“I like homicide detectives. They wear hats. They wear hats so that other law-enforcement people will know they’re homicide”

Elmore Leonard, well known crime fiction writer of such works as BE COOL, PAGAN BABIES, GET SHORTY, KILLSHOT, and many more.


THE DETECTIVE

“A detective must possess patience and perseverance.
To succeed he must not be easily discouraged.
His duty is to detect.
Detection is something more than mere conclusion or expression of opinion.
Do not jump at conclusions from the information submitted at the time the complaint is received – investigate and be convinced.
A good detective is always more or less suspicious and very inquisitive”.

Where is this quote from?

None other than the 1940 NYPD Manual of Procedure.

Almost 70 years old – and as appropriate today as it was then!

Patience and perseverance – two extremely important traits.

Not jumping at conclusions – another important trait that is sometimes hard to keep under control.

What I like to say is “Don’t investigate your conclusion – let your conclusion be a result of your investigation”. (That is my quote and you may use it whenever you’d like.)



FROM THE MEDICAL EXAMINER

The changes that occur to a body post-death are identified as rigor mortis, algor mortis, and livor mortis.

Because the heart is no longer pumping, muscle cells are deprived of oxygen and they stiffen. This is called RIGOR MORTIS.

The body temperature falls one to two degrees Fahrenheit per hour. This is called ALGOR MORTIS.

Because the heart is no longer churning blood, the red blood cells settle according to gravity and produce the maroon color of death on the skin, known as LIVOR MORTIS.

Lividity appears about 2 hours after death. This can help reveal the time of death, as well as reveal if a body was moved after the person died. In lividity, the normal color is MAROON. A CHERRY PINK color is indicative of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Rigor mortis is the stiffening of the body after death. This occurs because the heart is no longer pumping oxygen through the body.

Rigor mortis begins at the lower jaw and neck and spreads downward. That’s why you will see the MI at the scene examine the jaw/mouth area first.

The whole body stiffens within 12 hours after death. This stiffening will begin to disappear 36 hours after death.

Heat, cold, and drugs can affect the way the body changes after death. Heat speeds things up. The indications noted above regarding time frames is all subject to individual environmental factors – heat or cold, dampness, etc, as well as individual health issues the person may have had.

When it comes to determining “Time of Death” – the science is inexact at best.

Due to varying environmental factors and original condition of the body, a Medical Examiner will NOT be able to determine a specific time of death the way it’s done on TV. At best, you can hope for within a 4 hour time frame. Unfortunately, this may not be what the prosecutor was hoping for, or what you were hoping to get.

“The victim was killed between Midnight and 0015 hrs” only works on CSI, NCIS or Quincy!



HISTORICAL NOTE: SOME BROOKLYN POLICE PCT’S

Here is a list of some of the Brooklyn police precinct’s from the early 1900’s.

What is currently the PBBN Command office, also housing the Brooklyn North Patrol Task Force at Wilson Avenue, was formerly the 164th Precinct.

The 164th Pct was at 179 Hamburg Avenue in 1909. Hamburg Avenue was renamed Wilson Avenue, and the stationhouse later became the 83 Precinct, before that command moved to a newly built stationhouse on Knickerbocker Avenue in the early 1980’s.

What was known as the 154th Pct. in 1909, that stationhouse was at 16 Ralph Avenue, next to the current 81 Pct.

The 144th Pct. was at 577 5th Avenue in 1909, at 16 Street. This was later replaced by the current 72 Pct.

The 89th Pct. was at 44 Rapalyea Avenue. This was torn down to in order to make room for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and was replaced by the current 76 Pct.

The 31st Pct. was at Ave. U & East 15th Street. This was later replaced by the current 61 Pct.

The 37th Pct. was at 35 Snyder Ave. Its use as a Station House was discontinued on 5/18/1925. Pct. 37-B was established on 11/17/1926. This was the old Flatbush Town Hall. It was later replaced by the current 67 Pct.



BLINDED BY THEIR BEAUTY

There’s no other excuse – I must have been blinded by their beauty!

In my last posting I committed a critical journalism error, one that I can remember from my earliest journalism classes at school – “Verify your credits”.

Well, in the story about Brooklyn Beauties Fighting The Beast – the efforts of some very creditable people at PBBN and their efforts to raise money for the fight against breast cancer - I made a mistake.

I mistakenly attributed the red velvet cupcakes to SPAA Wanda Ricketts, the Team’s Captain, when they were majestically baked by Sgt Marie Devino!

I apologize for the error.

One thing you don’t ever want to do is fail to give proper credit to someone who spent hours and hours in the kitchen baking some of the best-tasting red velvet cupcakes around. Sorry, Marie!!

To properly give credit, it was the carrot cake that was so expertly baked by Wanda Ricketts. No finer carrot cake can be found anywhere!

Sorry, ladies. Hope I can be forgiven?

I must certainly have been blinded by their beauty at the time.

While we’re on the subject – the Brooklyn Beauties Team has collected over $18,000. towards the fight against Breast Cancer! This is a huge accomplishment and a fine testament to the hard work and efforts that all of the team did in helping to raise this money.

The Walk Against Breast Cancer is taking place on Sunday, October 18, at Prospect Park. I understand there will over 100 walkers from the Brooklyn Beauties Team alone! Great job, and a lot of hard work by all members of the team. This was a borough-wide effort that is the result of a lot of hard work and team spirit.

If you can, why not come out that day and walk along with the team? I understand some of them will be wearing pink tiaras, and they are trying to get the captain to wear a pink sash, leotards and matching pink magic-wand! The picture alone will be worth it!

Once again, as posted in the last entry, you may also go online and make a contribution to the Brooklyn Beauties Fighting The Beast. The web site can be found at:


http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY10Eastern?team_id=544177&pg=team&fr_id=19787&fl=en_US&et=Rxxylp_M3idDnLsj_Ei1JA..&s_tafId=359247


WALL OF HONOR ADDS TEN NAMES

Ten NYPD Police Officers, who died from 9/11 related illnesses, have been added to the Memorial Wall at the Battery Park Monument.

The Battery Park City Monument where the names were inscribed recognizes nearly 800 officers who lost their lives in the line of duty since 1849.

The MOS whose names were added to the monument are:

Det Sandra Adrian
Sgt Edward Thompson
PO Madeline Carlo
Sgt Claire Hanrahan
PO Robert Helmke
Det William Holfester
PO Patrice Ott
Det Roberto Rivera
Sgt Michael Ryan
Capt Edward Gilpin



PO ANTHONY DWYER MEMORIAL MASS

PO Anthony Dwyer will be remembered during a special service at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Elmont on Saturday, October 17, at 10:30 am.

It has been 20 years since PO Dwyer was killed in the line of duty. He was assigned to the Midtown South Precinct, and died after falling from a rooftop during a struggle with a perp.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!!!

LIEUTENANT GIUSEPPE PETROSINO

Giuseppe Petrosino was appointed to the NYPD on October 19, 1883 (Shield # 285).

In November of 1906 he was promoted to Lieutenant and made C.O. of the NYPD’s “Italian Legion”.

Lt. Joe Petrosino was assassinated while walking through Marine public square in Palermo, Italy on March 12th, 1909, after NYPD Police Commissioner Theodore A. Bingham held a news conference and with stupidity announced that the NYPD had an undercover police officer working on the “Black Hand” in Italy.

Petrosino had set sail for Italy earlier in the week. Remember, this was before airline travel – all travel was by steamship across the ocean!

Bingham held a news conference when Petrosino departed from New York, despite being asked not to do so. Well, the word traveled faster than the steam ship!

It all started when Petrosino's "Italian Squad" went undercover to find who was behind the dozens of "Black Hand" bombings. They arrested many suspected members of the group over the next five years, but the bombings continued.The trail took Petrosino to Italy in an undercover mission in 1909. But someone there didn't like where his investigation was headed and Petrosino returned from Italy in a coffin.

Stories of Giuseppe Petrosino have appeared on this site previously, and can be found – if you wish – through the search query at the top of this blog.

POLICING- ITALIAN STYLE

Law enforcement in Italy is provided by eight separate police forces, five of which are national.
During 2005 in Italy the number of active police officers from all agencies totaled 324,339, the highest number in Europe both overall and per capita, twice the number of police officers serving all of the United Kingdom.

ARMA DEI CARABINIERI

The Carabinieri is the common name for the Arma dei Carabinieri, a military corps with police duties. They also serve as the Italian military police.

Carabinieri units have been dispatched all over the world in peacekeeping missions.

Previously, only men were allowed to become part of the Arma (or any military force, for that matter), but military reforms allow women to serve in the Italian military, including Carabinieri.

GUARDIA di FINANZA

The Guardia di Finanza, (Financial Guard) is a corps of the Italian Army under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance, with a role as a police force.

The Corps is in charge of financial, economic, judiciary and public safety: includes tax evasion, financial crimes, smuggling, money laundering, credit card fraud, counterfeiting and cybercrime. Along with the Polizia di Stato, they also have a large part in the anti-Mafia operations. They act as the border defense and what in the United States would be part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement units.

The Guardia di Finanza has around 68,000 employees. Its agents are in service throughout various European Task Forces and Interpol. The Guardia di Finanza also maintains over 600 boats and ships and more than 100 aircraft to fulfill its mission of patrolling Italy's waters.

POLIZIA di STATO

The Polizia di Stato (State Police) is the civil National Police of Italy. Along with the routine tasks of law enforcement patrol. They conduct criminal investigations throughout Italy, and perform law enforcement duties on the national highways. They also oversee all policing of railroads, bridges and waterways.

The Polizia di Stato is the police force of the Italian Republic.

It is a civilian police force, while the Carabinieri are military. While its internal organization and mindset is somewhat military, its personnel are composed of civilians, and its organization chart resembles most other police organizations. Its headquarters are in Rome, and there are Regional and Provincial divisions throughout Italian territory.

(The symbol of the Polizia di Stato appears at the top of this blog entry. I had an opportunity of meeting with Inspector Dario Stivala of the Polizia di Stato recently. Born and bred in Bensionhurst, he has been serving with the Polizia di Stato for close to 30 years now! He's still retained much of his Brooklynese! Dario presented me with a some lapel pins from the Polizia di Stato, as well as a uniform beret and cap device that they wear while taking police action and tactical operations. I may post, in the future, the picture of me wearing a beret - NOT something you would expect to say in the Marcy Houses!)

REGIONAL POLICE AND THE POLIZIA MUNICIPAL

In addition, each area or region of the country has its own Provincial and Regional Police that are tasked with enforcing wildlife management and environmental crimes.

The local jurisdictions also usually operate a Polizia Municipal. Its main duty is to enforce local regulations and control traffic, but they also deal with petty crime and anti-social behavior, like quality of life offenses, especially in the largest metropolitan areas. These forces can be called Polizia Municipale, Polizia Comunale, Polizia Urbana or Polizia Locale

The other National policing agencies include the Polizia Penitenziaria (Prison Guards, literally Penitentiary Police) that operates the Italian prison system, and there is a Corpo Forestale dello Stato (National Forestry Department) that is responsible for law enforcement in Italian national parks and forests.

THE GUIDING LIGHT OF INVESTIGATIONS:

PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS: ANOTHER DETECTIVE LESSON

Good detectives pay attention to details – little details, with diligence and follow up, that so often make the difference between success and failure.

Another example of the painstaking attention to details is exhibited in the work done during the investigation of “The Mad Dog Killers”, two Mutt-and-Jeff hoodlums who went on a killing spree starting on Christmas Eve in 1962.

Starting out in Woburn, Mass. on Christmas Eve 1962, Henry Dusablon and Emanuel Samperi wanted to treat their sweethearts to a trip to New York for the holiday. Dusablon was a hulking lug who was described as having “quick fists and slow wit”. Samperi was the swarthy shorty who grew up on the lower East Side, who spent his life trying to prove he was a tough guy.
They started by holding up an antique store that Dusablon once worked in, knowing that cash would be on hand. It wasn’t enough to just rob the place, though. Dusablon made sure to shoot the owner in the head before making off with the one-hundred dollar haul.

They left for New York with their sweethearts, soon finding themselves out of money by December 26. They then took off to holding up a variety store owner as he opened up for business, and once again shot the owner at point-blank range after ordering to lie on the ground. They made sure to remove a diamond ring from the body before leaving with the $15 cash that their latest heist produced.

Next they found themselves in Jamaica, robbing an Army-Navy store, and shooting that owner as well before leaving.

A little while later, in the Bronx, a liquor store was also robbed, and the proprietor shot dead. This was followed by another liquor store in uptown Manhattan, with the clerk once again gravely wounded.

All four victims that day had been shot in the head, with the cash registers left empty.

Detectives who had been working on the variety store homicide from earlier in the morning learned from a relative that the victim often wore a diamond ring, an anniversary ring that was missing from the body.

PAYING ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS: the detectives started a search of pawnshops looking for a recently pawned diamond ring.

Bingo!

One of the detectives found a receipt for a ring pawned at a pawnshop just blocks from the incident. The slip was signed by Henry Dusablon of Woburn, Mass.

CONTINUING TO PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS: the detectives learned that Dusablon and his friend left Massachusetts to go to New York on Christmas Eve.

Detectives now fanned out throughout the Manhattan area checking hotels, armed with a photo of Dusablon they received from the Mass. authorities, and began a search of hotel records.

Bingo! Not only did they find a hotel clerk who recognized the culprits photo, they also found that he and Samperi checked in using their real names!

They then found Dusablon in his hotel room with his girl, and a shot time later apprehended Samperi when he also returned to the room with his girlfriend.

Paying attention to details once again paid off. They found the pawned jewelry by poring over pawnshop records, and then found the killers by canvassing hotel to hotel, in person, until they found them.

By the way, the trial resulted in the pair being convicted and sentenced to death, but because of the repeal of capital punishment in 1965 they ended up spending the rest of their lives in prison. Samperi died in 1998, at age 64, and Dusablon will spend his 41st consecutive Christmas behind bars this year.

Interesting note is that the killers, who were dubbed the “Mad Dog Killers” after the spree became public, got less attention than they deserved at the time due to a newspaper strike.

When detectives asked Dusablon why he chose to murder for such paltry robberies, the thug answered: “Because dead men tell no tales.”

Pay Attention To Details!



FROM THE TABLE OF THE MEDICAL EXAMINER:
COMPRESSION OF THE NECK: PETECHIAL HEMORRHAGES

Petechial hemorrhages are capillaries that have ruptured because of pressure.

If pressure is put on the neck, the blood backs up and the capillaries, which are the weakest part of the vascular system, rupture.

It takes 60-70 lbs. of pressure to collapse an artery, but only 5 lbs to collapse a vein.

In suffocation, the pressure is primarily on the nose and mouth, not on the neck and usually you do NOT see PETECHIAE. However, when a person struggles this often inadvertently leads to pressure on the neck as well.

Suffocation is a much more rare cause of death than strangulation; there is most often that struggle leading to the pressure on the neck.

MONEY LAUNDERING

According to a research report Anti-Money Laundering: A Brave New World for Financial Institutions, money laundering is typically a three-stage process:

Stage One: Placement. Moving illicit funds into the financial system by, for example, depositing cash in banks, buying valuables (gold, diamonds, artwork), etc.

Stage Two: Layering. Moving the funds around in the financial system to cover the audit trail to the origination point of the funds. Examples are multiple cross-border wire transfers, investments in securities, deposits in overseas “shell” banks or secret bank accounts (e.g., numbered accounts).

Stage Three: Integration. Finally, the disguised funds are reintroduced into the legitimate economy. This may be accomplished by investing the money in real estate or business ventures, or to acquire luxury assets or other goods, sometimes through the use of credit cards. “Front” businesses are sometimes established for this purpose. A front business engages in legitimate business operations, but at the same time generates false invoices or uses other techniques to absorb the laundered funds.

Money laundering schemes can range from simple to sophisticated. Here are a few examples:
Generation and payment of false invoices. This technique involves a front business which creates invoices for goods and services not actually delivered, or delivered at inflated prices, allowing money launderers to collect and bank cash that is effectively disguised as sales for a business operation.

Loan defaulting. In this scheme, the launderer takes out a bank loan, using the illicit funds as collateral. The launderer then deliberately defaults on the loan, causing the bank to lay claim to the collateral. The launderer has thus effectively traded illicit funds (which the bank now holds) for clean money — the loan money originally extended by the bank.

Manipulation of insurance policies. The malefactor purchases a large insurance policy, pays one or more premiums, and then cancels the policy, obtaining a refund of the premiums (usually minus some penalties). An audit trail would show the refunded monies as originating from the insurance company.

HOW ABOUT THOSE BROOKLYN BEAUTIES???

There’s a group of beautiful women here in the Brooklyn North Patrol Borough – beautiful in many ways!

Calling themselves the Brooklyn North Beauties Fighting The Beast – a group of women from PBBN, uniform and civilians members, are doing their part to fight breast cancer.

They’ve already hosted a few bake sales, and through their fund raising efforts have raised close to $20,000 towards breast cancer research!!!

Sgt. Marie Devino and SPAA WANDA RICKETTS are two of the leaders of this valiant group. And can they bake!! Wanda made some red-velvet cupcakes that would have the Cake-Man from Brooklyn crawling on his knees – I know what it did to me!

The group will be taking part in the October 18th Breast Cancer Walk through Prospect Park. Let’s all pull together and wish them all the best!

You too can help!

PLEASE: Visit the web site of the Brooklyn North Beauties Fighting The Beast, and take a moment to make a small contribution!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY10Eastern?team_id=544177&pg=team&fr_id=19787&fl=en_US&et=Rxxylp_M3idDnLsj_Ei1JA..&s_tafId=359247

(If clicking on the site above doesn’t take you to the site, you can always “Cut & Paste” it).



“LEAVE THE GUN – TAKE THE… CAKE????

More news on cake?

If you’re in the area be sure to stop in at the Great Pumpkin Bake Sale, hosted by the Policewomen’s Endowment Association, on Friday, October 23, 2009 at the Police Academy.

The bake sale will take place on the 3rd Floor of the PA, starting at 0800 hrs and running until 1600 hrs – or until all the cake’s gone!

This Happy Halloween event is hosted by the department’s PEA, who will present an award for the Best Homemade Desserts.


POLICEWOMEN’S ENDOWMENT ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCES ITS DINNER DANCE AND HONOREES

The 87th Annual Scholarship Dinner Dance of the Policewomen’s Endowment Association will take place on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at The Central Park Boathouse Restaurant.

Cocktail hour will start at 6pm, with dinner being served at 7pm. Tickets are $100 per person.

This festive event will include a presentation of scholarship awards, and live music by the NYPD Jazz Combo and DJ E.

The PEA will also have 2 honorees that evening.

The “Man of the Year” Award will be presented to Raymond W. Kelly, Police Commissioner.

And the “Women of the Year” will be presented to Deputy Inspector Lori Pollock, the Executive Officer of Narcotics Borough Brooklyn North.

The dinner committee can be found by checking for the flyer posted at your commands, or by visiting the web site http://www.nypdpea.com/

I will be looking forward to seeing Lori receive this exceptional honor!




“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

October 19, 1929 Ptl Charles Saver, 76 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
October 20, 1967 Ptl James Dandridge, 32 Pct, Shot:Accidental by MOS
October 22, 1907 Ptl Eugene Sheehan, 3 Pct, Shot by prisoner
October 22, 1931 Det Guido Pessagano, 20 Sqd, Shot-arrest
October 22, 1970 Ptl Gerald Murphy, 9 Pct, Shot-Arrest, off duty
October 22, 1972 Ptl Joseph Meaders, 63 Pct, Crushed by oil truck
October 24, 1935 Capt Richard McHale, 109 Pct, Shot by disgruntled MOS
October 24, 1939 Ptl Anthony Buckner, 32 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
October 24, 2002 Det Salvatore Cafiso, SI Narco, Heart attack, LOD
October 26, 1897 Ptl Frederick Smith, 14 Pct, Shot-burglary in progress
October 26, 1910 Ptl James Mangen, 144 Pct, Head injury, rescue
October 28, 1888 Ptl James Brennan, 21 Pct, Assaulted during arrest
October 28, 1945 Ptl James Bussey, 18 Pct, Shot-investigation
October 29, 1962 Det John Tobin, BCI, LOD Heart attack
October 29, 1982 PO James Whittington, PBBN FIAU, Shot-off duty

BACK IN PRINT!

Is it possible that it’s been 1 year since I’ve posted on this site?

Yes, it is! Did you miss me?

I’ve been asked at various times “what happened?” I’d like to say I was holding out for more money – but the fact is that I just needed a break from writing.

It was a good friend that recently made me realize that I may actually have something of interest to say on this site, that has convinced me to put pen to paper (well, not exactly in that medium) and once again get this site “up and running”.

So, for anyone who cares – “I’M BAAACK”


WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON?

Oh, come on. You don’t think I could possibly bring you up to date for the past year, do you?

I will make several highlights, and some reminders of what you can find here in the coming weeks.

I have not in the past, and will not start, to use this site as a “rant” or a “complaint box” for gripes, etc. (This may be what has kept me from writing in the past months- the urge not to succumb to this level).

I will TRY to relate past experiences that may be of investigative interest, pass on new items of interest to the detective, and comment as one would should they be sitting around the Squad Room – on items such as books, cigars, pizza, and all the other good things detective’s comment on as they pass the time.

Want to help pass along a comment, or an idea?

Please feel free to do so by sending me an email to:

LTJAC77@yahoo.com

If you’re new to the site, you may be wondering about the Minister of Investigation title.

That was bestowed on me by a friend and fine detective supervisor, Mark Pouria, back in the days when he and I worked in the 77 Squad. So, that’s me – The Minister of Investigation.

I even have a Certificate signed by a Police Commissioner attesting to this – and I have Ret. Sgt SDS CHRIS CINCOTTA to thank for that!

Let’s all have fun – and be safe!


UPCOMING TOPICS

I will be writing a section that will be known as “The Guiding Light – Principles Of Investigation” which will address common investigative principles and tactics of interest to the detective investigator.

I will continue to update sections of “From The Bookshelf”, which will concern – you guessed it – books!

“From The Humidor” will continue to comment on tastings and other interest to the cigar smoker.

Historic items from the NYPD archives will also continue to play a big part.

And, as always – whatever I find interesting at the moment.


SCOTLAND YARD

What exactly is “SCOTLAND YARD”?

The Metropolitan Police Service of London, England, that is responsible for policing the area of Greater London – with the exception of the area that comprises the London City District – which is policed by the City of London Police - is commonly known throughout the world for the location of its headquarters building – Scotland Yard.

The Commissioner, who heads the Metropolitan Police has traditionally answered directly to the Home Secretary.

This dates back to the formation of the Metropolitan Police and reflects its difference from other police forces and its national and international responsibilities.

The Metropolitan Police Service performs national functions, such as those in relation to the protection of royalty and countering terrorism in Great Britain. In addition to these two, the MPS has a number of other capital city, and national responsibilities such as the protection of certain members and ex-members of the government and the diplomatic community and assisting with enquiries concerning British interests at home and abroad. These responsibilities make the Metropolitan Police Service unique among UK police forces. The Metropolitan Police Service should not be confused with the City of London Police, which is a separate force responsible for policing The Square Mile in the City of London.

Scotland Yard

In 1829, when Sir Robert Peel was Home Secretary, the first Metropolitan Police Act was passed and the Metropolitan Police Force was established in London. The task of organizing and designing the "New Police" took place at 4 Whitehall Place.

The back of this location opened on to a courtyard which, as a popular anecdote would have it, had once been the site of a residence owned by the Kings of Scotland (or, alternatively, a Scottish Embassy), and was therefore known as "Scotland Yard".

These headquarters were removed in 1890 to premises on the Victoria Embankment known as "New Scotland Yard." In 1967 further removal took place to a larger and more modern headquarters building at Broadway, S.W.1, which is also known as "New Scotland Yard".

Scotland Yard's telephone number was originally Whitehall 1212. The majority of London area police stations, as well as Scotland Yard itself, still have 1212 as their last four digits.

The Metropolitan Police's crime database is housed at New Scotland Yard. This uses a national IT system developed for major crime enquiries by all UK forces, called Home Office Large Major Enquiry System, more commonly referred to by its acronym, HOLMES. This is in large part an acronym derived with the intention of honoring the great fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.


BOOK REVIEW: ON HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE BY RON EVANS

After a lot of research, I was able to track a copy of this book down and ordered it from a bookseller in England.

Why such a hard book to find?

This book, written by a retired Scotland Yard officer, was published in 2008 but was short-lived on the sellers table – it was the subject of a lawsuit by none other than the world famous author, Salman Rushdie; the printing ceased, and the book was never sent for mass-market distribution.

Knowing this background, I just had to track down a copy and find out what all the hoopla was about.

I can save you the time and money of trying to find out on your own – it really wasn’t all that worth it!

The author, Ron Evans, served in the Metropolitan Police Service in London, England for 28 years. He started out as a constable walking a beat in the capital city of London, did time on a motorcycle patrol detachment and then transferred to Special Branch of the Special Operations Directorate, where he served as part of the “Close Protection Detail” – what we would call “Bodyguard”.

He served in the Specialist Protection Group (SO1) for over 15 years, and it is this time that he spent protecting royalty and the well-known that his book focuses on.

That’s all well and good, and could have probably done just fine on its own, but he apparently “told too many secrets” – or, as Mr. Salman Rushdie claimed in a lawsuit – he told “libelous” stories that were “fiction”. Mr. Rushdie eventually won his lawsuit, and the publication ceased.

What was so terrible?

According to his publicist in the pre-publication publicity for the book, he was “charged with the personal protection of some of the world’s highest-profile figures politicians, businessmen, the cultural elite – expecting to ‘take a bullet’ day after day, armed with a shoot-to-kill policy and instinctive bravery, this exceptional man walked a deadly path throughout his career. He still does, as an international protection officer”.

“He speaks in detail about very close political and operational secrets affecting the highest corridors of power – his years with Margaret Thatcher, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and various Cabinet Ministers. Ron also exposes the massive problems within the police service and the ‘old boy’ network where nepotism rules over ability and experience”.
But what got him in trouble was his depiction of Mr. Rushdie.

Mr Evans portrayed Rushdie as "mean, nasty, tight-fisted, arrogant and extremely unpleasant" which was the cause for the lawsuit on its publishers.

Ron Evans, the book's author, claims Rushdie was imprisoned by his guards who "got so fed up with his attitude that they locked him in a cupboard under the stairs and all went to the local pub for a pint or two. When they were suitably refreshed they came back and let him out."

According to Mr Evans as he writes in the book, the police nicknamed Rushdie “Scruffy” because of his unkempt appearance. Evans says that when officers asked to drink some bottles of red wine they had found, Rushdie wanted to charge them £45 each. The book also alleges that when officers stayed overnight in his home, he billed the Metropolitan police for rent of "at least forty quid a night for special branch officers to risk their lives to stop him being taken out by followers of the fatwa". Evans wrote: "We were paying or, rather, the taxpayer was paying Rushdie to protect him!"

Rushdie said: "The simple fact of the matter is that nothing of this sort happened. My relationship with my protection team was always cordial, certainly entirely professional. This kind of absurd behaviour never occurred.

"The idea of them raiding my friend's wine cellars then me asking them to pay for this is completely fictitious. It is absurd the idea that they would lock me in a cupboard and go to the pub.

"It is like a bad comedy. My relations with the protection officers were cordial and I am still friendly with a few of them. At the end of my nine years of protection they held a reception for me. I had a lot of sympathy and understanding from the police. Our relationship was the exact opposite of what has been written. I never heard myself called by the name Scruffy in nine years."

"It is extraordinary to have had to go through an experience as unpleasant as that period of sequestration to have somebody to try to cash in giving a false portrait to a publisher. A very senior member of the Scotland Yard protection service telephoned me to apologise and said the police force felt humiliated and embarrassed."

Rushdie acknowledged that rent was paid to him for the accommodation provided to police officers but said this was at the behest of the police because of the high costs of renting houses regarded as safe enough to protect him. He said: "Police officers thought if I was incurring costs it would be fair to contribute to that. That was an offer made to me by senior officers of special branch, it was never a request of mine. To say that I was trying to extort money from them for my protection is an obscene distortion of the truth."


POLICE HISTORY: 1855

What today would be called a precinct, in 1855 was called a ‘Police District’ .

Each district had the same geographical boundaries as the ward it took its number from.
The alderman from that ward recommended to the mayor who should be appointed to that ward’s corps. Patrolmen from that police district or ward were required to be residents of that ward and were appointed for a term of good behavior. Consequently that ward’s corps resembled the ethnic makeup of that ward.

Even though they worked out of a certain ‘Police District’ they would say they were assigned to that (the number) ‘Corps’ rather than say they worked out of a certain precinct. There were twenty two wards in the city, each had its own ‘police districts’ or ‘corps’.

Chief Matsell established the “Reserve Corps” in 1853 as an elite unit of approximately 100 of the best and most competent patrolmen and sergeants.

By 1855 it numbered approximately 150 men. They were assigned to the chief’s office and other high profile assignments such as detective duty, the courts and various other details, etc. On occasion, the reserve corps would fly to various areas of the city and were used for duties similar to those performed by today’s Borough Task Forces.



IN MEMORIAM: DET 2ND GRADE TIMOTHY DUFFY

We at the Brooklyn North Homicide Task Force are still recovering from the loss of a close friend and dedicated detective, Det. TIMOTHY DUFFY.

Timmy died on September 19 in a car accident. His passing was much too soon, and certainly shook up all. There are no words that can adequately express the feelings of his family, friends and those who worked with him.

Timmy left behind a wife and 2 children, beautiful girls aged 10 and 7 years.

A fund has been established to help the children through their education.

Anyone wishing to help out the family can do so at the following:

The Duffy Children Endowment Fund
C/O Kimberly Duffy
The Detectives Endowment Association
26 Thomas Street
New York, NY 10007




IN MEMORIAM: PO IRMA “FRAN” LOZADA

It has been 25 years since Irma Lozada (known to all as “Fran”) was killed in the line of duty.

September 21, 1984 – 25 years ago – this fine police officer, former partner and friend, became the first female police officer killed in the line of duty in New York City.

Members of her command, District 33, held a memorial service on September 21 at the gravesite to mark this occasion. Many thanks need to be extended to PO EDDIE CARR of District 33, who organized the event with the help of the Commanding Officer of District 33, DI KENNETH LEHR. Help was also provided by MIKE MORGILLO of the PBA.

At the service, Insp. JAMES CAPALDO made a memorial presentation to all who were gathered. It was nice to see some of our fellow Academy graduates come out for the occasion, a fitting tribute to a fine officer.

It may be 25 years already, but, Fran, we do not forget.



Editor’s Note: The following was written 5 years ago when the 20 year Memorial was organized. I am publishing it again on this site, in memory of Fran and the passing of 25 years.


SHIELD 4721

“Shield 4721, come in to Operations… Operations to Shield 4721”

I remember that radio transmission as if it was coming over the air this very minute.

I was working in the plainclothes Citywide Task Force, Transit Police Department. It was September 21, 1984. I was working with my steady partner, Jimmy, who came to the Task Force from District 33 the same time I did. We were two white-shield plainclothes cops working a “Train Patrol” post in the Bronx. We were looking to make arrests and write summonses. The Task Force was the department’s career path into the Detective Division. Anyone from Transit will recall the Task Force and “Dunlap’s Pie” – the measuring stick created by Capt. John Dunlap to evaluate the Police Officers, and ultimately rank them for entrance into the Detective Division – and the gold shield.

Jimmy and I had just stepped off a southbound #4 train at 161 Street. With Yankee Stadium as the backdrop, we were writing two summonses for people smoking on the train. The Task Force of the Transit Police was doing quality-of-life enforcement as a means to repressing crime long before it was chic to do so.

“Shield 4721, come in… Operations to Shield 4721”.

I recognized the identifier immediately; Shield 4721 was PO Irma “Fran” Lozada. I recognized the shield because I worked with Fran in District 33, where we went after we graduated the Police Academy in the spring of 1982. Fran was still working in District 33, in the Anti-Crime assignment that I left behind to take the Task Force spot I was in. If you wanted to be a detective, you had to go to Task Force. I was there, Fran stayed in District 33. She went for the interview, and was approved for the Task Force the same time I was. We would have gone to Task Force and partnered up, having worked together in District 33, but she was talked out of the move by a current boyfriend from District 1. The work in Task Force was ridiculed by him, and she listened. Fran stayed in District 33, I left for the Task Force.

When you understand the radio system of the Transit Police at that time, you understand how it was that I was monitoring this radio transmission. I was in the Bronx, Fran worked Brooklyn. Why was this coming over the air?

The Transit Police radio system was a simplistic one; there were only two radio frequencies. One frequency for the above-ground RMP’s, a second for all the other portable units on patrol. One frequency, with many different repeaters and antennas throughout the transit system. The dispatcher would activate the closest antenna for the unit he was broadcasting to. The dispatcher in Brooklyn would activate the Brooklyn antennas; in the Bronx, the Bronx antennas. All radio broadcasts over the same frequency, but only those radios closest to the underground antenna would receive the broadcast (in theory). Much has been written about the transit police radios; their operability was always an unknown, at best. Anyway, if you were above ground – as I was in the Bronx at the time – you could pick up all sorts of radio transmissions from the outdoor antennas. Hence, I was receiving the Brooklyn broadcast in the Bronx.

“Shield 4721, come in to Operations”.

They would never receive a reply to that call. Shield 4721 could not answer her radio because she lay dead in a vacant, weeded lot in Bushwick. She was shot with her own gun, after pleading for her life, by a low life whose only other claim may be that he shares a similar name to a Yankee great.

Fran Lozada was the first female police officer to be killed in the line of duty in New York City. She chased a chain snatcher from the train at the Wilson Avenue station of the “L” line, as we had done times before. She was alone at the time; in plainclothes, working in Anti-Crime, she was separated from her partner. Had they split up for their meal period, with plans to reunite at the end of meal? Had they been separated when they entered the train en-route back to the command for meal? Does it really matter? What remains undisputed is that Fran chased the culprit from the station onto Cooper Avenue, through a lot next to the train tracks, into a weeded area. She chased him because she was a cop. That’s what she did, alone or not. The Transit PD Communications Unit received no radio broadcast from Fran; maybe she was in a radio dead spot, maybe she never got to her radio. The fact remains that after a chase, then using a ruse that she was looking for a lost dog, she confronted the thief at gunpoint in an empty lot. When she tried to cuff him – alone – she was overpowered by the creep. Court records indicate that she pleaded with him. He shot her to death with her own gun and fled.

She lay in the garbage strewn lot behind a cemetery building for several hours.

I was seated in the District 11 Office inside the 161 Street Station, with my partner, completing our paperwork, when we learned that a female cop in Brooklyn was found dead. The report said she had been missing, and after several hours of searching, she was found in an empty lot, the victim of gunshot wounds. We learned it was Fran, and hitched a ride with two PBA Board Members who were heading to District 33. Their plans to make a PBA election speech before the roll call had quickly changed. We drove there in a Board Member’s VW bug; a somber and silent ride.

I was at the lot, and saw Teddy, the District 33 cop I shared an RMP with times before. Teddy was the low keyed, experienced cop that let nothing bother him. Teddy was a practical joker who opened himself up to the rookies. He was assigned to an RMP that night, his regular post, and when I saw him I instantly knew he was the cop who found Fran in the lot. Years later, when I ran into him at a Home Depot, we chatted for a good fifteen minutes. Neither of us could bring up that night.

A Lieutenant who later became Chief of the Transit Bureau grabbed me by the arm, and walked me away from the scene. “You don’t want to go in there, John”. When he was a Sergeant in District 33, it was he who teamed Fran and myself up in plainclothes, when the District Captain was worried about two people still on probation (we were the first class with an 18-month probation period) working in plainclothes. We showed him he made the right choice by coming back having written a book of summonses the first night, and with two collars the next night. He walked me away from the scene.

I was standing in the street when I learned the scant details of what happened. She was working with her regular partner, who now had become the target of blame by some of his peers. I can’t even think about that.

I spoke with the Desk Officer when I called from the Bronx. The Desk Lieutenant was a solid professional; a great cop, and the one who talked me into making the move to Task Force. He convinced me the chance of a gold shield was there at Task Force; he couldn’t convince Fran of the same. He was still there on the Desk when I got to District 33. A lot of finger pointing was to be done soon: why was there a delay in commencing an all-out search, who notified whom, things to that effect. After that night it’s safe to say that he would never be the same again.

I was there when the Sergeant cleaned out Fran’s locker. Your personal belongings placed in a plastic garbage bag. No one ever wants that task.

I was there when her partner walked back into the District from that horrific night. I watched him walk into the command, around the desk, and commence filling out his overtime slip. He filled out his overtime slip. I wished I had the nerve to do what another cop did on the street with him.

Fran’s killer was caught quickly. Some great detective work went into a canvass that produced a witness; some greater detective work went into convincing the witness to tell what she saw. These same detectives picked up the creep, and conducted a great interview that included an admission that would help send him to jail for the rest of his life. A senseless killing. What a waste.

“Shield 4721, come in… Operations to Shield 4721”….






“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

October 4, 1928 Ptl John Gibbons, Mcy1, Motorcycle accident on patrol
October 6, 1864 Ptl Charles Curren, 42 Pct Brooklyn, shot during arrest
October 7, 1968 Ptl John Varecha, 18 Pct, Shot-investigation
October 7, 1989 PO William Chisolm, 45 Pct, Shot-off duty incident
October 8, 1900 Ptl Charles Horn, 58 Pct Brooklyn, Stabbed
October 8, 1928 Ptl William Stoeffel, 4 Pct, auto accident on patrol
October 8, 1956 Det William Christmas, 92 Sqd, Shot-off duty incident
October 8, 1966 Ptl James Cosgrove, Mcy4(Hwy3), Auto accident on patrol
October 8, 1993 PO John Williamson, HA-PSA6, head injury-bucket from roof
October 9, 1866 Ptl John Hipwell, 45 Pct Brooklyn, Shot,burglary
October 9, 1928 Ptl Thomas Wallace, Mcy2, Motorcycle accident on patrol
October 9, 1965 Ptl Philip Shultz, HA-B/SI, Shot-off duty arrest
October 10, 1973 PO George Mead, 42 Pct, Shot-off duty robbery
October 10, 1975 PO Walter Tarpey, MSTF, Auto accident on patrol
October 10, 2004 Det Robert Parker, 67Sqd, Shot-arrest
October 10, 2004 Det Patrick Rafferty, 67Sqd, Shot-arrest
October 12, 1946 Ptl George Hunter, 30 Pct, Shot-robbery
October 13, 1968 Ptl David Turman, TPF, Shot-mistaken ID, off duty
October 13, 1970 Ptl Maurice Erben, Harbor, Boat accident
October 13, 1996 PO Brian Jones, PSA4, Shot-off duty dispute
October 15, 1932 Ptl John Fink, 71 Pct, Fire rescue
October 15, 1964 Det James Donegan, 71 Squad, Shot effecting arrest
October 15, 1964 Det Salvatore Potenza, 71 Sqd, Shot effecting arrest
October 15, 1994 PO William Kennedy, Info unavailable


It seems we’re spending a lot of time memorializing officers in this “return to print” issue. We cannot forget that 5 years ago Det. ROBERT PARKER and Det PATRICK RAFFERTY of the 67 Squad gave their lives in the line of duty while effecting an arrest for DV. Time goes by swiftly, do not let their memories fade.

IN MEMORIAM: LT. MICHAEL PIGOTT
GENTLEMAN, HERO, DEDICATED POLICE OFFICER
LIEUTENANT, EMERGENCY SERVICES UNIT

Lieutenant Michael Pigott shot himself on Thursday, October 2, 2008, his 46th birthday, at a police training center in Brooklyn.

This veteran commander of the department’s Emergency Services Unit had been placed on modified duty after he had ordered another officer to fire a Taser stun gun at an EDP who was thrashing out at other responding ESU cops. After being struck by the Taser, the EDP tumbled 10 feet to the sidewalk, hit his head and died.

The NYPD disciplined Pigott for failing to follow procedure, stripping him of his gun and badge and assigning him to a job with the department's motor vehicle fleet. This is what the department does at times like these - it casts its workers aside, in what can best be described as a "we'll get back to you later" attitude.

At his funeral this past week, Rev. Douglas Madlon revealed during the service that Michael, stripped of his badge and gun, was afraid he wouldn't be a police officer and had said to him, "I'm not a desk person." He feared for the possibility of putting his family through the ordeal of seeing him get arrested. I'm sure the corps of media people camped out in front of his house, waiting to get a picture for their tabloid of Mike coming outside to get the newspaper, or walking to his car, only fueled this feeling he had. This same media that then wondered "how could something like this possibly happen?"

One fellow cop told Newsday (who was among the media frenzy camped out in front of the house), "It's a horrible, horrible thing. He was a great man. He was a cop's cop."

If you did not know Mike, you quickly got a clear picture of him from those who did.

“He was a gentle-hearted person, big heart, friendly, sweet”, is how a neighbor described him. “Everybody loved him”.

“I have known Mike through the job when he worked in the 81 Pct doing late tours. In that time where crack exploded along with violence the 79 and 81 late tour was made up of a special group of guys. Almost regularly arriving to help on each others jobs. Mike was one of those special group of guys. Time and career changes always separates people physically. Seeing Mike as our careers moved forward always brought a warm smile and a hug”, notes another NYPD veteran.

“Mike Pigott woke up and came to work to help strangers in their personal time of chaos. He chose to place himself in that position. He chose to make a difference. We choose to make a difference. This very sad chain of events is a tragedy. I am sad for Mike and all he had to deal with. I saw the pain in his face that day on Tompkins Ave. He said things would not be the same. I can close my eyes and see him saying this as I sit here. We work in a career of second guesses - happens all the time - every day at every level. We are human. We are expected to carry the world and all of it problems. We are human”, very appropriately notes this same friend of Mike’s.

May God and his angels deliver Mike to a place in heaven where he will be at peace. May they bring comfort to his family.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pigott family, through this time of sorrow.

A terrible tragedy. Please remember Mike Pigott, and his family, in your thoughts and prayers.

IN MEMORY

This coming week will be the anniversary of three heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice within four years of each other while carrying a badge that was imprinted "New York City Transit Police".





Coincidentally, all three died in plainclothes doing a job we all enjoyed .... there but for the grace of God go any one of us.





So, as the political heckling banters back & forth please take a few moments to remember these brave men & woman, the loved ones they left behind and recall the funerals we attended and why.





God bless them and those they left behind.






P.O. Joseph Hamperian 12/01/80 - 09/22/83



Officer Hamperian was struck and killed by an automobile while he was in plainclothes working a pick-pocket detail at a bus stop in Brooklyn when the incident happened. Officer Hamperian was assigned to the Transit Police Surface Crime Unit (Bus Squad) and was survived by his parents.






P.O. Irma (Fran) Lozada 10/20/81 - 09/21/84



Officer Lozada was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a robbery suspect. She and her partner were in plainclothes patroling the L Line when they witnessed a suspect snatch a piece of jewelry. The officers gave chase but separated while in pursuit. Officer Lozada's body was found three hours later in a vacant lot. She had been shot in the head while attempting to make an arrest. Officer Lozada was the first female officer to be killed in the line of duty in New York City. She was assigned to Transit District 33 and had been with the Transit Police for three years. She was survived by her mother and brother. The murderer is serving a 25 to life sentence.






P.O. Robert Venable 01/06/84 - 09/22/87



Officer Venable was shot and killed while attempting to make an arrest. He and two other officers were transporting several prisoners in Brooklyn when they were alerted of a call involving several men with guns. As they entered the building Officer Venable was shot. He succumbed to his injuries three hours later. The suspects were apprehended. Officer Venable had been with the Transit Police for three years and was survived by his 8-year-old daughter and parents. The assailant is serving a 37 years to life sentence.

(I would like to thank Ret Sgt Mike Fanning for his contribution in memorializing these three officers. Thanks again, Mike, for all you continue to do.)

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR JOSEPH HAMPERIAN SCHEDULED



September 22, 2008 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Line of Duty death of JOSEPH HAMPERIAN #4461

In memory of Joey’s passing, a memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at 11 AM at:

ARMENIAN CHURCH OF THE HOLY MARTYRS
209-15 Horace Harding Blvd.
Bayside, NY 11364-1721

A fellowship hour will follow the church service. All are invited to attend.



Anyone who would like to make a donation to the Armenian Church in Joey’s honor can mail their check to the above and notate check in Joseph Hamperian’s memory.

For any further information, e-mail Herb Schoen at hrs2640@aol.com

SEPTEMBER 11

2,751 people killed at the World Trade Center on 9-11-01 from the terrorist attack on our country.

23 NYPD Members of the Service killed in service to others.

37 Port Authority Police Dept MOS killed in service to others

343 FDNY members killed in service to others.

Remember them always.

NYPD’S FIRST MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: CHARLES S. CARRAO

Thanks to Sgt (Ret) Mike Bosak, a true department historian, the following information is provided concerning the department’s first Medal of Honor Recipient.

The department awarded its first Medal of Honor on May 18, 1912.

It was awarded to Acting Detective Sergeant (today’s rank of Detective) CHARLES S. CARRAO of the Italian Squad, for police action performed on the morning of September 15, 1911.

The Italian Squad worked out of Police Headquarters at 240 Centre Street, working primarily on investigations concerning the “Black Hand”, an organized crime entity that preyed mostly on recently arrived Italian immigrants.

Detective Carrao confronted a “Black Hand” extortionist, who had just lit the fuse on an explosive device in the hallway of a tenement house located at 356 East 13th Street.

Carrao then extinguished the fuse, gave chase and exchanged shots with the fleeing culprit before making the arrest.

This same extortionist had just four hours earlier ignited another bomb at 314 East 12th Street that caused extensive damage.

It was noted by Ret. Det1 John Reilly, now deceased, in a book he published concerning awards by the NYPD, that the first NYPD “Medal of Honor” was designed by Tiffany & Co, and was originally referred to as the “Department Medal”. It was in the NYPD General Orders of April 22, 1915, that the name of the medal was changed from the “Department Medal” to the “Departmental Medal of Honor”.


MORE ON DEPARTMENT MEDALS

The first “Medal Day” in New York City was on Saturday, May 26, 1855 in City Hall Park.

It was at this ceremony that the NYC Municipal Police Department awarded seven (7) silver medals.

Chief of Police George Matsell and Mayor Fernando Wood awarded six solid silver medals for heroism and good arrests and one silver medal for “meritorious service”.

The first medal awarded by the NYPD was awarded on August 17, 1871 and was awarded for “meritorious conduct”. It was awarded to Patrolman Bernard Tully of the 19th Precinct (today’s 17th Precinct) for the arrest of a burglar with one shot fired. This was the only medal awarded in 1871.

MULTIPLE AWARDS OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR

Department history reflects only three members who have received multiple awards of the Medal of Honor. Only one of these lived to receive his second medal.

Detective Timothy J. Connell was awarded his first Medal of Honor in 1922, after he was wounded foiling a hold up at a cigar store which resulted in a shoot-out with two armed perpetrators of which he mortally wounded one and the second showed up the next day at a local hospital with a bullet wound. Detective Connell was awarded his second Medal of Honor posthumously in 1926 after he was killed in another shootout with four armed adversaries in 1924.

Detective John Cordes was awarded his first Medal of Honor in 1924 after a shootout in which he was wounded five times, and again in 1928 for another shoot out. He lived to be awarded his second Medal of Honor, and completed his career as a Lieutenant – Commander of Detectives, commanding first the Broadway Squad and then the Riverfront Squad, from where he retired.

Police Officer Robert Bilodeau, Street Crime Unit, was awarded his first Medal of Honor for an incident that took place on April 5, 1979, when while making an arrest during a decoy operation his throat was slashed, an injury that required 63 stitches. His second award was posthumously in 1981 for an incident that took place on February 12, 1980, when Officer Bilodeau chased a gunman into an alleyway. The gunman turned and shot Officer Bilodeau three times, but before he died he was able to wound his assailant.

Note: Both Medals of Honor were awarded to his wife & son at the NYPD's 1981 Medal Day award ceremony.


SOME OTHER MEDAL OF HONOR FACTS

Only Five females have been awarded the NYPD Medal of Honor:

1) P.O. Tanya Braithwaite, 1985

2) P.O. Sharon Fields, 1985

3) Det. Kathleen Burke, 1987

4) P.O. Moira Smith, 2001 (Posthumously)

5) P.O. Judith Hernandez, 2003


SOME DETECTIVE HISTORY: SAFES AND LOFTS, BURGLARIES AND BANKS

I’d like to thank Ret Det. Joe Gannon for his contribution to the following concerning some detective history.

I noted in a prior posting information on the Safe and Loft Squad. Joe Gannon has some more insight of interest.

In 1970, the Safe, Loft and Truck Squad was part of the Burglary Larceny Division. This Division was under the control of the Chief of Detectives, with the Commanding Officer of the Burglary larceny Division reporting directly to the Chief of Detectives.

Some of the other components of the Burglary Larceny Division were such squads as the Pickpocket & Confidence Squad, Property Recovery Squad, Auto Squad, and Forgery Squad. These squads were housed in what was known as the “Headquarters Annex”, at 400 Broome Street.

Prior to the Burglary Larceny Division, these squads fell under the jurisdiction of the Detective Bureau’s Central Office, Bureaus and Squads – known throughout as “COBS”.

It was in the early 1970’s, under Commissioner Patrick Murphy, that these Headquarters Squads were reorganized. Under what became known as the Special Investigations Division, several squads were added – Bank Robbery Squad and the Hotel Squad – under the control of the Chief of Detectives and what was still called, at that time, the Detective Division.

The Special Investigations Division was broken down under 2 Districts – the Fraud and Property Crime Division, and Major Crimes Division. Many of these squads were housed to the Old Slip building, where the Forgery Squad was merged with the Stock and Bond Squad as well. The Bank Squad was absorbed into the Major Case Squad, and eventually the Districts were absorbed into one overall command under Special Investigations Division. The Hotel Squad was one of the last squads to leave the Old Slip building, but it was the Bond and Forgery Squad that were the last department commands to leave the Old Slip Building. (This building has since been renovated, and houses the current Police Museum).

Eventually the Property recovery Squad was merged into the Bond and Forgery Squad, and ultimately by 1980 the Pickpocket Squad disappeared, as did the Forgery Squad followed by Safe & Loft.

The Detective Division had a Central Investigation Bureau, located in a clandestine building at 432 Park Avenue South where the building directory listed it as CIB, Inc.

There were a number of components to the Central Investigation Bureau, including the Organized Crime Wire Unit, a Labor Unit, and the Abortion Squad. It eventually was disbanded and their duties taken over by the Intelligence Division, which was taken out of the control of the Chief of Detectives and established as a separate command structure.

While under the command of the Chief of Detectives, much of the intelligence work came under the command of the Bureau of Special Services and Investigations – known throughout the job as BOSSI.


SOME PRECINCT HISTORY

In addition to hosting the finest memorial site for NYPD Police Officer’s who have given their lives in the performance of their police duties; the web site http://www.nypdangels.com/ also has a very interesting breakdown on NYPD Precinct numbering history.

For example, did you know that the only precinct in New York City that has never changed its designation is the 1st Precinct?

Today’s 17th Precinct has some notable history as well.

The station house we now know as the 17th Precinct has seen the following changes over the years.

On 09/07/1877, the 19th Precinct was established at 163 East 51st Street. Ten years later, on 01/01/1887, the designation changed to the 23rd Precinct. It remained as such for the next 11 years, then on 05/01/1898 it was redesignated the 24th Precinct. Ten years later, on 01/01/1908, it became the 29th Precinct. It remained as such for the next 16 years, then on 07/18/1924 it was again changed, this time to the 10th Precinct. Finally, on 07/03/1929, it was changed to the 17th Precinct, as it has remained since.


“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

September 9, 1979 PO Edwin Fogel, Hwy1, Shot-car stop
September 10, 1951 Det James Daggett, Safe,Loft&Truck Sqd, Explosion
September 10, 1964 Ptl Anthony Esposito, 66 Pct, LOD Hear attack
September 10, 2004 Det Robert Parker & Det Patrick Rafferty, 67 Sqd, DV Arrest
September 11, 1976 PO Brian Murray, Bomb Sq, Explosion investigation

WTC Victims of Attack:
Sgt John Coughlin #3751, ESS4
Sgt Michael Curtin #3256, Ess2
Sgt Rodney Gillis, #1889, ESS8
Sgt Timothy Roy #2926, STED
Det Claude Richards #244, Bomb Squad
Det Joseph Vigiano #4511, ESS3
PO John Dallara #4011, ESS2
PO Vincent Danz #2166, ESS3
PO Jerome Dominguez #10003, ESS3
PO Stephen Driscoll #17482, ESS4
PO Mark Ellis #11441, TD4
PO Robert Fazio #6667, 13 Pct
PO Ronald Kloepfer #22403, ESS7
PO Thomas Langone #14356, ESS10
PO James Leahy #8943, 6 Pct
PO Brian McDonnell #6889, ESS1
PO John Perry #3266, 40 Pct
PO Glen Pettit #3815, PA
PO Moira Smith #10467, 13 Pct
PO Ramon Suarez #12671, TD4
PO Paul Talty #28907, ESS10
PO Santos Valentin #21630, ESS7
PO Walter Weaver #2784, ESS3

September 12, 1968 Ptl John Madden, 104 Pct, LOD Heart attack
September 12, 1991 PO Hector Fontanez, 47 Pct, Shot during investigation
September 13, 1928 Ptl Jeremiah Brosnan, 24 Pct, Shot by perp
September 14, 1931 Sgt Timothy Murphy, 8 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
September 14, 1974 PO Bruce Anderson, 32 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
September 15, 1931 Ptl William Eberhardt, 15 Pct, auto accident on patrol
September 15, 1979 PO Melvin Hopkins, 77 Pct, Shot, robbery, off duty
September 16, 1927 Ptl Henry E.A. Meyer, 54 Pct, shot-robbery arrest
September 16, 1975 PO Andrew Glover, 9 Pct, shot-assasination
September 16, 1975 Sgt Frederick Reddy, 9 Pct, shot-assasination
September 16, 1977 PO Daniel Nowomlynski, 23 Pct, shot-off duty
September 18, 1927 Ptl Jerome DeLorenzo, 4 Pct, Shot-accidental discharge
September 19, 1943 Sgt Mathew McCormick, 120 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
September 21, 1952 Det Philip Lamonica, 42 Sq, Shot during arrest
September 21, 1984 PO Irma Lozada, TPD D-33, Shot-robbery arrest (RIP, Fran!)
September 22, 1946 Ptl William Brophy, 109 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
September 22, 1983 PO Joseph Hamperian, TPD-SCU, Struck by auto
September 22, 1987 PO Robert Venable, TPD-D33, Shot during arrest
September 23, 1896 Ptl Thomas McIntyre, MTD, Horse accident
September 23, 1937 Det John Wilson, 1 Pct, Shot-robbery
September 23, 1941 Ptl James Schowers, 28 Pct, LOD heart attack
September 23, 1970 Ptl Michael Paolilo, IdentUnit, Stabbed-off duty investigation
September 25, 1895 Ptl John Delehanty, 21 Pct, assaulted
September 25, 1953 Ptl Harry Widder, GCP-Hwy3, Auto accident
September 25, 1971 PO Arthur Pelo, HA-BkSI, Shot-robbery arrest
September 25, 1995 PO David Willis, 10 Pct, Auto accident, radio run
September 26, 1977 PO Vito Chiaramonte, HA-CCU, Shot
September 27, 1849 Ptl Thomas Lynch, NFI
September 27, 1945 Det Frank McGrath, 2 Sqd, Shot-investigation
September 28, 1921 Ptl Joseph Reuschle, 42 Pct, Shot by prisoner
September 28, 1934 Ptl John Fraser, 4 Div, Shot-robbery in progress
September 29, 1854 Ptl James Cahill, 11 Ward, Shot-Burglary **
September 29, 1965 Ptl Donald Rainey, Auto Crime, Shot-Mistaken ID, off duty
September 29, 1983 PO Joseph McCormack, ESU, Shot-barricade situation


Editor’s Note: The listing of MOS who died in the Line of Duty for this posting is quite extensive. I try to be inclusive of my postings, so that as best as possible no one is left off. This period encompasses that of 9/11 – so I wanted to be sure to include them, without leaving off anyone else.
This particular posting includes some that are more meaningful to me than others – Det’s Parker and Rafferty of the 67 Squad, on September 10, 2004. A dear friend, Irma Lozada on September 21, 1984. Joseph Hamperian, September 22, 1983 and then Robert Venable, September 22, 1987. People I’ve known who left way before their time.
I encourage all readers to go to http://www.nypdangels.com/ and look at the very fine memorial site that is set up there – stories on those who have gone before us, often with insights from others who knew them. This is truly one of the finest memorial web sites ever established.