed to take one steak per person". "But I didn�t eat any pork chops; I just want the steak". And all the while that this was going on another stellar detective was asking the waiter to pack away a doggie bag to take home. And one of the only eight people in NYC who admit they�re a Red Sox fan was outside playing referee to two running fools.
Can you beat this?

Then there�s a retired PO who came into a windfall in a lawsuit he won, who probably has about eighty-six dollars left after a two-year binge. "What can you expect from a thirty-year old who still lives in his father�s basement", asked a close buddy. Yet while we may laugh at Jimmy Leake, he�s boating along the south shore, fishing, dancing with models in the Hamptons, and partying it up with midgets. Who�s having the last laugh?

Perhaps it�s Junior Labarbera, who is out on terminal leave. Will he return? As it appears, Junior could stay out and run his time until right before the 2012 Olympics, then come back for the events. That way he can be sure to get himself some good Olympic tickets; being a Captain of Police still has some standing. Until then Junior is conducting home improvement of his Howard Beach manse. What�s Marty going to do?

Poor Doogie. His nightwatch tour was interrupted at six o�clock with a homicide, just before he was able to get out for his daily White Castle Crave-Box. That left him with just a bagful of bagels, but no burgers. Better luck next time. He�ll have Jack Goodwin out the door by two o�clock the next tour; "make it a crave-box with some extra onions, and everything".

And a certain detective wants nothing more than to hang a moose-head on the squad office wall; he figures it will put Nicky over the edge. But Nicky is beyond that now; he can take the sight of a moose head without going off the deep end. (Actually, it was a boar�s head; as the court records reflected, the proper term was a large-stuffed-animal head).

What a cast of characters. As John Muller would say, "thank YOU!"




Monday, July 14, 2003

MORE ON THE WOMEN�S COURT

Thanks to Ret. Det First Grade John Reilly for his contribution to the history of the Woman�s Court.

It seems that the woman's court in the Jefferson Market Court House was functional up to 1945, and that after that year all the courts were moved out of the building and women's court was held in 100 Centre St.

John recalls that he started going to the Manhattan Courts in 1955 and there was a separate court room for the prostitutes. This court room featured a 7 foot wood screen in front of the public area. No one could see what was going on in front of the judge.

The Women's House of Detention was located behind the Jefferson Court House, with the back of it facing out onto Greenwich Street. The north side was on West 10th Street. The female prisoners would have male visitors who were know to, after the visit, wait out on the street. The women were allowed to do knitting while in custody, and for this they received a heavy wool yarn. A piece of soap would be tied to the end of the yarn so that it could be thrown out a window into the street. The male would tie a bag containing drugs, and the woman would then pull it back in. Sometimes the yarn would break and the guards would find the contraband lying in the yard.

At times the Narcotics Bureau was called in, and John can remember doing stake-outs at the Women's House of Detention for just this occurrence. They never seemed to have any luck, but early one morning a 6th Pct cop walking by on Greenwich Street nabbed a male in the act of tying some junk onto a length of yarn.

The women's House of Detention was closed and demolished in 1974.


IN THE LINE OF DUTY

The following NYPD officers have been killed in the line of duty on the same day within the past 30 years.

January 2, 1972: Ptl. Gregory Foster & Ptl. Rocco Laurie
Foster and Laurie were shot while on foot patrol in the East Village, 9 Pct, during an ambush by members of the Black Liberation Army.

April 2, 1978: PO Norman Cerullo & PO Christie Masone, 79 Pct
Officers Cerullo and Massone were shot after stopping two men on a street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, in the 79 Pct.

October 18, 1988: PO Michael Buczek & PO Christopher Hoban
Officers Buczek and Hoban were killed within hours of each other in separate shootings in Manhattan.

November 13, 1989 Det. Richard Guerzon & Det. Keith Williams

Detectives Guerzon and Williams were slain in a car on the Grand Central Parkway by murder suspect Jay Harrison while transporting him to Rikers Island after an interview conducted in the Queens D.A. Office.



HOMELAND SECURITY: WHAT�S GOING ON HERE?

A report by a bipartisan group of experts and former federal officials says the United States is drastically under funding emergency personnel and is "dangerously ill-prepared to handle a catastrophic attack on American soil." Relying on information from emergency-response groups nationwide, the report cited shortages in protective gear for police and firefighters, archaic communications systems and inadequate capacity in hospitals and public health labs.

More information at:

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/wpublisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=63&docId=l:37713644&topicId=13680&start=2&topics=single


Contrast this with the following story, which indicates that cities are cutting their security in budget crunches.

Starting today, visitors to the Missouri State Capitol no longer will have to walk through metal detectors, empty their pockets and hand over their purses for inspection. Beefed-up security ordered after Sept. 11, 2001, is being scaled back as a result of budget cuts. Legislators axed the $590,000 that would have kept a crew of unarmed guards posted at entrances to the Capitol, the nearby Truman State Office Building and the State Health Lab. Numerous other states are cutting their security budgets, too.

What�s next? How quickly people seem to forget!

Check it out at:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/wpublisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=63&docId=l:37713551&topicId=13715&start=4&topics=single



INTERESTING WEB SITE

This site comes from a McLean County School site.

Its a great reference site! What happened When? Broken down by years, highlights what events happened. Check it out!

http://www.unit5.org/pjhs/IMC/Reference/decades.htm



FROM THE MEDICAL EXAMINER

Lividity: The process by which the blood settles into dependent capillaries and eventually �fixes� in certain areas of the body.

Postmortem Lividity: Also known as livor mortis. Caused by the pooling and settling of blood within the blood vessels from the effect of gravity. It appears as a purple discoloration of the skin. During life, the pumping action of the heart maintains a constant flow of blood through the numerous vessels of the body. Upon death, this pumping action ceases, and the blood pools within the dependent portions of the body (lowest points).

Blanchability: When lividity first develops, if you press your finger firmly against the discolored skin, the pressure will cause �blanching�. When pressure is released, the discoloration returns. After four or five hours the discoloration becomes clotted and pressure will NOT cause blanching.

Monday, July 07, 2003

FEMALE DETENTION PROCESSING

Looking back into the 1950�s, the processing of female arrests, especially those for prostitution, were handled differently than a male arrest.

In lower Manhattan the Pct. for female detention was the 14th Precinct � now known as Midtown South Precinct. If the 14th was full you had to take the female prisoner to the Bronx.

If you made a female arrest in Staten Island you had to lodge the prisoner at the 14th Precinct as well. Up until the 1960�s this meant a trip into Manhattan by ferry. This was before the Verrazanno Bridge, which meant at least a half an hour ride on the ferry. Except for plainclothes men all arresting officers had to pick up their female prisoners and ride with then in the wagon down to court.

While all prostitution arrests were booked and processed in the precinct of occurrence, plainclothes men did not have to take them to the detention precinct or pick them up in the morning. The reason that plainclothes men did not have to pick up their prisoners and ride to court with them dated back to the 1930s. During the 1930s Seabury Investigation�s it came out that plainclothes men during the wagon ride to court made deals with the prostitutes for bail bondmen. The NYPD solution to preventing this form of corruption was that no plainclothes man could ride in a wagon with a female arrested for prostitution.

In addition to the 14th Precinct in Midtown Manhattan, there were seven precinct locations citywide for the detention of female prisoners.



DETECTIVE DERMOTT MICHAEL BRENNAN

It is with sadness that we report the death of Detective Dermott Michael Brennan.

Brennan, who was assigned to TARU, lost a 13-year battle with brain cancer. He died July 5. He was 34 years old.

Since being diagnosed in 1990 he underwent 15 operations and procedures.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dermott was one of six children of Patrick and Monica Brennan. Many will remember his late father, Patrick, who was an Assistant Chief and the Commanding Officer of Brooklyn South before his retirement. His brother John is a Sergeant with NYPD as well.

He is survived by his wife, Janice, and their 3-year-old daughter Kaeli.


INTERESTING WEB SITE

FREE SSDI search engine

FamilyTreeLegends' U.S. Social Security Death Index Search:

Generated from the U.S. Social Security Administrations Death Master File. It contains the records of deceased persons who possessed Social Security numbers and whose death had been reported to the SSA. There are several FREE SSDI search engines on the internet with more or less search options and each being more or less up-to-date.

This one has just been released and is a courtesy of FamilyTreeLegends.com

http://www.familytreelegends.com/ssdi



Here�s a site that offers free database searches in a wide range of categories. This link can also be used for national searches.

http://www.searchsystems.net/list.php?nid=41



10-13 BENEFIT

A 10-13 benefit is scheduled for July 12, 2003 to assist the widow and children of a recently deceased MOS, DET. THOMAS WEINER.

Many of you will know Tommy as one of the duo of Transit Detective�s who excelled at tracking, identifying, and arresting subway criminals. He was very successful in assisting many other detectives who sought info on a perp who may have followed this pastime.

Tom�s family has not yet received any benefits, as he did not have twenty years of service and the death gamble does not apply. In addition to working towards helping the family they are also trying to raise money to purchase a state-of-the-art scoreboard for the Maybrook Little League, an organization that Tommy was very involved in.

The benefit will take place: Saturday, July 12
1 PM to 10PM
At the Maybrook Fire Department

Donations of $10.00 are being requested. If you cannot attend the benefit, any donation you could send would be greatly appreciated. You can send donations to:

Tom Weiner Memorial Fund
C/O Maybrook Fire Department
204 Wallace Avenue
Maybrook, NY 12543

For more information you can contact one of the following:

Sgt. Pat Kelly (718) 760-7632
Sgt. Charles Garguilo (718) 760-7634
Det. Jerry Dassaro (718) 243-3845

Please try to help in any way you can.



INTERESTING ARTICLE ON JACK MAPLE AND COMPSTAT

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/anniversary/35th/n_8551/index.html

"Back in the early nineties, there were more than 2,000 murders a year in New York City. Crime was depressing the economy, people and businesses were fleeing, and fear was destroying the city�s vitality. Even the most committed public officials were throwing up their hands in surrender".

This is an article written in NEW YORK Magazine�s 35th Anniversary edition this past April. It deals with the birth of Compstat.

With the exception of the author�s reference of a "transit cop" as being "practically at the bottom of the law enforcement food chain", it�s a pretty interesting article.



Thursday, July 03, 2003

"Doubt leads to inquiry and inquiry leads to truth."
- Saint Thomas Aquinas



THE CAPEMAN AND THE UMBRELLA MAN

On the evening of August 29, 1959, one day after his sixteenth birthday, Salvador Agron traveled from the Upper West Side to West Forty-sixth street with his friend Antonio Luis Hernandez and fellow Vampires gang members. West Side Story was a popular show playing on Broadway at the time.

They were on their way to act out their own version of a rumble, in a park not far from where the musical was playing. Belts and knives, sticks and pipes were the chosen weapons. When the other gang, the Norsemen, didn�t show up, some of Agron�s cronies stayed in the park.

Three youths, Robert Young and Anthony Krzesinski, both sixteen, and Edward Riemer, eighteen, who were not part of any gang, started making fun of the black cape Agron was wearing. With the help of Hernandez, known as "The Umbrella Man," and various gang members, Agron attacked the three other youths, killing Young and Krzesinski and injuring Riemer. Agron was the only one to admit to the murders.

The case of "The Capeman and the Umbrella Man" became an instant sensation.

Agron�s words to the press both confounded and confirmed people�s worst fears. Asked why he committed the murders, he said, "Because I felt like it."

He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. At the age of sixteen, he was sentenced to death, and was the youngest prisoner at Sing Sing on death row. Eleanor Roosevelt campaigned to have the sentence commuted to life, an action which was also supported by the father of one of the victims.

On February 7, 1962, six days before Agron�s scheduled execution, Governor Nelson Rockefeller commuted his sentence. Agron was released from jail in 1979. Seven years later he died, of natural causes, at the age of forty-three.



EARLY JOHN JAY COLLEGE: THE JEFFERSON MARKET COURT HOUSE


Dating back to the 1950�s there was a woman's court in lower Manhattan that female arrests were processed in. This court was the main destination for prostitution arrests in Manhattan, and was located in the 6th Precinct.

This courthouse was known as The Jefferson Market Court house.

Later, the Baruch school - which was the forerunner of John Jay College - held classes there. The name of the school charged 3 times. It was first known as the Barcuh School, then the College of Police Science, and finally John Jay College. The locations where classes were held change 6 or 7 times as well. They started on 23rd street, then to a public school on 21st street, then to the Woman�s Court, moved back to a public school, and then up near Hunter College, near the Police Academy.




INTERESTING WEB SITE: NATIONAL DO-NOT-CALL REGISTRY

Check out this site, and register for the National Do-Not-Call registry to avoid unwanted telemarketing calls at home.

http://donotcall.gov/DNC/register/Reg.aspx

Of course, if you don�t mind those calls during dinner, then don�t bother to register!


ANOTHER INTERESTING WEB SITE

NYPD ANGELS: Remembering our heroes from the WTC 9-11-01

This site was created and maintained by a spouse of an MOS. Check it out.
http://www.nypdangels.com/



UNTOUCHABLES MOTORCYCLE CLUB FUND RAISER

The Untouchables MC-New York, of which there are many MOS from Brooklyn North involved in, announces their 1st Annual Fund Raiser for the Autism Research Institute.

The Untouchables MC invites all to attend this fund raiser on Sunday, August 10, 2003 from 1PM to 6PM, at the Parkside Pub (357 Wantagh Ave, Levittown). The Parkside is located south of Hempstead Turnpike, north of the Southern State Parkway.

The event will feature food, drink, cigars, and raffles as well as a live rock-a-billy band, The Hudson Dusters. Contests and prizes, and a chance to see our very own Det. Joe Falcone and Louis Savarese in full club-regalia.

At only $20 per biker, and $5 for passengers, this is sure to be a fun event.

You can check out the Untouchables web site at:

www.untouchablesmcnewyork.com



FROM THE LEGAL DESK: DNA ISSUES
DNA Registry Can Be Applied Retroactively (New York Law Journal)

In a key challenge to New York's 1999 expansion of the DNA criminal registry, the state's high court held Tuesday that the law can be applied retroactively since its objective centers on future crime investigations and not on punishing past behavior. The Court of Appeals, ruling in Paul Kellogg v. Brion D. Travis, rejected a paroled convict's claim that the DNA requirement amounted to an unconstitutional ex post facto law.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1056139926512


AROUND THE TOWN

Louis Martinez, recently retired long-time detective from Homicide, is now working for the State Attorney General�s Office. He was recently spotted walking into his old office, sporting a dapper black guyaberra shirt and a trimmed goatee. Did he bring coffee and cake to his old office-mates? Maybe later�

At the recent Neil Young concert at Jones Beach Theater John Sullivan, Johnny K and Mike McNally were spotted seated shaking their heads and trying to figure out just what it was that Neil Young was performing. The rock-opera had one baffled, one confused, and one not sure what to think. "And they don�t even serve alcohol" was a quote from one of these attendees�

Rumors always abound of Nightwatch detectives performing duty in slippers, but when Heather Stechman was seen walking around the Boro office, during the day, in her socks without any shoes, it left several heads shaking in wonderment. Heather was heard saying "And to think when I was back in High School I always said one day I would be somebody". Guess you should have been more specific�

While enjoying a slice of one of the best pizza in this city, The Minister spotted no less than four other MOS from various commands stopping for the same craving of Patsy�s Pizza on First Avenue in Spanish Harlem. This popular spot still serves a great slice of pie�

Would you buy a used car from Joe Falcone? Well Johnny K did. With just a minor overheating problem, that was corrected, all seems well so far. Perhaps Nicky Dimonda is ready for a new car? Has Joe got a car for you! ...

It seems you can�t stop into Coney Island Joe�s without running into a few Brooklyn North gumshoes. You just can�t beat those onions on a double-dog, can you? �

The plight of the Brooklyn North shamus. Eating Peter Luger�s steak for lunch one day, then scrounging for a cold Chinese pork bun to throw into the microwave for dinner the next day. It�s not Manhattan, but we love it anyway!

If it�s Thursday, it must be roast pork and mozzarella from Mama�s in Corona.


Hoping everyone has an enjoyable holiday weekend!