�Three lawyers in a room are sure to produce at least four opinions�.
TALES FROM THE GREATEST DETECTIVES IN THE WORLD
You have to wonder sometimes, when you really think about it, how is it we ever get anything done?
When you take a close look around the Squad Room, you often can�t help but chuckle.
What do I mean?
How about a First Grade Detective with ten years experience in the same borough-wide office, who has no problem finding his way to any of the station houses in the borough � as long as he starts out from the command he works out of. No problem going from the 90 to the 79, or the 90 to the 73. But go from the 79 to the 73? Not without going back to the 90 first, and starting from there. Can�t possibly be true, right?
How about a cop with five years on the job who knows his way from Patchogue to the 77 station house, and knows the 77 streets inside and out � but send him out of the command, and he�s lost. Literally. Sent him one time from the 77 to the Brooklyn North Borough, on Wilson Avenue. Sounded pretty easy. Go straight up Utica Avenue, it will turn into Malcolm X, then make a right at Dekalb to Wilson Avenue. Should have been easy, just one hitch. Dekalb is a one-way at Malcolm X; not too hard, though, you�d think. Maybe go to the next block and double back? Wrong. He ended up at Laguardia Airport � don�t even try to figure that out.
Or the Detective that put a much-needed department auto out of service for a very long time, after he put diesel fuel into its regular gasoline tank. You�d think the difficulty he had trying to get the nozzle to work in the tank may have been an indication of a problem? Not so. Pumped a full tank of diesel into the engine, and conked out about 2 blocks away � from a stationhouse at the other end of the borough. (Another story altogether).
How about the investigator who couldn�t find the 911 caller to interview, because nobody at the location knew anyone named Ani Ali?
Or the detective who didn�t have a Penal Law, extra DD5�s, or any reporter notebooks in his desk, but always had a full bottle of Tabasco sauce, and a TV Guide. This was the same detective who would wear the same white shirt 3 days in a row � it was easy to spot, with the ink stain on the pocket (and no, it wasn�t Larry). He insisted on taking the keys for the squad car at the beginning of the tour, because he was the senior detective, and he had to drive. Except he never knew where he was going; he�d get onto Bushwick Avenue, drive about three or four blocks, then ask where he was going. I kid you not. I one time let him drive around for twenty minutes in the exact opposite direction, waiting to see how long it would take before he�d declare he didn�t know where he was going.
That same ace-driving detective-partner was the one who had the four speed car that didn�t have a first gear; he�d just rev the engine up and move right into second gear when he had to move forward. That was my detective trainer.
There was an entire team of detectives (they�ll know who they are, and some of you will, too) who would go out to eat at the whim of the squad sergeant. If he wanted Italian food, they�d all agree that was a �good choice�; Chinese food? Sure, sounds great! Breakfast was the best, though. In the winter, going out for breakfast meant going to Junior�s, and having oatmeal. Whether you liked oatmeal or not, you ordered oatmeal if you wanted to be part of that team. You had to see the face on one particular detective, as she tried to eat the oatmeal, and keep herself from gagging at the same time. �Great choice, I�ll have the oatmeal, too!�
Or the detective that helped out running a lineup, getting the fillers together, the lineup photos taken, and getting the lineup forms signed after paying the fillers � just pitching in to help a teammate. Which was just fine, until he paid the fillers and let them go � including the perp who had been picked out! Took some quick scurrying to make that little error right.
How about the detective who went to the hospital to interview the shooting victim, who gave him his name only, and told the detective he didn�t know what happened. �Heard a shot, felt pain�. Not an uncommon story we haven�t heard before, right? Except the victim was the same perp the squad had been seeking for the past week on a Wanted card � from the detective who interviewed him in the hospital � but didn�t recognize him as one of �his� most-wanteds! �Get back there right now and bring him back here when he gets discharged, do you understand�, I believe were the basic words I uttered (with several �*#@!*&+� thrown in for good measure.
Or the detective that was notified about a Robbery Enhancement that needed to be done, and asked the A/O if he could wait another fifteen minutes because �Abbott and Costello will be over by then�.
And then there was the detective team that conducted a full, thorough canvass of the area of Vanderbilt and Bergen, seeking witnesses to a shooting. Very thorough, indeed. Knocked on doors, talked to people in the street. Too bad the crime actually occurred at Bergen and Rochester � at the exact opposite end of the precinct.
I once worked with a detective that would bring a Burger King cup � empty � in from home, only to take out in the field with him, so he could stop at a Burger King and get his free soda refill. (I let him do that with me once, the next time I told him I was going to crush his cup and embarrass him in front of the entire restaurant; he didn�t go out in the field with me again).
Sometimes your help comes from those you least expect it from. I remember being in the Bronx with my partner, and we had just grabbed a perp for an armed robbery case. We picked him up as he was walking into his project building lobby; felt pretty good about it, too. We had worked on this for a few days, and the stakeout went just as planned. It had just started to snow, and it wasn�t the friendliest atmosphere, so we hurried back to the car and wanted to get out of there. Only the keys were locked in the car! Looking around for something to help us get into the car, I came across of wire hanger in the garbage pails next to the building (don�t ask!). Only to then have the prisoner help us get into the car, because us two detectives couldn�t figure out how to get the door opened ourselves; he was nice about it, helped us get the door open, back into the cuffs, and off we went. He was picked out of 2 lineups that night. Not a bad guy, though.
And let�s not forget the detective whose idea of a carry-on bag for an out of state trip to pickup a perp consisted of a brown grocery bag for his clothes. That was the same detective who stated he was going to "go over that with a pine cone tooth".
Like they say, you�ve got to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes. It�s what keeps you sane!
READERS REPORT
A recent response from a loyal reader is noted here.
Retired Det. Al Puknat, now living in Arizona, notes that he retired from the 87 Sqd. in February 1969. He attended a few Brooklyn North Detective retirement parties afterwards and a few 87 Pct. Reunions.
He found the postings on Cal�s Bar, next to the 9th Precinct stationhouse, stirred up quite a few fond memories.
He recalls that at the time he was working uniform patrol, the 9th started at Bowery and ran to 14th St. Bowery to Ave B. The old 11th Pct picked up from Ave B to the river. Their Station House was on Sheriff St. Not only is the old 11 Precinct station house gone, so is the street. There is no longer a Sheriff Street, as are a few blocks of East 1 Street. When they were eliminated, the 9th Precinct boundaries were adjusted.
The old 7th Pct Station House at the base of the Williamsburg Bridge is no longer there, replaced by the newer version also under the Bridge.
After a stint in the Manhattan South Youth Sqd. he was assigned to Brooklyn North Det�s, working in the 87th Sqd which was located on Herbert St. That building still stands, with many people knowing it better as the quarters for Brooklyn North Narcotics, before they moved out a few years back. The building is now vacant.
Ret. Det Puknat likes to add that he, too, wore the requisite detective attire of a fedora hat, smoking quite a few cigars in his time as well.
Hope you�re enjoying the sun and fun in Arizona, Al!
GET WELL WISHES TO RET. DET1 JOHN REILLY
Regular readers to this site will be familiar with the periodic citation of Ret. Det1 John Reilly to many department historical insights.
John is recuperating at home from a recent illness, and we all wish him a speedy recovery.
Not too long ago I noted on this site a crime fighting tactic that New Orleans utilized to address a crime prone housing project location � they razed the development and built a WalMart in its place.
John Reilly would like to add the following.
Regarding New Orleans crime fighting strategies, you stated "what they did was more novel than any approach you will see in New York City."
While he did not know of any New York City Public Housing project�s demolished to fight crime, he did recall that something similar to this was done, possibly in St. Louis or some other large Midwestern city.
During the early 1960�s, though, he did recall that West 84th Street between Columbus & Amsterdam Ave�s became so over run with drug dealers that the City's final response was to demolish many of the brown- stone houses on the block, and they built Public Schools in their place.
IN MEMORIAM: DET. LUKE FALLON & DET. JOHN FINNEGAN
Det Luke Fallon #489, 70 Squad
Det. John Finnegan, #1613, 70 Squad
Killed in the Line of Duty: May 18, 1962 � Shot, Robbery
Detective Fallon and Detective John Finnegan were shot and killed in a gun battle with bandits caught in the act of robbing a tobacco and confectionary shop in Brooklyn's Boro Park section.
Both men were gunned down in a vicious exchange of shots with the robbers. Five suspects, the two in the store and the driver of the getaway car, plus two accessories, were rounded up within five days. One was picked up in Chicago, another in Connecticut, two in New York and the fifth surrendered to The New York Daily News. The detectives were on patrol when they learned of the robbery. As they entered the store, both men were met by a hail of fire. They returned the fire as they fell, mortally wounded.
Detective Fallon was 55 years old and had been with the NYPD for 26 years.
Detective Finnegan was 29 years old and had been with the NYPD for 6 years.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
May 17, 1927 Det Morris Borkin, DetDiv, Shot- burglary arrest
May 17, 1930 Ptl William Duncan, 18 Pct, Shot- GLA arrest
May 18, 1922 Ptl Douglas Hay, 49 Pct, Assaulted
May 18, 1962 Det Luke Fallon & Det John Finnegan, 70 Sqd � Shot-robbery
May 19, 1931 Ptl William O�Connor, Mtd, Shot
May 19, 1997 PO Anthony Sanchez, 13 Pct, Shot- robbery
May 20, 1920 Ptl John Fitzpatrick, DetDiv, Shot-GLA arrest
May 21, 1968 Det Richard Rolanz, 103 Pct, Line of duty heart attack
May 21, 1971 Ptl Joseph Piagentini & Ptl Waverly Jones, 32 Pct � Assasinated
May 21, 1996 PO Vincent Guidice, 50 Pct, Arrest- Cut by glass, assaulted
May 23, 1919 Ptl Emil Carbonell, Mcy, Auto accident on patrol
May 23, 1927 Ptl Walter Wahl, 7 Pct, Fire rescue
May 23, 1939 Ptl Nicholas Moreno, 87 Pct, Shot- investigation
May 25, 1970 PO Miguiel Sirvent, 71 Pct, Shot- robbery
May 26, 1924 Det Bernardino Grottano, DetDiv, Shot- burglary in progress
May 26, 1947 Ptl Phillip Fitzpatrick, Mtd, Shot- robbery
May 26, 1998 PO Anthony Mosomillo, 67 Pct, Shot- arrest, warrant
May 28, 1948 Ptl Charles Meyer, Hwy3, LOD injury
May 28, 1966 Ptl John Bannon, 110 Pct, Shot- off duty incident
May 28, 1970 Ptl Lawrence Stefane, 9 Pct, Stabbed by EDP
May 28, 2000 PO David Regan, 62 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
Monday, May 23, 2005
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
GANGBUSTERS, THE WILD COWBOYS, AND DETECTIVES STREET STORIES
It was December 16, 1991. Beekman Avenue, Bronx. When Mark Tebbens caught the quad-homicide in the 40 Squad, little did he know where it would take him.
Four bullet-torn bodies in a drug-ridden South Bronx alley.
A college boy shot in the head on the West Side Highway. Det. Garry Dugan of Manhattan North Homicide thought he had a �road-rage� incident; how could this possibloy connected to a Bronx drug gang?
A wild shootout on the streets of Washington Heights, home of New York City's immigrant Dominican community and hub of the eastern seaboard's drug trade.
All seemingly separate acts of violence. But investigators discover a pattern to the mayhem, with links to scores of assaults and murders throughout the city.
It was the work of the drug gang that came to be known as the �Wild Cowboys�. The story of the takedown of this gang was recounted in a 1997 book by that name, Wild Cowboys�, written by Robert Jackall � who more affectionately came to be known simply as �The Professor�.
In this bloody urban saga, Robert Jackall recounts how street cops, detectives, and prosecutors pieced together a puzzle-like story of narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and murders for hire, all centered on a vicious gang of Dominican youths known as the Wild Cowboys. These boyhood friends, operators of a lucrative crack business in the Bronx, routinely pistol-whipped their workers, murdered rivals, shot or slashed witnesses to their crimes, and eventually turned on one another in a deadly civil war.
Jackall chronicles the crime-scene investigations, frantic car chases, street arrests at gunpoint, interviews with informants, and knuckle-breaking plea bargaining that culminated in prison terms for more than forty gang members.
The saga of this investigation was also recounted by Michael Stone, in his book on the subject, �Gangbusters�.
Stone�s version of the investigation takes the reader deep into the working of this case, and shows how seasoned veterans of the elite Homicide Investigation Unit of the NY County DA Office took down the city�s most dangerous drug gang, and in the process rewrote the book on tackling gang crime.
How did the NY County DA Office take over the investigation that included homicides in the Bronx? The story is worth reading for that alone. One of the most violent and bloodiest drug gangs in NY�s history was taken down by what was then a novel approach to gang crime, led by the Manhattan DA Chief, Walter Arsenault.
The Wild Cowboys were known to have terrorized the South Bronx and upper Manhattan for years.
In addition to Mark Tebbens, Garry Dugan and Walter Arsenault, the tale includes the likes of Dan Brownell, lead prosecutor, then assigned to the NY DA Office, along with Chief Investigator Terry Quinn.
Mark Tebbens, NYPD Detective, assigned to 40 Sqd, primary investigator on the Double and Quad cases, and later posted to HIU for the investigation.
I have written about these two books a while back on this site, but it�s certainly worth mentioning again. By the way, the judge who presided over the Wild Cowboys trial was none other than Leslie Crocker Snyder, an Acting Supreme Court Justice at the time.
I bring this up again because �The Professor�, Robert Jackall, has just released a new book that readers of true crime will surely find to be quite interesting.
�Street Stories � The World of Police Detectives� has just been published by Harvard University Press, and has already found a place on The Minister�s bookshelf.
Author Robert Jackall, a professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, immersed himself in those stories for several years to figure out how cops in one of the country's most crime-ridden cities determine the truth. By tagging along with New York's Finest, Jackall interviewed cops and criminals and pieced together the grisly details of gut-churning crimes.
Dubbed the Professor by his uniformed friends, Jackall has released his second book delving into the lives of New York cops. The narrative-rich "Street Stories: The World of Police Detectives" is a meandering nonfiction novel that follows a diverse cast of cops as they tackle crimes.
The book is packed with seedy characters, mostly criminals-turned-informants, with mind-boggling morals, to most of whom Jackall assigns pseudonyms.
Take, for example, police informant Tyre. He used to rob the subways with Shorty, then turned his partner in to police when Shorty robbed him.
"You can rob all the peoples you wants on the trains," Tyre explained to police, "but you don't rob the peoples you smokes crack wit."
Jackall also describes a suspect in a criminal lineup asked to repeat the order barked during a robbery. The suspect got disgusted with the police decoys in the lineup who meekly recited the line.
Jackall writes: "The third person in the lineup, indeed the actual suspect, strode up to the microphone, stuck out his arms and said: 'YO, ..., THIS IS A STICKUP!' He then indicated to the other guys that this was the right way to announce a robbery."
He was then correctly picked out in the lineup. Jackall's stories unfold the way cases do for detectives: Bits of information are culled from dozens of interviews until, finally, one version appears the most plausible.
Jackall succeeds in offering insight into the quirky judicial system. In the process, he tells plenty of tales worthy of their own Court TV episodes.
Take the case of Sara Long, who mysteriously vanished. Long's roommate, Julian Cowell, seemed distracted when interviewed by Detective Austin Muldoon and a rank odor permeated his apartment.
Stories with happy endings never include permeating rank odors.
Street Stories , based on years of fieldwork with the New York City Police Department and the District Attorney of New York, examines �the moral ambiguities of the detectives' world as they shuttle between the streets and a bureaucratic behemoth.�
"In piecing together street stories to solve intriguing puzzles of agency and motive, detectives crisscross the checkerboard of urban life. Their interactions in social strata high and low foster cosmopolitan habits of mind and easy conversational skills. And they become incomparable storytellers."
This book brims with the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction violence of the underworld and tells about a justice apparatus that splinters knowledge, reduces life-and-death issues to arcane hair-splitting, and makes rationality a bedfellow of absurdity.
�Detectives' stories lay bare their occupational consciousness--the cunning and trickery of their investigative craft, their self-images, moral rules-in-use, and judgments about the players in their world--as well as their personal ambitions, sensibilities, resentments, hopes, and fears. When detectives do make cases, they take satisfaction in removing predators from the streets and helping to ensure public safety. But their stories also illuminate dark corners of a troubled social order.�
All that, and an interesting read as well!
If I may make a recommendation, it�s the following.
For a look at how a violent drug gang from the early 1990�s was taken out of action, through good detective work and aggressive prosecutorial methods, then pick up �WILD COWBOYS� and �GANGBUSTERS�. You won�t be disappointend.
For some good �detective stories�, the true ones that are often stranger than fiction, pick up the new book �STREET STORIES�.
Some good recommendations for a summer reading list.
For a book to avoid, read on.
NO LIGHTS, NO SIREN
No way.
I picked this book up, as a true crime collector of NYPD work, but questioned my decision after reading it in the one day it took to complete.
Robert Cea is a retired police officer, who left after twelve years on the job in the early 1980�s. He worked patrol in the 67 Precinct, then later went to a Zone Anti-Crime Team that worked in the 76, 67, 72 area of Brooklyn � Red Hook, at it�s worst.
The Corruption and Redemption of an Inner City Cop, is the sub title of this work.
Essentially, Cea details how he routinely �testi-lied� (his words) so as to make gun collars stick, and how he stole drugs from dealers to use them to supply his junkie snitches.
What�s worse, is that his story has reporters writing that �aggressive cops working on the city�s meanest streets commit these crimes and many more on a regular basis � all in an effort to stay one step ahead of the bad guys�. �It�s the only way to get things done�, Cea says.
�I became a monster�, Cea writes. The problem I have is the way it portrays everyone else on the job � if you�re a good cop, you must be doing the same thing?
I paid the full price for this book � that was my faulty decision. You may want to pick it up anyway, see what it�s all about. Maybe you worked with him, or knew him. Go ahead, if you must.
But perhaps you�ll wait for it to appear on the Bargain Table.
PIZZA, ANYONE?
Always looking for the Best in Pizza, I have to add the following contribution.
Submitted by Tony Pinnisi, who retired from the 60 Precinct, what he describes as being �The Very Best� pizza place in Brooklyn is Totonna�s of Coney Island.
Located on Neptune Avenue and W. 16 Street (in the 60 Pct), this place has been serving one of the very best for over 80 years now.
I can add my own rating as one of the best, and recount how this was the favorite of the Hollywood Squares team of Transit Major Case � when Louie Cosentino wanted pizza, he wanted none other than Totonna�s.
As a side note to this, they also have a restaurant on the Upper East Side, in the 19 Preinct, on Second Avenue and East 80 Street, for all the Manhattan gumshoes who can�t make their way down to Coney Island.
I�ll ask John Cantwell to check out the Manhattan location for a second opinion.
YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
Some actual quotes as heard from the Brooklyn North squad room.
�Those 2 lebonese (lesbian) girls that live down the street�
�I got minstrel (menstrual) pain�
�The bullet went in my thigh and missed my tentacles (testicles)�
�The doctor said he got trouble with his veins from flea bites (phlebitis)�
�When I was born I had the un-biblical cord wrapped around my neck�
� My mom can�t walk, cause she got onions (bunions) on her feet�
�She�s got general herbies (genital herpies)�
It was December 16, 1991. Beekman Avenue, Bronx. When Mark Tebbens caught the quad-homicide in the 40 Squad, little did he know where it would take him.
Four bullet-torn bodies in a drug-ridden South Bronx alley.
A college boy shot in the head on the West Side Highway. Det. Garry Dugan of Manhattan North Homicide thought he had a �road-rage� incident; how could this possibloy connected to a Bronx drug gang?
A wild shootout on the streets of Washington Heights, home of New York City's immigrant Dominican community and hub of the eastern seaboard's drug trade.
All seemingly separate acts of violence. But investigators discover a pattern to the mayhem, with links to scores of assaults and murders throughout the city.
It was the work of the drug gang that came to be known as the �Wild Cowboys�. The story of the takedown of this gang was recounted in a 1997 book by that name, Wild Cowboys�, written by Robert Jackall � who more affectionately came to be known simply as �The Professor�.
In this bloody urban saga, Robert Jackall recounts how street cops, detectives, and prosecutors pieced together a puzzle-like story of narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and murders for hire, all centered on a vicious gang of Dominican youths known as the Wild Cowboys. These boyhood friends, operators of a lucrative crack business in the Bronx, routinely pistol-whipped their workers, murdered rivals, shot or slashed witnesses to their crimes, and eventually turned on one another in a deadly civil war.
Jackall chronicles the crime-scene investigations, frantic car chases, street arrests at gunpoint, interviews with informants, and knuckle-breaking plea bargaining that culminated in prison terms for more than forty gang members.
The saga of this investigation was also recounted by Michael Stone, in his book on the subject, �Gangbusters�.
Stone�s version of the investigation takes the reader deep into the working of this case, and shows how seasoned veterans of the elite Homicide Investigation Unit of the NY County DA Office took down the city�s most dangerous drug gang, and in the process rewrote the book on tackling gang crime.
How did the NY County DA Office take over the investigation that included homicides in the Bronx? The story is worth reading for that alone. One of the most violent and bloodiest drug gangs in NY�s history was taken down by what was then a novel approach to gang crime, led by the Manhattan DA Chief, Walter Arsenault.
The Wild Cowboys were known to have terrorized the South Bronx and upper Manhattan for years.
In addition to Mark Tebbens, Garry Dugan and Walter Arsenault, the tale includes the likes of Dan Brownell, lead prosecutor, then assigned to the NY DA Office, along with Chief Investigator Terry Quinn.
Mark Tebbens, NYPD Detective, assigned to 40 Sqd, primary investigator on the Double and Quad cases, and later posted to HIU for the investigation.
I have written about these two books a while back on this site, but it�s certainly worth mentioning again. By the way, the judge who presided over the Wild Cowboys trial was none other than Leslie Crocker Snyder, an Acting Supreme Court Justice at the time.
I bring this up again because �The Professor�, Robert Jackall, has just released a new book that readers of true crime will surely find to be quite interesting.
�Street Stories � The World of Police Detectives� has just been published by Harvard University Press, and has already found a place on The Minister�s bookshelf.
Author Robert Jackall, a professor at Williams College in Massachusetts, immersed himself in those stories for several years to figure out how cops in one of the country's most crime-ridden cities determine the truth. By tagging along with New York's Finest, Jackall interviewed cops and criminals and pieced together the grisly details of gut-churning crimes.
Dubbed the Professor by his uniformed friends, Jackall has released his second book delving into the lives of New York cops. The narrative-rich "Street Stories: The World of Police Detectives" is a meandering nonfiction novel that follows a diverse cast of cops as they tackle crimes.
The book is packed with seedy characters, mostly criminals-turned-informants, with mind-boggling morals, to most of whom Jackall assigns pseudonyms.
Take, for example, police informant Tyre. He used to rob the subways with Shorty, then turned his partner in to police when Shorty robbed him.
"You can rob all the peoples you wants on the trains," Tyre explained to police, "but you don't rob the peoples you smokes crack wit."
Jackall also describes a suspect in a criminal lineup asked to repeat the order barked during a robbery. The suspect got disgusted with the police decoys in the lineup who meekly recited the line.
Jackall writes: "The third person in the lineup, indeed the actual suspect, strode up to the microphone, stuck out his arms and said: 'YO, ..., THIS IS A STICKUP!' He then indicated to the other guys that this was the right way to announce a robbery."
He was then correctly picked out in the lineup. Jackall's stories unfold the way cases do for detectives: Bits of information are culled from dozens of interviews until, finally, one version appears the most plausible.
Jackall succeeds in offering insight into the quirky judicial system. In the process, he tells plenty of tales worthy of their own Court TV episodes.
Take the case of Sara Long, who mysteriously vanished. Long's roommate, Julian Cowell, seemed distracted when interviewed by Detective Austin Muldoon and a rank odor permeated his apartment.
Stories with happy endings never include permeating rank odors.
Street Stories , based on years of fieldwork with the New York City Police Department and the District Attorney of New York, examines �the moral ambiguities of the detectives' world as they shuttle between the streets and a bureaucratic behemoth.�
"In piecing together street stories to solve intriguing puzzles of agency and motive, detectives crisscross the checkerboard of urban life. Their interactions in social strata high and low foster cosmopolitan habits of mind and easy conversational skills. And they become incomparable storytellers."
This book brims with the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction violence of the underworld and tells about a justice apparatus that splinters knowledge, reduces life-and-death issues to arcane hair-splitting, and makes rationality a bedfellow of absurdity.
�Detectives' stories lay bare their occupational consciousness--the cunning and trickery of their investigative craft, their self-images, moral rules-in-use, and judgments about the players in their world--as well as their personal ambitions, sensibilities, resentments, hopes, and fears. When detectives do make cases, they take satisfaction in removing predators from the streets and helping to ensure public safety. But their stories also illuminate dark corners of a troubled social order.�
All that, and an interesting read as well!
If I may make a recommendation, it�s the following.
For a look at how a violent drug gang from the early 1990�s was taken out of action, through good detective work and aggressive prosecutorial methods, then pick up �WILD COWBOYS� and �GANGBUSTERS�. You won�t be disappointend.
For some good �detective stories�, the true ones that are often stranger than fiction, pick up the new book �STREET STORIES�.
Some good recommendations for a summer reading list.
For a book to avoid, read on.
NO LIGHTS, NO SIREN
No way.
I picked this book up, as a true crime collector of NYPD work, but questioned my decision after reading it in the one day it took to complete.
Robert Cea is a retired police officer, who left after twelve years on the job in the early 1980�s. He worked patrol in the 67 Precinct, then later went to a Zone Anti-Crime Team that worked in the 76, 67, 72 area of Brooklyn � Red Hook, at it�s worst.
The Corruption and Redemption of an Inner City Cop, is the sub title of this work.
Essentially, Cea details how he routinely �testi-lied� (his words) so as to make gun collars stick, and how he stole drugs from dealers to use them to supply his junkie snitches.
What�s worse, is that his story has reporters writing that �aggressive cops working on the city�s meanest streets commit these crimes and many more on a regular basis � all in an effort to stay one step ahead of the bad guys�. �It�s the only way to get things done�, Cea says.
�I became a monster�, Cea writes. The problem I have is the way it portrays everyone else on the job � if you�re a good cop, you must be doing the same thing?
I paid the full price for this book � that was my faulty decision. You may want to pick it up anyway, see what it�s all about. Maybe you worked with him, or knew him. Go ahead, if you must.
But perhaps you�ll wait for it to appear on the Bargain Table.
PIZZA, ANYONE?
Always looking for the Best in Pizza, I have to add the following contribution.
Submitted by Tony Pinnisi, who retired from the 60 Precinct, what he describes as being �The Very Best� pizza place in Brooklyn is Totonna�s of Coney Island.
Located on Neptune Avenue and W. 16 Street (in the 60 Pct), this place has been serving one of the very best for over 80 years now.
I can add my own rating as one of the best, and recount how this was the favorite of the Hollywood Squares team of Transit Major Case � when Louie Cosentino wanted pizza, he wanted none other than Totonna�s.
As a side note to this, they also have a restaurant on the Upper East Side, in the 19 Preinct, on Second Avenue and East 80 Street, for all the Manhattan gumshoes who can�t make their way down to Coney Island.
I�ll ask John Cantwell to check out the Manhattan location for a second opinion.
YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
Some actual quotes as heard from the Brooklyn North squad room.
�Those 2 lebonese (lesbian) girls that live down the street�
�I got minstrel (menstrual) pain�
�The bullet went in my thigh and missed my tentacles (testicles)�
�The doctor said he got trouble with his veins from flea bites (phlebitis)�
�When I was born I had the un-biblical cord wrapped around my neck�
� My mom can�t walk, cause she got onions (bunions) on her feet�
�She�s got general herbies (genital herpies)�
Friday, May 06, 2005
FROM THE INVESTIGATORS NOTEBOOK: DECEPTION
While it is true that some timid individuals will change their answers when they feel threatened or intimidated, there is no guarantee that information learned through coercion is truthful.
The "tough-guy" approach during an interview certainly does not encourage truthfulness. Rather, the more authoritative or judgmental the questioner becomes, the more motivated a person is to lie to that person.
Part of the reason for this is that a judgmental attitude serves to remind the person of the consequences he faces if he tells the truth. The other reality is that it goes against human nature to cooperate with somewhat whom we do not respect. To reveal the truth to another person often requires a significant level of trust and understanding toward the confidant with whom we decided to share our "secret".
If an individual is interested in learning the truth from another person, it is unreasonable to expect the other person to volunteer the truth. The truth must be elicited by asking the right questions. If my son comes home from a party and I ask him how the party was is he likely to answer, "Well dad it was a pretty good party. I smoked some marijuana and got really high." Absolutely not. He�s much more likely to say, "The party was fine dad." It would be totally unreasonable for me to be upset with my son for not volunteering this incriminating information.
If I want to learn if he used illegal drugs at the party I need to ask him that question.
Many people, including criminal investigators, are uncomfortable asking questions that may elicit an incriminating response, so they soften the impact of the question. This, of course, makes the question easier to lie to.
One way to soften the impact of a question is to include qualifying language. Consider the following examples:
"Ryan, did you happen to see any illegal drugs at the party?"
"Do you recall using any illegal drugs at the party?"
Ryan knows whether or not he used illegal drugs at the party. The use of qualifying language makes the question easier to lie to. The question should be simply phrased, "Ryan did you see any illegal drugs at the party?" and, "Did you use any illegal drugs at the party?"
The easiest question to lie to, however, is one that expects agreement to an assumption within the question. This is called a negative question.
Examples of negative questions include:
"You were good for the baby sitter, weren�t you?"
"There weren�t any drugs at the party, were there?"
"You don�t know anything about the fire in your neighbor�s garage, do you?"
As these examples illustrate, it is highly improbable for a person to correct the implication within a negative question, and tell the truth, e.g., "No mommy you�re wrong. I was a holy terror with the baby sitter."
The average person who is properly socialized does not enjoy lying. This is especially true when the person they are lying to is someone they respect. Counteracting this influence is that fact that no one wants to suffer the consequences of telling the truth. Thus, almost every person who has done something wrong or who is ashamed of something they did is caught in a conflict between these two drives. Most people resolve this conflict by telling the truth a little bit at a time. It is a very na�ve parent, teacher or investigator who expects a person to all of a sudden decide to tell the full and complete truth.
In most instances, the truth is learned in small steps and only after a reasonable period of time. In the previous example of illegal drug use at a party, the questions asked to develop this information should be designed to gradually commit the person to more incriminating information. For example:
Elicit an admission that drugs were present at the party
Elicit an admission that people were using drugs at the party
Elicit an admission of being offered drugs at the party
Elicit an admission of experimenting with drugs at the party.
Frequently investigators fail to appreciate how difficult it is for a suspect who is facing significant consequences to tell the truth. After failing to elicit a full confession when initially asking the suspect if he committing the crime, the investigator breeze over the rest of the interview questions and quickly jumps to the interrogation. Similarly, the parent or teacher offers the child one chance to tell the truth and if the child does not completely come clean, the parent goes into the punishment mode and forgets about learning the truth.
This article is not intended to imply that if an investigator uses proper techniques that most criminal suspects will offer a full confession through the interviewing process. Because of the significant consequences facing most criminal offenders, under that circumstance, interrogation is often the only means to learn the truth.
(From John E Reid & Assocs.)
FROM THE BOOKSHELF: MORE ON THE MURDER AT THE HARLEM MOSQUE
Readers are anticipating the soon to be released text by Retired Det. Randy Jurgensen, titled �Nolo Contendre�.
Det. Randy Jurgensen, the lead detective in the case, is penning the book with Robert Cea (who has a book coming out any second called No Lights, No Sirens, published by Morrow).
Nolo Contendere is expected to be a no holds barred account of the death of Police Officer Philip Cardillo, who was murdered on April 14, 1972 inside Harlem Mosque # 7. This incident was also written about by Sonny Grosso, Jurgensen�s partner at the time, in the other highly acclaimed �Murder at the Harlem Mosque�.
The case is still open but unsolved. Mosque # 7 is the same mosque that at one time was refuge to Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Before April 14th was over, apologies from the NYPD and deals were made in the mosque that saw prisoners released, a crime scene destroyed, black and white cops separated and several high-ranking police personnel resign in disgust and protest over the case.
Over the years, books, newspapers and magazine articles have been published. �It is the case that will not go away. It is not talked about at 1 Police Plaza, yet is taught at the N.Y.C.P.D. academy�.
IN MEMORIAM: PTL. GEORGE SECHLER AND PTL. ALFRED SELLECK
Ptl. George Sechler, Shot � April 14, 1907
Ptl. Alfred Selleck, Shot � April 14, 1907
Patrolman Sechler and Patrolman Alfred Selleck were shot and killed by two brothers who had just shot and killed a man after an altercation in Washington Square Park.
After shooting the man in the park the brothers fled on foot with a Sergeant and Patrolman in pursuit. Patrolman Sechler and Selleck were on duty just a few blocks away when they heard the shots and saw the suspects running towards them.
Both Patrolman Sechler and Selleck chased the suspects into a tenement house at 230-232 Thompson Street. The brothers fled up the stairs, but were trapped at the top when they came to a locked door.
As Patrolman Sechler and Selleck approached the brothers turned and opened fire. Patrolman Selleck was struck two times and fell down the stairs to the stoop. As the suspect was about the fire a third time Patrolman Sechler threw his body across his partner to shield him, but was himself hit in the stomach.
Before he collapsed he was able to strike the suspect several times about the head and body with his Billy club, knocking the suspect nearly unconscious.
As Patrolman Sechler fell to the stoop, the Sergeant who had been in pursuit of the suspects was able to take the suspect into custody.
Both Patrolmen were removed to Saint Vincent�s hospital. Patrolman Sechler died a few hours later and Patrolman Selleck died two days later. Both officers had been assigned to the 16th Precinct.
10-13 BENEFIT
A 10-13 benefit to help Det. Herb Griffin of the 19 Squad has been planned.
Thursday, May 19, starting at 5pm, the benefit will take place at Buster�s Garage, 180 West Broadway (between Leonard and Worth Streets). Admission is $20.
Det Herb Griffin, of the 19 Squad, is a former DEA and PBA delegate. He has worked not only in the 19 Sqd, but in Cold Case, HNT, BNND, MNND, MNTF, and the 28 Pct. He is also, among others, an Honor Legion, NYS Shields, FOP, and Transit Emerald Society member.
Herb Griffin is a great guy who always helped out anyone in need. Now its payback time for Herb and we should all try to attend, and if you can't make it, please make a donation.
Herb was a former DEA delegate at the 19th Precinct and had to give it up because he transferred to Cold Case. He missed the Squad and came back. He has helped sponsor many 10-13 rackets as well as help endorse boxing smokers for the job.
Herb was at the New Years Eve Detail and didn't get back to the precinct until after 2 am. He had his "turn-around" in the morning and went out to get something to eat. He was in a restaurant for no more than a half hour when 3 guys robbed the owner of the restaurant and the owner took off after the perps.
Herb assisted and was jumped by one of the assailants and knocked unconscious to the ground. The perps then began kicking him in the face, skull, and chest area causing a fractured skull, numerous broken ribs, and lacerations to numerous parts of his body. He spent a few weeks in the hospital and in the beginning he was just barely hanging on. All perps were caught that night by 19 Precinct patrol.
He did the right thing that night and I hope everyone can attend his racket.
For further info you can contact the 19 Squad.
INTERESTING WEB SITE
Here�s and interesting �people finder� site. Check it out. I did, and was able to locate three high-school friends who I lost contact with years ago. Probably work good for those who leave a trail, not so good for the common perp we search for, but certainly worth checking out.
www.zabasearch.com/
BEFORE THERE WAS NYPD BLUE�
Before the recently popular NYPD BLUE show, which has ended it�s television run this past season, there was a television show named NYPD.
That show ran from 1967-69, and starred Jack Warden, Robert Hooks and Frank Converse as members of the 27th detective squad in Manhattan.
Jack Warden played the Squad Commander, Hooks and Converse two of the detectives. It was a good solid show that should have lasted longer.
It was also filmed in New York City. You may be able to find episodes available on VHS on e-bay; certainly a collectible for any cop-TV buff.
YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
Some actual quotes as heard from the Brooklyn North squad room.
�He can�t have sweets, he�s diabolic (diabetic)�
�He don�t feel no pain, he�s taking peanut butterballs (Phenobarbital)�
�I got a headache in my stomach�
�I�m psychotic, I can see the future�
�I got a cole slaw on my lip�
�She speaks English and Spanish, she�s bilateral (bilingual)�
�Can I play solitary (solitaire) on the computer on my break?�
�I didn�t get my last rights before they questioned me�
�He needs to take his insulation (insulin)�
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
May 1, 1964 Ptl Edmond Schrempf, TPF, assaulted
May 1, 1981 PO John Scarangella, 113 Pct, Shot- car stop
May 2, 1974 PO William O�Brien, 10 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 3, 1913 Ptl William Heaney, 12 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 3, 1921 Ptl John Conk, 97 Pct, Struck by horse
May 3, 1931 Ptl Bernard Sherry, 15 Pct, Shot- burglary in progress
May 3, 1964 Det Joseph Greene, DetDiv, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1863 Ptl Francis Mallon, 4 Pct, Shot by EDP
May 4, 1914 Ptl Michael Kiley, 156 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 4, 1931 Ptl John Hoey, 40 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1938 Ptl Thomas Hackett, 4 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1968 Ptl Gerard Apuzzi, 107 Pct, Asphyxiated
May 4, 1981 Lt Jan Brinkers, PSA8, Shot- off duty robbery arrest
May 5, 1934 Ptl Arthur Rasmussen, 3 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
May 5, 1971 Det Ivan Lorenzo, Narco Div, Shot- off duty incident
May 6, 1934 Ptl Lawrence Ward, 23 Pct, Shot-investigation
May 6, 1964 Ptl Stanley Schall, 70 Pct, Line of duty heart attack
May 7, 1931 Ptl John Ringhauser, 102 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 9, 1939 Ptl William Holstein, Mcy2, Motorcycle accident
May 10, 1922 Ptl Henry Pohndorf, 38 Pct, Shot- robbery arrest
May 10, 1979 PO Robert Soldo, 108 Pct, Shot- off duty incident
May 11, 1959 Ptl Harry Hafner, Hwy3, Motorcycle accident
While it is true that some timid individuals will change their answers when they feel threatened or intimidated, there is no guarantee that information learned through coercion is truthful.
The "tough-guy" approach during an interview certainly does not encourage truthfulness. Rather, the more authoritative or judgmental the questioner becomes, the more motivated a person is to lie to that person.
Part of the reason for this is that a judgmental attitude serves to remind the person of the consequences he faces if he tells the truth. The other reality is that it goes against human nature to cooperate with somewhat whom we do not respect. To reveal the truth to another person often requires a significant level of trust and understanding toward the confidant with whom we decided to share our "secret".
If an individual is interested in learning the truth from another person, it is unreasonable to expect the other person to volunteer the truth. The truth must be elicited by asking the right questions. If my son comes home from a party and I ask him how the party was is he likely to answer, "Well dad it was a pretty good party. I smoked some marijuana and got really high." Absolutely not. He�s much more likely to say, "The party was fine dad." It would be totally unreasonable for me to be upset with my son for not volunteering this incriminating information.
If I want to learn if he used illegal drugs at the party I need to ask him that question.
Many people, including criminal investigators, are uncomfortable asking questions that may elicit an incriminating response, so they soften the impact of the question. This, of course, makes the question easier to lie to.
One way to soften the impact of a question is to include qualifying language. Consider the following examples:
"Ryan, did you happen to see any illegal drugs at the party?"
"Do you recall using any illegal drugs at the party?"
Ryan knows whether or not he used illegal drugs at the party. The use of qualifying language makes the question easier to lie to. The question should be simply phrased, "Ryan did you see any illegal drugs at the party?" and, "Did you use any illegal drugs at the party?"
The easiest question to lie to, however, is one that expects agreement to an assumption within the question. This is called a negative question.
Examples of negative questions include:
"You were good for the baby sitter, weren�t you?"
"There weren�t any drugs at the party, were there?"
"You don�t know anything about the fire in your neighbor�s garage, do you?"
As these examples illustrate, it is highly improbable for a person to correct the implication within a negative question, and tell the truth, e.g., "No mommy you�re wrong. I was a holy terror with the baby sitter."
The average person who is properly socialized does not enjoy lying. This is especially true when the person they are lying to is someone they respect. Counteracting this influence is that fact that no one wants to suffer the consequences of telling the truth. Thus, almost every person who has done something wrong or who is ashamed of something they did is caught in a conflict between these two drives. Most people resolve this conflict by telling the truth a little bit at a time. It is a very na�ve parent, teacher or investigator who expects a person to all of a sudden decide to tell the full and complete truth.
In most instances, the truth is learned in small steps and only after a reasonable period of time. In the previous example of illegal drug use at a party, the questions asked to develop this information should be designed to gradually commit the person to more incriminating information. For example:
Elicit an admission that drugs were present at the party
Elicit an admission that people were using drugs at the party
Elicit an admission of being offered drugs at the party
Elicit an admission of experimenting with drugs at the party.
Frequently investigators fail to appreciate how difficult it is for a suspect who is facing significant consequences to tell the truth. After failing to elicit a full confession when initially asking the suspect if he committing the crime, the investigator breeze over the rest of the interview questions and quickly jumps to the interrogation. Similarly, the parent or teacher offers the child one chance to tell the truth and if the child does not completely come clean, the parent goes into the punishment mode and forgets about learning the truth.
This article is not intended to imply that if an investigator uses proper techniques that most criminal suspects will offer a full confession through the interviewing process. Because of the significant consequences facing most criminal offenders, under that circumstance, interrogation is often the only means to learn the truth.
(From John E Reid & Assocs.)
FROM THE BOOKSHELF: MORE ON THE MURDER AT THE HARLEM MOSQUE
Readers are anticipating the soon to be released text by Retired Det. Randy Jurgensen, titled �Nolo Contendre�.
Det. Randy Jurgensen, the lead detective in the case, is penning the book with Robert Cea (who has a book coming out any second called No Lights, No Sirens, published by Morrow).
Nolo Contendere is expected to be a no holds barred account of the death of Police Officer Philip Cardillo, who was murdered on April 14, 1972 inside Harlem Mosque # 7. This incident was also written about by Sonny Grosso, Jurgensen�s partner at the time, in the other highly acclaimed �Murder at the Harlem Mosque�.
The case is still open but unsolved. Mosque # 7 is the same mosque that at one time was refuge to Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. Before April 14th was over, apologies from the NYPD and deals were made in the mosque that saw prisoners released, a crime scene destroyed, black and white cops separated and several high-ranking police personnel resign in disgust and protest over the case.
Over the years, books, newspapers and magazine articles have been published. �It is the case that will not go away. It is not talked about at 1 Police Plaza, yet is taught at the N.Y.C.P.D. academy�.
IN MEMORIAM: PTL. GEORGE SECHLER AND PTL. ALFRED SELLECK
Ptl. George Sechler, Shot � April 14, 1907
Ptl. Alfred Selleck, Shot � April 14, 1907
Patrolman Sechler and Patrolman Alfred Selleck were shot and killed by two brothers who had just shot and killed a man after an altercation in Washington Square Park.
After shooting the man in the park the brothers fled on foot with a Sergeant and Patrolman in pursuit. Patrolman Sechler and Selleck were on duty just a few blocks away when they heard the shots and saw the suspects running towards them.
Both Patrolman Sechler and Selleck chased the suspects into a tenement house at 230-232 Thompson Street. The brothers fled up the stairs, but were trapped at the top when they came to a locked door.
As Patrolman Sechler and Selleck approached the brothers turned and opened fire. Patrolman Selleck was struck two times and fell down the stairs to the stoop. As the suspect was about the fire a third time Patrolman Sechler threw his body across his partner to shield him, but was himself hit in the stomach.
Before he collapsed he was able to strike the suspect several times about the head and body with his Billy club, knocking the suspect nearly unconscious.
As Patrolman Sechler fell to the stoop, the Sergeant who had been in pursuit of the suspects was able to take the suspect into custody.
Both Patrolmen were removed to Saint Vincent�s hospital. Patrolman Sechler died a few hours later and Patrolman Selleck died two days later. Both officers had been assigned to the 16th Precinct.
10-13 BENEFIT
A 10-13 benefit to help Det. Herb Griffin of the 19 Squad has been planned.
Thursday, May 19, starting at 5pm, the benefit will take place at Buster�s Garage, 180 West Broadway (between Leonard and Worth Streets). Admission is $20.
Det Herb Griffin, of the 19 Squad, is a former DEA and PBA delegate. He has worked not only in the 19 Sqd, but in Cold Case, HNT, BNND, MNND, MNTF, and the 28 Pct. He is also, among others, an Honor Legion, NYS Shields, FOP, and Transit Emerald Society member.
Herb Griffin is a great guy who always helped out anyone in need. Now its payback time for Herb and we should all try to attend, and if you can't make it, please make a donation.
Herb was a former DEA delegate at the 19th Precinct and had to give it up because he transferred to Cold Case. He missed the Squad and came back. He has helped sponsor many 10-13 rackets as well as help endorse boxing smokers for the job.
Herb was at the New Years Eve Detail and didn't get back to the precinct until after 2 am. He had his "turn-around" in the morning and went out to get something to eat. He was in a restaurant for no more than a half hour when 3 guys robbed the owner of the restaurant and the owner took off after the perps.
Herb assisted and was jumped by one of the assailants and knocked unconscious to the ground. The perps then began kicking him in the face, skull, and chest area causing a fractured skull, numerous broken ribs, and lacerations to numerous parts of his body. He spent a few weeks in the hospital and in the beginning he was just barely hanging on. All perps were caught that night by 19 Precinct patrol.
He did the right thing that night and I hope everyone can attend his racket.
For further info you can contact the 19 Squad.
INTERESTING WEB SITE
Here�s and interesting �people finder� site. Check it out. I did, and was able to locate three high-school friends who I lost contact with years ago. Probably work good for those who leave a trail, not so good for the common perp we search for, but certainly worth checking out.
www.zabasearch.com/
BEFORE THERE WAS NYPD BLUE�
Before the recently popular NYPD BLUE show, which has ended it�s television run this past season, there was a television show named NYPD.
That show ran from 1967-69, and starred Jack Warden, Robert Hooks and Frank Converse as members of the 27th detective squad in Manhattan.
Jack Warden played the Squad Commander, Hooks and Converse two of the detectives. It was a good solid show that should have lasted longer.
It was also filmed in New York City. You may be able to find episodes available on VHS on e-bay; certainly a collectible for any cop-TV buff.
YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
Some actual quotes as heard from the Brooklyn North squad room.
�He can�t have sweets, he�s diabolic (diabetic)�
�He don�t feel no pain, he�s taking peanut butterballs (Phenobarbital)�
�I got a headache in my stomach�
�I�m psychotic, I can see the future�
�I got a cole slaw on my lip�
�She speaks English and Spanish, she�s bilateral (bilingual)�
�Can I play solitary (solitaire) on the computer on my break?�
�I didn�t get my last rights before they questioned me�
�He needs to take his insulation (insulin)�
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
May 1, 1964 Ptl Edmond Schrempf, TPF, assaulted
May 1, 1981 PO John Scarangella, 113 Pct, Shot- car stop
May 2, 1974 PO William O�Brien, 10 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 3, 1913 Ptl William Heaney, 12 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 3, 1921 Ptl John Conk, 97 Pct, Struck by horse
May 3, 1931 Ptl Bernard Sherry, 15 Pct, Shot- burglary in progress
May 3, 1964 Det Joseph Greene, DetDiv, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1863 Ptl Francis Mallon, 4 Pct, Shot by EDP
May 4, 1914 Ptl Michael Kiley, 156 Pct, Shot- arrest
May 4, 1931 Ptl John Hoey, 40 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1938 Ptl Thomas Hackett, 4 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
May 4, 1968 Ptl Gerard Apuzzi, 107 Pct, Asphyxiated
May 4, 1981 Lt Jan Brinkers, PSA8, Shot- off duty robbery arrest
May 5, 1934 Ptl Arthur Rasmussen, 3 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
May 5, 1971 Det Ivan Lorenzo, Narco Div, Shot- off duty incident
May 6, 1934 Ptl Lawrence Ward, 23 Pct, Shot-investigation
May 6, 1964 Ptl Stanley Schall, 70 Pct, Line of duty heart attack
May 7, 1931 Ptl John Ringhauser, 102 Pct, auto accident on patrol
May 9, 1939 Ptl William Holstein, Mcy2, Motorcycle accident
May 10, 1922 Ptl Henry Pohndorf, 38 Pct, Shot- robbery arrest
May 10, 1979 PO Robert Soldo, 108 Pct, Shot- off duty incident
May 11, 1959 Ptl Harry Hafner, Hwy3, Motorcycle accident
Friday, April 22, 2005
WHAT DO I TEST FOR FIRST?
When submitting items for lab analysis, follow this guideline.
Submit for hair & fiber analysis FIRST, then submit for DNA.
Be sure to label the Request For Laborator Analysis in this manner. Let them know clearly, on the form, what you are looking for. Hair & Fiber analysis will not damage the item for eventual DNA; be sure to indicate the request clearly.
In addition, Hair & Fiber can determine whether any hair collected is suitable for DNA typing, and is the first step in conducting a DNA exam.
Remember: Hair & Fiber goes to the PD Lab first. DNA testing is then conducted by the ME Forensic Biology Lab, after being forwarded there from the PD Lab.
Hint: Don�t wait for the messenger. If you have an item you want tested for DNA, continue to follow-up with phone calls to the PD Lab until the item is ready for transfer to the ME Lab; then take the time to go there and hand deliver to the ME yourself.
NEW YORK NOTORIOUS
The Weathermen Blow up West 11 Street
So, you go and leave your sweet, loving daughter home alone while you take off for a Caribbean vacation. In 1970, it seemed like the hip thing to do for James Wilkerson.
He should have asked more questions.
In March of 1970, James Wilkerson left his 25 year old daughter, Cathlyn, in his Village town house while he flew south for rest and relaxation. He knew that Cathlyn was a radical and that she had once clobbered a Chicago cop over the head with a billy club.
But explosives? Who was to know?
At just before noon on March 6, Cathlyn and a bunch of radical pals accidentally blew up her father�s handsome, brick-faced home at 18 West 11 Street while building bombs in the basement. The blast rattled store windows several blocks away and scorched walls of the two adjoining brownstones.
Living in one of those brownstones was Dustin Hoffman, at the time a young actor who had recently starred in a film called �The Graduate�. Moments after the explosion, Dustin was seen scampering from his building, a Tiffany lamp under his arm.
Cathlyn Wilkerson and her friends, all members of a militant antiwar faction known as the weathermen, were preparing to attack universities, corporations, police stations, and other government buildings. But they didn�t plan on thirty sticks of dynamite accidentally exploding. Three of Cathlyn�s confederates died in the blast.
At first, a gas leak was suspected as the reason for the explosion. Suspicions of foul play began when Cathlyn couldn�t be tracked down, along with another woman, Kathy Boudin. The women had apparently raced from the apartment naked and, after borrowing some clothing from a neighbor, vanished.
Wilkerson turned herself in ten years later and was sentenced to eleven months in prison for negligent homicide in connection with the explosion. Boudin wasn�t captured until 1981, when she participated in a Brinks armored truck holdup in which two cops and a security officer were killed. She was sentenced to a prison term of twenty years to life.
COPS JUST GOTTA HAVE FUN
The following story was related by Dave Schultheis, a Retired Lieutenant from ESU, going back to his rookie days in the summer of 1968 in the Rockaways.
He was assigned to the summer detail in Rockaway and had a foot post on the boardwalk. Remember, the Rockaway boardwalk back then was a bustling place, rivaling Coney Island. This was the summer of 1968 and before portable radios.
As required, he made a ring from the box and noticed three local home-boys eyeing him while they leaned on the railing on the beach side of the boardwalk.
A while later he returned to the box for his ring, and noticed the same home boys watching intently as he opened the call box. The hand set was missing and the wire was just hanging there.
Not missing a beat, he picked up the wire and held it to his mouth and spoke into it stating "This is Patrolman Schultheis making my ring". The home boys just looked at each other. I could hear one of they say to the others "I didn't know you could do that".
Dave Schultheis is a 1984 Medal of Honor recipient and a 1986 Combat Cross recipient. He is no relationship to the notorious Lieutenant Schultheis of the Midtown South (14th) Detective Squad.
IN MEMORIAM: DET SGT. JOHN DONOHUE, 1923
On February 16, 1923 Det. Sgt. John Donohue of the 38th Sqd (32nd Det. Sqd) died from injuries he sustained in the line of duty.
It was on October 1, 1922 that Det. Sgt. Donohue encountered Prob. Ptl. Thomas Mahoney waving a gun on 135th Street near Lenox Ave.
Donohue attempted to disarm Mahoney, but in a scuffle for the gun he was shot in the abdomen. At the same time Mahoney was also shot, and later died in a hospital.
Det. Sgt. Donohue was taken to Harlem Hospital, treated for his wound, and after several months in the hospital discharged. Donohue returned to duty in January of 1923, but soon became sick again. Placed on sick leave early in February, he was being treated at his home, where he died on February 16, 1923.
On June 20, 1923, Commissioner Enright presented to Mrs. Loretta Donohue, the widow of Det. Sgt. Donohue, a check for $1,200.00, from money contributed by the Police Glee Club.
THOSE PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS
For everyone who has ever had an evaluation - just remember, it could havebeen worse. These are actual quotes taken from Federal Government employeeperformance evaluations.
"If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he's the other one.""A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on."
"Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.""He's got two brain cells, one is lost and the other is out looking for it."
"If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change.""If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."
�He should stay home and his suit should come to work.�
INTERESTING WEB SITES
ww.utexas.edu/search/email.htmlPEOPLE
SEARCH LINKS - Provides many links for finding people.
PI Mall - Phone Number Lookup
www.pimall.com/nais/s-yhpn.html
PI MALL - Phone number lookup. Type in a phone number and get the person�s name and address.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
April 21, 1934 Det James Garvey, 20 Sqd, Shot-investigation
April 23, 1977 PO Robert Mandel, 77 Pct, Shot- arrest
April 24, 1969 Det John Roth, DD, Auto accident on patrol
April 24, 1980 PO Robert Sorrentino, 101 Pct, Shot- robbery
April 25, 1955 Sgt Donald Wiseman, 107 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
April 25, 1874 Ptl John Gibney, 1 Pct, Shot
April 27, 1892 Ptl Adam Kane, Broadway Sqd, Assaulted by EDP
April 27, 1988 Sgt John McCormick, BxNarco, Shot- arrest
April 27, 1994 PO Jose Perez, BSTF, Auto accident on patrol
April 29, 1945 Ptl Jacob Szwedowski, 24 Pct, Shot
When submitting items for lab analysis, follow this guideline.
Submit for hair & fiber analysis FIRST, then submit for DNA.
Be sure to label the Request For Laborator Analysis in this manner. Let them know clearly, on the form, what you are looking for. Hair & Fiber analysis will not damage the item for eventual DNA; be sure to indicate the request clearly.
In addition, Hair & Fiber can determine whether any hair collected is suitable for DNA typing, and is the first step in conducting a DNA exam.
Remember: Hair & Fiber goes to the PD Lab first. DNA testing is then conducted by the ME Forensic Biology Lab, after being forwarded there from the PD Lab.
Hint: Don�t wait for the messenger. If you have an item you want tested for DNA, continue to follow-up with phone calls to the PD Lab until the item is ready for transfer to the ME Lab; then take the time to go there and hand deliver to the ME yourself.
NEW YORK NOTORIOUS
The Weathermen Blow up West 11 Street
So, you go and leave your sweet, loving daughter home alone while you take off for a Caribbean vacation. In 1970, it seemed like the hip thing to do for James Wilkerson.
He should have asked more questions.
In March of 1970, James Wilkerson left his 25 year old daughter, Cathlyn, in his Village town house while he flew south for rest and relaxation. He knew that Cathlyn was a radical and that she had once clobbered a Chicago cop over the head with a billy club.
But explosives? Who was to know?
At just before noon on March 6, Cathlyn and a bunch of radical pals accidentally blew up her father�s handsome, brick-faced home at 18 West 11 Street while building bombs in the basement. The blast rattled store windows several blocks away and scorched walls of the two adjoining brownstones.
Living in one of those brownstones was Dustin Hoffman, at the time a young actor who had recently starred in a film called �The Graduate�. Moments after the explosion, Dustin was seen scampering from his building, a Tiffany lamp under his arm.
Cathlyn Wilkerson and her friends, all members of a militant antiwar faction known as the weathermen, were preparing to attack universities, corporations, police stations, and other government buildings. But they didn�t plan on thirty sticks of dynamite accidentally exploding. Three of Cathlyn�s confederates died in the blast.
At first, a gas leak was suspected as the reason for the explosion. Suspicions of foul play began when Cathlyn couldn�t be tracked down, along with another woman, Kathy Boudin. The women had apparently raced from the apartment naked and, after borrowing some clothing from a neighbor, vanished.
Wilkerson turned herself in ten years later and was sentenced to eleven months in prison for negligent homicide in connection with the explosion. Boudin wasn�t captured until 1981, when she participated in a Brinks armored truck holdup in which two cops and a security officer were killed. She was sentenced to a prison term of twenty years to life.
COPS JUST GOTTA HAVE FUN
The following story was related by Dave Schultheis, a Retired Lieutenant from ESU, going back to his rookie days in the summer of 1968 in the Rockaways.
He was assigned to the summer detail in Rockaway and had a foot post on the boardwalk. Remember, the Rockaway boardwalk back then was a bustling place, rivaling Coney Island. This was the summer of 1968 and before portable radios.
As required, he made a ring from the box and noticed three local home-boys eyeing him while they leaned on the railing on the beach side of the boardwalk.
A while later he returned to the box for his ring, and noticed the same home boys watching intently as he opened the call box. The hand set was missing and the wire was just hanging there.
Not missing a beat, he picked up the wire and held it to his mouth and spoke into it stating "This is Patrolman Schultheis making my ring". The home boys just looked at each other. I could hear one of they say to the others "I didn't know you could do that".
Dave Schultheis is a 1984 Medal of Honor recipient and a 1986 Combat Cross recipient. He is no relationship to the notorious Lieutenant Schultheis of the Midtown South (14th) Detective Squad.
IN MEMORIAM: DET SGT. JOHN DONOHUE, 1923
On February 16, 1923 Det. Sgt. John Donohue of the 38th Sqd (32nd Det. Sqd) died from injuries he sustained in the line of duty.
It was on October 1, 1922 that Det. Sgt. Donohue encountered Prob. Ptl. Thomas Mahoney waving a gun on 135th Street near Lenox Ave.
Donohue attempted to disarm Mahoney, but in a scuffle for the gun he was shot in the abdomen. At the same time Mahoney was also shot, and later died in a hospital.
Det. Sgt. Donohue was taken to Harlem Hospital, treated for his wound, and after several months in the hospital discharged. Donohue returned to duty in January of 1923, but soon became sick again. Placed on sick leave early in February, he was being treated at his home, where he died on February 16, 1923.
On June 20, 1923, Commissioner Enright presented to Mrs. Loretta Donohue, the widow of Det. Sgt. Donohue, a check for $1,200.00, from money contributed by the Police Glee Club.
THOSE PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS
For everyone who has ever had an evaluation - just remember, it could havebeen worse. These are actual quotes taken from Federal Government employeeperformance evaluations.
"If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he's the other one.""A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on."
"Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.""He's got two brain cells, one is lost and the other is out looking for it."
"If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change.""If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."
�He should stay home and his suit should come to work.�
INTERESTING WEB SITES
ww.utexas.edu/search/email.htmlPEOPLE
SEARCH LINKS - Provides many links for finding people.
PI Mall - Phone Number Lookup
www.pimall.com/nais/s-yhpn.html
PI MALL - Phone number lookup. Type in a phone number and get the person�s name and address.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
April 21, 1934 Det James Garvey, 20 Sqd, Shot-investigation
April 23, 1977 PO Robert Mandel, 77 Pct, Shot- arrest
April 24, 1969 Det John Roth, DD, Auto accident on patrol
April 24, 1980 PO Robert Sorrentino, 101 Pct, Shot- robbery
April 25, 1955 Sgt Donald Wiseman, 107 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
April 25, 1874 Ptl John Gibney, 1 Pct, Shot
April 27, 1892 Ptl Adam Kane, Broadway Sqd, Assaulted by EDP
April 27, 1988 Sgt John McCormick, BxNarco, Shot- arrest
April 27, 1994 PO Jose Perez, BSTF, Auto accident on patrol
April 29, 1945 Ptl Jacob Szwedowski, 24 Pct, Shot
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
THE NEW KOJAK
Has anyone caught the new television series, KOJAK, on the USA Network? It airs at 10pm on Sundays.
My best assessment at this point is, the jury is still out on it.
I often wonder why TV and movie people feel the need to �remake� a classic series; probably do better just running the originals! This new series, while I am trying to like it, has some problems associated with it.
It is by far impossible to try and outperform Telly Savalas as the Greek-American Squad Commander from the original version. In trying to do so, the have casted Ving Rhames, a Black-Greek-American in the title role, and the cast includes a detective squad that also consists of a �Detective Crocker�. Somehow, the new series can�t replicate Telly Savalas� character barking to the squad room �CROCKER!�.
Some technical issues I found, make me wonder who � if anyone � the series has on their Technical Advisory staff. For example �
For authenticity purposes, the original Kojak replicated the squad room much better. The �new� Kojak works out of a �plasticized� squad room, in what is identified as the �Homicide Division�. No such command title, why use it? I liked Kojak�s more generic �from Manhattan South� myself.
While Ving Rhames plays Lieutenant Kojak, and he flashes a shield that resembles a Lieutenant�s shield, noticeable to me was the missing blue enamel in the shield. If you�re going to be an NYPD Lieutenant, how hard is it to use a replica shield?
Along the same lines, why do the uniform officers wear a patch that is similar, but distinctly different? Across the top, the TV patch states �New York City Police�, while the real patch states �Police Department� across the top. Everywhere else they can wear the real patch, why couldn�t this series use it? Was it a matter of copyright that they wished to avoid paying rights to? I don�t know, but it just smacks a realist in the face.
In the season premier, Chaz Palmintier played a Detective Captain, who Kojak goes to for help. Not a bad concept, but why, then, in one of the original episode scenes is the Captain displaying a Detective�s shield? And, yes, the detective shield was also missing the appropriate blue enamel in the center starburst.
Why didn�t they just visit United Insignia and get these minor details right?
I was also disappointed in the premier episode�s conclusion, where the appearance is that Kojak provides information to a victim�s father knowing that he would use it to murder a rogue detective, and then get away with it. Sorry, but I can�t fall for the authenticity in this. That�s one of the main reasons I have never seen an episode of another series, popular as it may be with the general public, �The Shield�.
As I said, I haven�t safely been able to conclude whether I like this new series or not.
For now, I�ll just pass the time enjoying the newly released boxed DVD set of the first year�s episodes of the �Original� Kojak. Great gift for the buff in your life, for sure!
FOR THE INVESTIGATORS NOTEBOOK:
GARMENT MANUFACTURERS LABELING AS AN INVESTIGATORS TOOL
The labels found on most garments can be reviewed by an expert to determine valuable information for an investigator.
Garment manufacturers information can be retrieved from a labelin identifier, known as an �RN NUMBER�.
This label identification can help to identify the manufacturer, who is not necessarily the clothing label name. For example, Ralph Lauren clothing licenses the manufacture of their products; although the label says �Ralph Lauren�, there is no �Ralph Lauren� factory.
The label can help locate the manufacturer, location made, and the dates manufactured. This can be extremely valuable with skeletal remains found, with only strands of clothing remaining. Hopefully, the label remains.
For help in this area, contact the Lab�s Hair & Fiber Unit for more information.
NYPD ANCESTORS?
Did you know that the New York City Police Museum is now offering a Genealogy Research service?
If you have an ancestor who was a member of the NYPD between 1898 and 1970, the museum may have family and employment information available on hat person.
Further information about this research service, fees and a request form are available at the Police Museum�s web site, which can be accessed at:
www.nycpolicemuseum.org
This is also an excellent site on the museum�s exhibits, and you can sign up to be notified about upcoming special events.
A NOTE ON THE MEMORIAM POSTING OF PTL. GEORGE MEYERS
A recent listing in the �Lest We Forget� section noted the line of duty death of Ptl. George Meyers in 1932. Ret Det1 John Reilly was able to provide some more accurate information.
Ptl. George L. Meyers was assigned to Traffic I, and was killed by an auto while directing traffic at Flatbush Ave. Extension & Myrtle Ave.
Ptl. Meyers was struck by an auto at 10.15 am March 22, 1932, and he died at Cumberland Hospital the same day.
THE FIGHTING NINTH AND CAL�S BAR � AN UPDATE
Some recent e-mails from MOS of the Fighting Ninth provided some update information on the notorious neighbor to the stationhouse, Cal�s Bar.
It seems that Cal's Bar continued as a bar up to 1992, after which it closed up. Today, the space that was once Cal,s is now an art gallery. �If those walls could talk��
POLICE WOMEN, BEANTOWN, AND NYC POLICING HISTORY
The International Association of Women Police conference is scheduled for September 12th - 16th in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The Boston 2004 conference will be hosted by the Boston Police Department, whichis celebrating 150 years of policing in the United States of America.
Established in 1854, the Boston Police Department is proud of its "First in theNation" status. This is the IAWP's first ever conference in the New England area.Yes, the Boston P.D. is absolutely the oldest police department in the UnitedStates.
Notes police historian and Retired MOS Mike Bosak, we here in New York City were apparently �hoodwinked� in 1995 when the NYPD claimed that year as its 150th Anniversary.
Despite what the department may say or claim, the NYPD was not established in 1845.
Today's department is the fifth codified department to police the city. While organized policing in the geographic area may date further back, the NYPD as we know it onlydates back to April 5, 1870.
INTERESTING WEB SITE: FORENSIC SCIENCE
The April 2005 issue of Forensic Science Communications has beenposted online, and certainly worth looking at.
The April 2005 issue of Forensic Science Communications has been posted on the FBI web site.
Forensic Science Communications is a quarterly journal published by FBI Laboratory personnel.
To link to the current issue, please click on:
www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/current/index.htm
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER
The department�s recent promotion ceremony saw some notable increases in rank.
Among them was the promotion to Assistant Chief of Albert Girimonte. Chief Girimonte most recently served as the XO of PBBN, having served in that post when it was still SATCOM Brooklyn North. He was previously the XO of Detective Borough Brooklyn. The Chief has been appointed the Borough Commander of Staten Island. Best of luck, Chief!
The other DBB promotions were as follows.
Detective First Grade promotions went to Darrell Grant of the 71 Squad.
Detective Second Grade went to Robert Reedy of the 67 Squad.
Congratulations to all!
OFFICER ASSISTANCE REQUESTED
A 10-13 event has been planned to offset catastrophic medical bills for the 1 year old son of PO Tiffany Guy-Barnes of the 60 Precinct, Logan Barnes.
Logan Barnes suffers from a rare form of cancer to his throat, known as Juvenile Xanthro Granuloma.
A $30.00 donation will include a cash bar, DJ and live music by �The Dirty Stayouts�.
The event will take place on Thursday, April 21, 2005, starting at 7PM, at the Bay Ridge Manor.
Please try to come out and support Tiffany and her family in their time of need.
For further information you can contact John West at:
JJPW818@aol.com
19 Precinct Smoker:
The 2005 edition of the 19th Precinct Smoker is scheduled for June 16, 2005, beginning at 2000 hours.
It will take place at the Seventh Regiment Armory, 643 Park Avenue, NYC, NY.
Admission is $25.00.
The event consists of New York cops volunteering their time, boxing to raise money for worthy charities.
This year's Smoker has two beneficiaries.
The first beneficiary is a fund created to benefit families of fallen soldiers from the United States Army's fabled "Fighting 69th" Infantry Brigade. These soldiers continue their fighting tradition today, in Iraq, with numerous casualties noted recently in local media.
The second beneficiary will be the family of an NYPD Police Officer who is suffering from kidney disease. There are no prospective matches for transplant within his family. His medical expenses have far exceeded what his insurance will cover and his family is in dire financial straits.
An evening of boxing, celebrities, ring-card girls, food and beverages an appearance by The Pipes and Drums of the NYPD Emerald Society and perhaps even the odd cigar or two!
A webpage has been set up at
http://hometown.aol.com/the19thsmoker/
and will be periodically updated as information becomes available.
For further information, telephone P.O. Dowd or P.O. Swenson at the 19 Precinct, or you can email Detective Griffin at:
http://us.f524.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=The19thSmoker@aol.com.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
April 3, 1953 Ptl John Pendegrass, 32 Pct, Shot-robbery
April 3, 1972 Ptl Phillip Cardillo, 28 Pct, Shot-investigation *
April 4, 1947 Ptl Jack Chason, 79 Pct, Shot-robbery
April 5, 1926 Ptl Charles Reilly, 13 Pct, Shot-Robbery arrest
April 5, 1952 Insp Thomas Boylan, Airplane struck auto
April 6, 1937 Ptl Daniel Sullivan, Mcy Unit, motorcycle accident
April 6, 1953 Ptl Sam Katz, 32 Pct, Shot-investigation
April 6, 1955 Ptl John Conlon, 28 Pct, Injuries sustained on patrol
April 10, 1937 Det Michael Foley, 9 Sq, Shot-robbery arrest
April 10, 1950 Ptl Louis Balzano, line of duty incident
April 10, 1960 Ptl Vito Valenzano, 20 Pct, LOD heart attack
My Note: The killing of Ptl. Phillip Cardillo of the 28 Precinct on April 3, 1972, has been written about in a fabulous book by Sonny Grosso, �Murder at the Harlem Mosque�. This incident should be thoroughly familiar to EVERY member of this department. Several inquiries to me regarding this text has been made; I urge you, if you are looking for a copy, to try and find it on one of the used book web sites. I can recommend using a site such as: http://www.abebooks.com/ to search for it.
I understand also that a new book is soon to be published by Randy Jurgensen detailing this incident as well. I look forward to this book very much! Sonny Grosso and Randy Jurgensen were Detectives in the 28 Squad at the time. I can guarantee you that if you pick this book up you will NOT be able to put it down until you are finished.
(BTW: If you are reading this, and you borrowed one of my copies of this book, perhaps you can consider returning it to me?)
We should all, every day, take a moment in our way to remember our fallen brothers and sisters who have given their lives to protect others � of all races � in this city. Police officers everywhere deserve that remembrance; their families that they leave behind are our families � please remember them in your prayers.
We have all heard the saying �When you�re here you�re the best�� � these officers are ALWAYS here. Please remember them.
SURVIVORS OF THE SHIELD
PO Box 100177
Staten Island, NY 10310
www.nypdsos.com
email: staff@nypdsos.com
Has anyone caught the new television series, KOJAK, on the USA Network? It airs at 10pm on Sundays.
My best assessment at this point is, the jury is still out on it.
I often wonder why TV and movie people feel the need to �remake� a classic series; probably do better just running the originals! This new series, while I am trying to like it, has some problems associated with it.
It is by far impossible to try and outperform Telly Savalas as the Greek-American Squad Commander from the original version. In trying to do so, the have casted Ving Rhames, a Black-Greek-American in the title role, and the cast includes a detective squad that also consists of a �Detective Crocker�. Somehow, the new series can�t replicate Telly Savalas� character barking to the squad room �CROCKER!�.
Some technical issues I found, make me wonder who � if anyone � the series has on their Technical Advisory staff. For example �
For authenticity purposes, the original Kojak replicated the squad room much better. The �new� Kojak works out of a �plasticized� squad room, in what is identified as the �Homicide Division�. No such command title, why use it? I liked Kojak�s more generic �from Manhattan South� myself.
While Ving Rhames plays Lieutenant Kojak, and he flashes a shield that resembles a Lieutenant�s shield, noticeable to me was the missing blue enamel in the shield. If you�re going to be an NYPD Lieutenant, how hard is it to use a replica shield?
Along the same lines, why do the uniform officers wear a patch that is similar, but distinctly different? Across the top, the TV patch states �New York City Police�, while the real patch states �Police Department� across the top. Everywhere else they can wear the real patch, why couldn�t this series use it? Was it a matter of copyright that they wished to avoid paying rights to? I don�t know, but it just smacks a realist in the face.
In the season premier, Chaz Palmintier played a Detective Captain, who Kojak goes to for help. Not a bad concept, but why, then, in one of the original episode scenes is the Captain displaying a Detective�s shield? And, yes, the detective shield was also missing the appropriate blue enamel in the center starburst.
Why didn�t they just visit United Insignia and get these minor details right?
I was also disappointed in the premier episode�s conclusion, where the appearance is that Kojak provides information to a victim�s father knowing that he would use it to murder a rogue detective, and then get away with it. Sorry, but I can�t fall for the authenticity in this. That�s one of the main reasons I have never seen an episode of another series, popular as it may be with the general public, �The Shield�.
As I said, I haven�t safely been able to conclude whether I like this new series or not.
For now, I�ll just pass the time enjoying the newly released boxed DVD set of the first year�s episodes of the �Original� Kojak. Great gift for the buff in your life, for sure!
FOR THE INVESTIGATORS NOTEBOOK:
GARMENT MANUFACTURERS LABELING AS AN INVESTIGATORS TOOL
The labels found on most garments can be reviewed by an expert to determine valuable information for an investigator.
Garment manufacturers information can be retrieved from a labelin identifier, known as an �RN NUMBER�.
This label identification can help to identify the manufacturer, who is not necessarily the clothing label name. For example, Ralph Lauren clothing licenses the manufacture of their products; although the label says �Ralph Lauren�, there is no �Ralph Lauren� factory.
The label can help locate the manufacturer, location made, and the dates manufactured. This can be extremely valuable with skeletal remains found, with only strands of clothing remaining. Hopefully, the label remains.
For help in this area, contact the Lab�s Hair & Fiber Unit for more information.
NYPD ANCESTORS?
Did you know that the New York City Police Museum is now offering a Genealogy Research service?
If you have an ancestor who was a member of the NYPD between 1898 and 1970, the museum may have family and employment information available on hat person.
Further information about this research service, fees and a request form are available at the Police Museum�s web site, which can be accessed at:
www.nycpolicemuseum.org
This is also an excellent site on the museum�s exhibits, and you can sign up to be notified about upcoming special events.
A NOTE ON THE MEMORIAM POSTING OF PTL. GEORGE MEYERS
A recent listing in the �Lest We Forget� section noted the line of duty death of Ptl. George Meyers in 1932. Ret Det1 John Reilly was able to provide some more accurate information.
Ptl. George L. Meyers was assigned to Traffic I, and was killed by an auto while directing traffic at Flatbush Ave. Extension & Myrtle Ave.
Ptl. Meyers was struck by an auto at 10.15 am March 22, 1932, and he died at Cumberland Hospital the same day.
THE FIGHTING NINTH AND CAL�S BAR � AN UPDATE
Some recent e-mails from MOS of the Fighting Ninth provided some update information on the notorious neighbor to the stationhouse, Cal�s Bar.
It seems that Cal's Bar continued as a bar up to 1992, after which it closed up. Today, the space that was once Cal,s is now an art gallery. �If those walls could talk��
POLICE WOMEN, BEANTOWN, AND NYC POLICING HISTORY
The International Association of Women Police conference is scheduled for September 12th - 16th in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The Boston 2004 conference will be hosted by the Boston Police Department, whichis celebrating 150 years of policing in the United States of America.
Established in 1854, the Boston Police Department is proud of its "First in theNation" status. This is the IAWP's first ever conference in the New England area.Yes, the Boston P.D. is absolutely the oldest police department in the UnitedStates.
Notes police historian and Retired MOS Mike Bosak, we here in New York City were apparently �hoodwinked� in 1995 when the NYPD claimed that year as its 150th Anniversary.
Despite what the department may say or claim, the NYPD was not established in 1845.
Today's department is the fifth codified department to police the city. While organized policing in the geographic area may date further back, the NYPD as we know it onlydates back to April 5, 1870.
INTERESTING WEB SITE: FORENSIC SCIENCE
The April 2005 issue of Forensic Science Communications has beenposted online, and certainly worth looking at.
The April 2005 issue of Forensic Science Communications has been posted on the FBI web site.
Forensic Science Communications is a quarterly journal published by FBI Laboratory personnel.
To link to the current issue, please click on:
www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/current/index.htm
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER
The department�s recent promotion ceremony saw some notable increases in rank.
Among them was the promotion to Assistant Chief of Albert Girimonte. Chief Girimonte most recently served as the XO of PBBN, having served in that post when it was still SATCOM Brooklyn North. He was previously the XO of Detective Borough Brooklyn. The Chief has been appointed the Borough Commander of Staten Island. Best of luck, Chief!
The other DBB promotions were as follows.
Detective First Grade promotions went to Darrell Grant of the 71 Squad.
Detective Second Grade went to Robert Reedy of the 67 Squad.
Congratulations to all!
OFFICER ASSISTANCE REQUESTED
A 10-13 event has been planned to offset catastrophic medical bills for the 1 year old son of PO Tiffany Guy-Barnes of the 60 Precinct, Logan Barnes.
Logan Barnes suffers from a rare form of cancer to his throat, known as Juvenile Xanthro Granuloma.
A $30.00 donation will include a cash bar, DJ and live music by �The Dirty Stayouts�.
The event will take place on Thursday, April 21, 2005, starting at 7PM, at the Bay Ridge Manor.
Please try to come out and support Tiffany and her family in their time of need.
For further information you can contact John West at:
JJPW818@aol.com
19 Precinct Smoker:
The 2005 edition of the 19th Precinct Smoker is scheduled for June 16, 2005, beginning at 2000 hours.
It will take place at the Seventh Regiment Armory, 643 Park Avenue, NYC, NY.
Admission is $25.00.
The event consists of New York cops volunteering their time, boxing to raise money for worthy charities.
This year's Smoker has two beneficiaries.
The first beneficiary is a fund created to benefit families of fallen soldiers from the United States Army's fabled "Fighting 69th" Infantry Brigade. These soldiers continue their fighting tradition today, in Iraq, with numerous casualties noted recently in local media.
The second beneficiary will be the family of an NYPD Police Officer who is suffering from kidney disease. There are no prospective matches for transplant within his family. His medical expenses have far exceeded what his insurance will cover and his family is in dire financial straits.
An evening of boxing, celebrities, ring-card girls, food and beverages an appearance by The Pipes and Drums of the NYPD Emerald Society and perhaps even the odd cigar or two!
A webpage has been set up at
http://hometown.aol.com/the19thsmoker/
and will be periodically updated as information becomes available.
For further information, telephone P.O. Dowd or P.O. Swenson at the 19 Precinct, or you can email Detective Griffin at:
http://us.f524.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=The19thSmoker@aol.com.
�LEST WE FORGET�� THE NYPD MEMORIAL
April 3, 1953 Ptl John Pendegrass, 32 Pct, Shot-robbery
April 3, 1972 Ptl Phillip Cardillo, 28 Pct, Shot-investigation *
April 4, 1947 Ptl Jack Chason, 79 Pct, Shot-robbery
April 5, 1926 Ptl Charles Reilly, 13 Pct, Shot-Robbery arrest
April 5, 1952 Insp Thomas Boylan, Airplane struck auto
April 6, 1937 Ptl Daniel Sullivan, Mcy Unit, motorcycle accident
April 6, 1953 Ptl Sam Katz, 32 Pct, Shot-investigation
April 6, 1955 Ptl John Conlon, 28 Pct, Injuries sustained on patrol
April 10, 1937 Det Michael Foley, 9 Sq, Shot-robbery arrest
April 10, 1950 Ptl Louis Balzano, line of duty incident
April 10, 1960 Ptl Vito Valenzano, 20 Pct, LOD heart attack
My Note: The killing of Ptl. Phillip Cardillo of the 28 Precinct on April 3, 1972, has been written about in a fabulous book by Sonny Grosso, �Murder at the Harlem Mosque�. This incident should be thoroughly familiar to EVERY member of this department. Several inquiries to me regarding this text has been made; I urge you, if you are looking for a copy, to try and find it on one of the used book web sites. I can recommend using a site such as: http://www.abebooks.com/ to search for it.
I understand also that a new book is soon to be published by Randy Jurgensen detailing this incident as well. I look forward to this book very much! Sonny Grosso and Randy Jurgensen were Detectives in the 28 Squad at the time. I can guarantee you that if you pick this book up you will NOT be able to put it down until you are finished.
(BTW: If you are reading this, and you borrowed one of my copies of this book, perhaps you can consider returning it to me?)
We should all, every day, take a moment in our way to remember our fallen brothers and sisters who have given their lives to protect others � of all races � in this city. Police officers everywhere deserve that remembrance; their families that they leave behind are our families � please remember them in your prayers.
We have all heard the saying �When you�re here you�re the best�� � these officers are ALWAYS here. Please remember them.
SURVIVORS OF THE SHIELD
PO Box 100177
Staten Island, NY 10310
www.nypdsos.com
email: staff@nypdsos.com
Monday, March 28, 2005
�Real detectives don�t deduce. We use inductive reasoning. Arriving at a solution that fits all the evidence.�
THREE PLATOONS, FIXED POSTS, AND CALL BOXES
Following the expansion of police call boxes throughout the city, after a pilot project regarding the use of telephones was found successful, the department adopted several new policies in 1911.
Understanding that the call boxes would be worthless without officers on the street to use them, in 1911 the department adopted several new patrol policies.
The first was the imnplementation of the �three-platoon-system of patrol duty�, which, adopted on June 12, 1911, was passed into law by the State Legislature with the stipulation that future administrations be required to continue this system.
By dividing the total patrol personnel into 12 squads, three squads, or 25 percent of the total personnel would perform duty from 7am to 3pm; a second group of three squads would be on the streets from 3pm to 11pm, while the remaining two squads, or fifty percent of the total patrol force would be on duty from 11pm to 7am. Citing that the system �gives twice the number of men on duty at night, when their services are more required�, officials stated that it would also allow the reserve to be strongest in the day, when crowds were more liable to congregate.
This three-platoon system was implemented along with a new �Stationary Post System�.
By utilizing the entire midnight tour, a large number of officers were assigned to �fixers� at major intersections throughout Manhattan and sections of Brooklyn, while mobile foot posts covered adjoining blocks. With the stationary posts positioned along both the avenues and the streets about four blocks apart, officers assigned to fixers had strict instructions to stay within their intersection, and were not allowed to cross the curb line or connecting crosswalks, except to answer a police call for help.
This system, while found effective in reducing crime, was abandoned in 1914 because besides immobilizing one-half of the entire department, there were not enough officers to cover the fixer posts in all five boroughs.
This saw rise to a new �flash-light� system, whereby the lampposts with police call boxes were equipped with a green light.
Now, when the desk lieutenant wanted an officer to ring-in for instructions or an assignment, a button could be pushed in the precinct which would make the green light, visible for about 1,000 feet, flash.
If a member of the public needed a cop in a hurry, a button on the call box could also be pushed which would steadily light the green lamp. Patrol posts were divided into �flash-light zones�. By 1918, in addition to the lamps, some poles were also fitted with a bell.
In 1924, the City-wide signal box system was completed, with the last four signal boxes installed in Queens.
I found it interesting to note that, by the time the last signal box was installed, the system had already been superseded by the radio. It would not be until 1932 that a one-way Radio Motor Patrol was established, and the first RMP with a two-way system was equipped in 1937. Signal boxes would continue to play a role in communication with the precinct right up until the early 1970�s, when the expansion of the portable radio would replace the signal box as a means of contacting officers in the field.
BARNEY MARTIN AKA: MORTY SEINFELD � FORMER NYC DETECTIVE
This past week actor Barney Martin, best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld�s father, Morty, on the popular TV series, died from cancer. He was 82 years old.
What you probably did not know, was that Barney Martin, before a long career as a TV and stage actor, worked for twenty years in the NYPD, and retired as a Detective.
Born March 3, 1923, in the New York City borough of Queens, Martin served as a navigator in the Air Force during World War II before starting a 20-year career as a New York City police detective. Martin showed a talent for making deputy police commissioners laugh during presentations. In the 1950s, he began writing on the side for comedy shows such as ``Name That Tune'' and ``The Steve Allen Show.''
Martin got his start in film when Mel Brooks featured him in �The Producers� in 1968. That role launched Martin into Broadway theater, where he appeared in several musicals, including �South Pacific,� and �The Fantasticks.�
If any readers can provide some info on his NYPD career, please let me know.
LOCARDS EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE
Every contact leaves a trace.
This is the principle upon which most of our forensic science analysis is based on. Latent prints developed from surfaces touched; hair and fibers recovered from areas where a person was present; DNA found on weapons handled.
FBI CRITICIZES FUZZY BANKS' SECURITY VIDEO
Banks made about $100 billion in profits nationally in 2003, but you'd never know it from the quality of some of their surveillance photos. For years, law enforcers have griped about how unrecognizable photos of robbers make it harder to catch crooks.
The robbery photos taken at Columbus-area banks and sent by the FBI to The Dispatch often are not published because they are too blurry or lack definition. "We do everything we can with the images we get," FBI spokesman Harry Trombitas said, conceding that some leave a lot to be desired.
You can read more about this at:
http://go.reachmail.net/rmgo.asp?tid=126162&eid=19268&sb_id=66946,66946
COMMON RESUME MISTAKES TO AVOID
"Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting."
"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store."
"Personal: Married, 1992 Chevrolet."
"I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse."
"Exposure to German for two years, but many words are not appropriate for business."
"Proven ability to track down and correct erors."
"Personal interests: Donating blood. 15 gallons so far."
"I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely nothing and absolutely no one."
"References: None, I've left a path of destruction behind me."
"Strengths: Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining composer."
�LEST WE FORGET�� NYPD Memorial
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
March 22, 1932 Ptl George Myers, Line of duty injury
March 23, 1986 PO James Holmes, PSA3, Shot-off duty robbery
March 26, 1949 Ptl Anthony Oetheimer, 114 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
March 26, 1992 PO Joseph Alcamo, 100 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
March 27, 1921 Ptl Joseph Connelly, 10 Div, Shot-investigation
March 27, 1944 Ptl Arthur Eggers, Traffic C, Auto accident on patrol
March 28, 1922 Ptl James Baker, 83 Pct, Motorcycle accident
March 31, 1914 Ptl Thomas Wynn, 155 Pct, Arrest-robbery
April 2, 1914 Det Joseph Guarneri, DetDiv, Shot-arrest
April 2, 1930 Ptl Thomas Harnett, 13 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
April 2, 1978 PO Christie Massone and PO Norman Cerullo, 79 Pct, Shot-car stop
THREE PLATOONS, FIXED POSTS, AND CALL BOXES
Following the expansion of police call boxes throughout the city, after a pilot project regarding the use of telephones was found successful, the department adopted several new policies in 1911.
Understanding that the call boxes would be worthless without officers on the street to use them, in 1911 the department adopted several new patrol policies.
The first was the imnplementation of the �three-platoon-system of patrol duty�, which, adopted on June 12, 1911, was passed into law by the State Legislature with the stipulation that future administrations be required to continue this system.
By dividing the total patrol personnel into 12 squads, three squads, or 25 percent of the total personnel would perform duty from 7am to 3pm; a second group of three squads would be on the streets from 3pm to 11pm, while the remaining two squads, or fifty percent of the total patrol force would be on duty from 11pm to 7am. Citing that the system �gives twice the number of men on duty at night, when their services are more required�, officials stated that it would also allow the reserve to be strongest in the day, when crowds were more liable to congregate.
This three-platoon system was implemented along with a new �Stationary Post System�.
By utilizing the entire midnight tour, a large number of officers were assigned to �fixers� at major intersections throughout Manhattan and sections of Brooklyn, while mobile foot posts covered adjoining blocks. With the stationary posts positioned along both the avenues and the streets about four blocks apart, officers assigned to fixers had strict instructions to stay within their intersection, and were not allowed to cross the curb line or connecting crosswalks, except to answer a police call for help.
This system, while found effective in reducing crime, was abandoned in 1914 because besides immobilizing one-half of the entire department, there were not enough officers to cover the fixer posts in all five boroughs.
This saw rise to a new �flash-light� system, whereby the lampposts with police call boxes were equipped with a green light.
Now, when the desk lieutenant wanted an officer to ring-in for instructions or an assignment, a button could be pushed in the precinct which would make the green light, visible for about 1,000 feet, flash.
If a member of the public needed a cop in a hurry, a button on the call box could also be pushed which would steadily light the green lamp. Patrol posts were divided into �flash-light zones�. By 1918, in addition to the lamps, some poles were also fitted with a bell.
In 1924, the City-wide signal box system was completed, with the last four signal boxes installed in Queens.
I found it interesting to note that, by the time the last signal box was installed, the system had already been superseded by the radio. It would not be until 1932 that a one-way Radio Motor Patrol was established, and the first RMP with a two-way system was equipped in 1937. Signal boxes would continue to play a role in communication with the precinct right up until the early 1970�s, when the expansion of the portable radio would replace the signal box as a means of contacting officers in the field.
BARNEY MARTIN AKA: MORTY SEINFELD � FORMER NYC DETECTIVE
This past week actor Barney Martin, best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld�s father, Morty, on the popular TV series, died from cancer. He was 82 years old.
What you probably did not know, was that Barney Martin, before a long career as a TV and stage actor, worked for twenty years in the NYPD, and retired as a Detective.
Born March 3, 1923, in the New York City borough of Queens, Martin served as a navigator in the Air Force during World War II before starting a 20-year career as a New York City police detective. Martin showed a talent for making deputy police commissioners laugh during presentations. In the 1950s, he began writing on the side for comedy shows such as ``Name That Tune'' and ``The Steve Allen Show.''
Martin got his start in film when Mel Brooks featured him in �The Producers� in 1968. That role launched Martin into Broadway theater, where he appeared in several musicals, including �South Pacific,� and �The Fantasticks.�
If any readers can provide some info on his NYPD career, please let me know.
LOCARDS EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE
Every contact leaves a trace.
This is the principle upon which most of our forensic science analysis is based on. Latent prints developed from surfaces touched; hair and fibers recovered from areas where a person was present; DNA found on weapons handled.
FBI CRITICIZES FUZZY BANKS' SECURITY VIDEO
Banks made about $100 billion in profits nationally in 2003, but you'd never know it from the quality of some of their surveillance photos. For years, law enforcers have griped about how unrecognizable photos of robbers make it harder to catch crooks.
The robbery photos taken at Columbus-area banks and sent by the FBI to The Dispatch often are not published because they are too blurry or lack definition. "We do everything we can with the images we get," FBI spokesman Harry Trombitas said, conceding that some leave a lot to be desired.
You can read more about this at:
http://go.reachmail.net/rmgo.asp?tid=126162&eid=19268&sb_id=66946,66946
COMMON RESUME MISTAKES TO AVOID
"Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting."
"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store."
"Personal: Married, 1992 Chevrolet."
"I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse."
"Exposure to German for two years, but many words are not appropriate for business."
"Proven ability to track down and correct erors."
"Personal interests: Donating blood. 15 gallons so far."
"I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely nothing and absolutely no one."
"References: None, I've left a path of destruction behind me."
"Strengths: Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining composer."
�LEST WE FORGET�� NYPD Memorial
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
March 22, 1932 Ptl George Myers, Line of duty injury
March 23, 1986 PO James Holmes, PSA3, Shot-off duty robbery
March 26, 1949 Ptl Anthony Oetheimer, 114 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
March 26, 1992 PO Joseph Alcamo, 100 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
March 27, 1921 Ptl Joseph Connelly, 10 Div, Shot-investigation
March 27, 1944 Ptl Arthur Eggers, Traffic C, Auto accident on patrol
March 28, 1922 Ptl James Baker, 83 Pct, Motorcycle accident
March 31, 1914 Ptl Thomas Wynn, 155 Pct, Arrest-robbery
April 2, 1914 Det Joseph Guarneri, DetDiv, Shot-arrest
April 2, 1930 Ptl Thomas Harnett, 13 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
April 2, 1978 PO Christie Massone and PO Norman Cerullo, 79 Pct, Shot-car stop
Monday, March 21, 2005
�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.
REVERSE PHONE SEARCHES FROM YOUR CELL PHONE
All cell phones made in the last three years are capable of receiving and sending text messages.
Recently, Google announced a new messaging service that will allow you to conduct a reverse phone number search from your cell phone. Here�s how.
It�s called a �short message service�, or SMS in techie speak. Google has acquired a short code to use by persons wanting to query their database.
The short code, which you type in to your �send to� is: 46645
A short code is a universal code used by all cell carriers to identify a specific company or service. This code will work with any cell service that uses text messaging.
To query Google, create a new message on your cell phone and put the short code 46645 in the To: field.
In the body of the message, type the phone number with area code and dashes. Your query should like this: 202-456-1414
Within a minute after sending, you should receive a message from Google giving the name and address of the subscriber. Keep in mind, though, that the phone number results are taken from white and yellow pages, not from the web. It won�t help you find an unlisted number, but may be just what you need while out in the field with no phone book handy.
IN MEMORIAM: PTL. MICHAEL MELCHIONA, TPD DISTRICT 1, 1970
The NY TIMES on March 6, 1970 noted how more than 2,000 policemen stood at attention as bagpipes sounded, escorting the flag draped coffin of 29-year-old Ptl. Michael Melchiona. The funeral of this Transit Patrolman was one week after his second child�s baptism at the same church.
Patrolman Melchiona was shot at Seventh Ave and 50th Street in the Times Square area by a derelict to whom he had tried to give a summons for smoking in a subway comfort room. The gunman was killed, two other persons were wounded and hundreds of bystanders fled for cover during the shooting spree.
The four-year veteran, while on patrol February 28, 1970 at the 50 Street-Broadway IRT station when he encountered a man in the lavatory. While Melchiona was examining identification, the man drew a gun, removed the officer�s gun and fled with Melchiona in pursuit shouting for help. The gunman shot and killed Melchiona and was himself killed in a shootout that followed.
Patrolman Melchiona�s brother, Henry, also a Transit Police Officer, retired in 1986. Henry Melchiona will be remembered by many Transit cops as the officer at the range who taught them how to shoot.
The Transit Columbia Association annually awarded the Michale Melchiona Medal of Valor to a distinguishing member, for performance in the line of duty.
After the merge of the departments, the Columbia Association continued that practice. I am proud to say that I was a recipient of the Michael Melchiona Medal for Valor in 1982. Readers to Spring 3100 may recall a recent notation that Captain Tim Bugge of Brooklyn North Narcotics was the 2004 Michael Melchiona Medal for Valor recipient.
WHY DO WE DO IT LIKE THAT? BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE
The cause of much distress unfortunately comes from the bureaucratic philosophy of �We do it that way because we always have�, wouldn�t you agree?
When Tommy Joyce�s 6-year old son visits the Detective Squad Room, looks at a typewriter, and in all seriousness asks �Daddy, What�s that?� you just have to laugh.
Many of us are convinced that there remains only one manufacturer of carbon paper in this country, after all, who uses carbon paper? And that company exists solely on their proceeds from a contract with the NYPD. As I said, who else uses carbon paper?
GREAT HISTORICAL POLICE SITE
If you haven�t already done so, you should go to WWW.POLICENY.COM and bookmark this site. Lots of great old-time police cars and department history can be found here.
For example, did you know that the 1950's saw two major changes on department autos:
The �POLICE� roof light was replaced by a revolving red light, and the Department switched to 4 door patrol cars.
The red "Beacon Ray" often referred to as the "turret" or "dome" light, became standard equipment in 1956.
It was in 1958 that we saw 4 door sedans mixed in with the last of the "business coupe" radio cars.
Other changes included 2 door station wagons known as a "sedan delivery" replacing the 2 door REP coupes and experimental vehicles such as Jeeps being added to the patrol fleet.
WHAT ABOUT THE 65TH PRECINCT?
The sign on the facade of the old 73rd Precinct, on East NY Ave near Rockaway, reads "65 Precinct".
The 65th Precinct, under the Brooklyn Police Department, was abolished in the 1920's, and the precinct was changed to the current 73 Precinct.
Did you know that it was this precinct front that was used as TV's fictional "Naked City" precinct?
YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
The following are excerpts from actual DD5 reports.
�We went to the door looking for the perp. We knocked, there was no answer. We knocked hard, then we knocked really really hard. There was still no answer�.
�I spoke to the doctor in the hospital. He said the victim�s condition was very very bad.�
�The witness stated she could not identify the perp, but that she would be able to identify the dog. Because we have no photos of dogs for an array request this case be closed.�
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AID
For everyone who has ever had an evaluation - just remember, it could havebeen worse. These are actual quotes taken from Federal Government employeeperformance evaluations.
"Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and hasstarted to dig."
"Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in atrap."
"When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."
"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
"He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
"This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
"This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better."
"He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."
"He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."
�LEST WE FORGET�� NYPD Memorial
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
March 22, 1932 Ptl George Myers, Line of duty injury
March 23, 1986 PO James Holmes, PSA3, Shot-off duty robbery
March 26, 1949 Ptl Anthony Oetheimer, 114 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
March 26, 1992 PO Joseph Alcamo, 100 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
March 27, 1921 Ptl Joseph Connelly, 10 Div, Shot-investigation
March 27, 1944 Ptl Arthur Eggers, Traffic C, Auto accident on patrol
March 28, 1922 Ptl James Baker, 83 Pct, Motorcycle accident
March 31, 1914 Ptl Thomas Wynn, 155 Pct, Arrest-robbery
Elmore Leonard, well known crime fiction writer of such works as BE COOL, PAGAN BABIES, GET SHORTY, KILLSHOT, and many more.
REVERSE PHONE SEARCHES FROM YOUR CELL PHONE
All cell phones made in the last three years are capable of receiving and sending text messages.
Recently, Google announced a new messaging service that will allow you to conduct a reverse phone number search from your cell phone. Here�s how.
It�s called a �short message service�, or SMS in techie speak. Google has acquired a short code to use by persons wanting to query their database.
The short code, which you type in to your �send to� is: 46645
A short code is a universal code used by all cell carriers to identify a specific company or service. This code will work with any cell service that uses text messaging.
To query Google, create a new message on your cell phone and put the short code 46645 in the To: field.
In the body of the message, type the phone number with area code and dashes. Your query should like this: 202-456-1414
Within a minute after sending, you should receive a message from Google giving the name and address of the subscriber. Keep in mind, though, that the phone number results are taken from white and yellow pages, not from the web. It won�t help you find an unlisted number, but may be just what you need while out in the field with no phone book handy.
IN MEMORIAM: PTL. MICHAEL MELCHIONA, TPD DISTRICT 1, 1970
The NY TIMES on March 6, 1970 noted how more than 2,000 policemen stood at attention as bagpipes sounded, escorting the flag draped coffin of 29-year-old Ptl. Michael Melchiona. The funeral of this Transit Patrolman was one week after his second child�s baptism at the same church.
Patrolman Melchiona was shot at Seventh Ave and 50th Street in the Times Square area by a derelict to whom he had tried to give a summons for smoking in a subway comfort room. The gunman was killed, two other persons were wounded and hundreds of bystanders fled for cover during the shooting spree.
The four-year veteran, while on patrol February 28, 1970 at the 50 Street-Broadway IRT station when he encountered a man in the lavatory. While Melchiona was examining identification, the man drew a gun, removed the officer�s gun and fled with Melchiona in pursuit shouting for help. The gunman shot and killed Melchiona and was himself killed in a shootout that followed.
Patrolman Melchiona�s brother, Henry, also a Transit Police Officer, retired in 1986. Henry Melchiona will be remembered by many Transit cops as the officer at the range who taught them how to shoot.
The Transit Columbia Association annually awarded the Michale Melchiona Medal of Valor to a distinguishing member, for performance in the line of duty.
After the merge of the departments, the Columbia Association continued that practice. I am proud to say that I was a recipient of the Michael Melchiona Medal for Valor in 1982. Readers to Spring 3100 may recall a recent notation that Captain Tim Bugge of Brooklyn North Narcotics was the 2004 Michael Melchiona Medal for Valor recipient.
WHY DO WE DO IT LIKE THAT? BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE
The cause of much distress unfortunately comes from the bureaucratic philosophy of �We do it that way because we always have�, wouldn�t you agree?
When Tommy Joyce�s 6-year old son visits the Detective Squad Room, looks at a typewriter, and in all seriousness asks �Daddy, What�s that?� you just have to laugh.
Many of us are convinced that there remains only one manufacturer of carbon paper in this country, after all, who uses carbon paper? And that company exists solely on their proceeds from a contract with the NYPD. As I said, who else uses carbon paper?
GREAT HISTORICAL POLICE SITE
If you haven�t already done so, you should go to WWW.POLICENY.COM and bookmark this site. Lots of great old-time police cars and department history can be found here.
For example, did you know that the 1950's saw two major changes on department autos:
The �POLICE� roof light was replaced by a revolving red light, and the Department switched to 4 door patrol cars.
The red "Beacon Ray" often referred to as the "turret" or "dome" light, became standard equipment in 1956.
It was in 1958 that we saw 4 door sedans mixed in with the last of the "business coupe" radio cars.
Other changes included 2 door station wagons known as a "sedan delivery" replacing the 2 door REP coupes and experimental vehicles such as Jeeps being added to the patrol fleet.
WHAT ABOUT THE 65TH PRECINCT?
The sign on the facade of the old 73rd Precinct, on East NY Ave near Rockaway, reads "65 Precinct".
The 65th Precinct, under the Brooklyn Police Department, was abolished in the 1920's, and the precinct was changed to the current 73 Precinct.
Did you know that it was this precinct front that was used as TV's fictional "Naked City" precinct?
YOU CAN�T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
The following are excerpts from actual DD5 reports.
�We went to the door looking for the perp. We knocked, there was no answer. We knocked hard, then we knocked really really hard. There was still no answer�.
�I spoke to the doctor in the hospital. He said the victim�s condition was very very bad.�
�The witness stated she could not identify the perp, but that she would be able to identify the dog. Because we have no photos of dogs for an array request this case be closed.�
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AID
For everyone who has ever had an evaluation - just remember, it could havebeen worse. These are actual quotes taken from Federal Government employeeperformance evaluations.
"Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and hasstarted to dig."
"Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in atrap."
"When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."
"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
"He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
"This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
"This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better."
"He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."
"He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."
�LEST WE FORGET�� NYPD Memorial
�It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives�.
March 22, 1932 Ptl George Myers, Line of duty injury
March 23, 1986 PO James Holmes, PSA3, Shot-off duty robbery
March 26, 1949 Ptl Anthony Oetheimer, 114 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
March 26, 1992 PO Joseph Alcamo, 100 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
March 27, 1921 Ptl Joseph Connelly, 10 Div, Shot-investigation
March 27, 1944 Ptl Arthur Eggers, Traffic C, Auto accident on patrol
March 28, 1922 Ptl James Baker, 83 Pct, Motorcycle accident
March 31, 1914 Ptl Thomas Wynn, 155 Pct, Arrest-robbery
