A CAMP FOR COPS FAMILES

Readers will recall my postings concerning the Police Camp, an upstate retreat in the Catskills that saw many police families during the 50’s & 60’s find a relaxing week in the country.

If you were there, you remember!

A reader contributed the following memories of this place.

He recalled enjoying the Police camp and the fun he had on vacation there as a kid.
The things he remembered the most about the police camp was how the first day or two you were usually bored because you didn’t know anyone, but by the time to go home you’d be having such a great time that you didn’t want to leave. Memories of hunting for snakes, frogs and lizards down by the creek were always impressionable to a “city-kid”.

The dining hall staff always had a weekly softball game against the guests that always saw a huge turnout – and could usually be counted on to provide some sore aches for those who should have known better than to play against a bunch of college kids!

There was always the summertime romance that a week away in the country could provide! Remember the Peppermint Lounge? How about the A-frame hall that was built, as the site of many a dance night?
I remember the garage that housed a fire truck – that I never actually saw get used – that was also used as the movie theater, and the church on Sundays. The pool that always seemed so big as a kid, and was always ice cold, provided a lot of summer recreation as well.

A recent visit upstate by a reader noted that he took a drive to the camp with his family to show them the site of so much fond memories. He met the people that took over the site. The people at first weren’t so friendly until he told them he had stayed there as a kid; they asked if he was a policeman, then they became very nice and spoke to them about themselves. A religious group now owns the land, and they manufacture products for handicapped children. The group made some changes to the place and all live together in the main house.
I thank Chris Massaria for his contributions, and encourage others with Police Camp memories to pass them on.

Remember the box-lunch day-trips to Howes Caverns, the Catskill Game Farm, and Hunter Mountain? The music playing over the loudspeaker all day? The daily raising, and lowering, of the American flag at the main hotel?

CENTRAL OFFICE SLEUTHS

In the early history of the department, it was the detectives that were assigned to the Central Office (Headquarters) who were the first to carry a gold-plated shield.

The Central Office Detectives performed the investigative functions of the department.
Back in the 1930’s, there were approximately 300 Detectives in the department, performing citywide investigative functions.

The local precincts had Plainclothes Men who performed duty in – you guessed it, plainclothes! These officers were selected by the precinct Captain, and detailed on “temporary” duty in civilian clothes to enforce gambling, prostitution, and other vice offenses.

The public, who then – and still – calls anyone who works in civilian clothing a Detective, often got these tasks mistaken. It was the Detective who had the Gold Shield!


THE LINEUP

A daily roundup of professional crooks was performed each day at Police Headquarters, and was a staple of the department up until the early 1960’s.

This roundup, and parade of all those arrested the previous day, was known as The Lineup.

Detectives were sent from throughout the city to observe this lineup each morning.

On a raised platform, the crooks walked by, so that the detectives could review their peculiarities, characteristics, and their criminal MO.

It was known as a simple and effective system for familiarizing detectives with the personal appearance, voice, mannerisms, physical attributes and defects of the criminal.




DETECTIVE SPECIALIZATION

It was in 1906 that Colonel Arthur Woods was appointed a Deputy Commissioner, and designated to reorganize the Detective Bureau.

One of the first moves he made was to create a Homicide Squad.

Up to that time there was no specialization in investigations, and no specialized training. Cases were assigned to Detectives not in any rotation, but according to a particular aptitude one might have.

After organizing the Homicide Squad, other specialized commands soon followed. Pickpocket, Safe & Loft, Narcotics, Missing Persons, and the Radical Squad all soon followed.



GATEWAY TO AN INSIDE JOB

As he noted in his autobiography, New York Detective, which he penned in 1938, Ernest Van Wagner had a rather interesting introduction to working at Police Headquarters.

Coming on the job in 1896, he spent 36 years here and retired in 1932 as an Inspector, Commanding Officer of Detectives.

Teddy Roosevelt immediately saw good use of Van Wagner, even while he was still attending recruit training.

You see, Van Wagner came on the job with an unusual skill – amanuensis.

The Dean of the Academy thought this was a disease, and called him down to the office shortly after his training started. The Dean learned otherwise – this meant that he could write shorthand!

Van Wagner went right into Headquarters, working for Roosevelt and other high ranking members of the department, taking notes for them utilizing his knowledge of shorthand.

It was the experience he gained working for the executive staff that helped propel him through the ranks, to eventually become the department’s Chief Detective.

All because he was an amanuensis!


LEGALLY SPEAKING

Exculpatory: Evidence and/or statements which tend to clear, justify, or excuse a defendant from alleged fault or guilt. (“I didn’t do it”).

Inculpatory: Evidence and/or statements, that which tends to incriminate or bring about a criminal conviction. Holds responsible for criminal misconduct. (“I did it”).



INTERESTING WEB SITE

A free site that links to thousands of free public records sites, including people finder, criminal records, professional licenses, voter registration records, military records, email address look-up and much more, can be found at:

http://www.freeprf.com/


Free Flight Tracking Services

http://www.flightaware.com/

FlightAware offers free flight tracking services for both private and commercial air traffic in the United States. Proven to be extremely capable and reliable.


GLOSSARY OF SOME 1930’S SLANG

BEEF: to betray another, or for a victim to make a fuss over his loss.

BELCH: same as beef.

BIT: a prison or jail term.

BOOK: pocketbook.

BULL: a policeman.

BULL-OUT-OF-HARNESS: a plain-clothes man.

CADGER: a beggar. (Cadging: begging)

CALL THE TURN: said of a criminal after a detective has identified him.

ELBOW: detective.

FLY-COP: a detective.

FRONT OFFICE: police headquarters.

HOLLER: to tell or report to the police.

MOLL: a girl.

MOLL-BUZZER: a pickpocket who robs only women.

MOUTH-PIECE: a thief paid by the police for information; also a criminal lawyer.

PERCENTAGE COPPERS: policemen who protect thieves for a percentage of their plunder.

PETER: a safe.

PETERMEN: safe-blowers.

PORCH-CLIMBER: second-story workers.

SPOT: a term in prison; Ten spot = 10 years.

SWAG: plunder other than money (as jewelry, etc.)

SWEAT-BOX: the third degreeTHIMBLE: a watch.

YEGG-MEN: tramp thieves.

FROM THE MUSTER ROOM

Some detectives make a noticeable impact when they arrive. Just ask Johnny K, who made an impression on his arrival at the scene of a Homicide-CUPPI in the 77 recently… Retired sleuth Nicky Dimonda was around town recently. He’s been working a security job in the 23 – his old stomping grounds from patrol. Anytime Nicky and Vito get together is sure to produce a memorable event!... How’s Larry doing with the “Reality Tour” events?... The addition of a pet gecko to a squad room brought back memories of Larry walking around with a pet alligator in his pocket; or the time(s) he came in with a frog in his jacket. Larry, we surely miss you!... Which Detective recently found himself being kicked out of a motorcycle club he helped to form?... Is that just another example of “not wanting to be a member of a club that would have me as a member”?... Was that Ret Det Joe Guerra seen on recent news footage of the Don Imus incident? Seems that Joe has been working for Bo Dietl, and was guarding Don Imus. You look good, Joe… By the way, did Joe have to drive Imus around? … Great turnout at the recent 83 Squad retirement function. Lots of retirees came out to join brothers and sisters alike. Always good to see everyone at these “happy” events. Same to be said for the recent dinner honoring a great man, Joseph F.X. Cunneen. Wonderful turnout for a truly honorable man! Good luck in all you do, Chief! … Has anyone ever seen Insp Joe Campbell without a smile?... Who remembers when a certain squad commander was used as a speed bump to slow down someone trying to hot-foot it out of the cells in the 77 Precinct?? …


MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The Annual Antique Police Car Show will be at the Police Museum on Saturday and Sunday, June 9th and 10th.

Also at the Police Museum, on May 16, starting at 6PM, will be a book signing and presentation by the author of the new book (and most recent addition to The Minister’s True Crime Book Collection) BOMB SQUAD: A Year Inside The Nation’s Most Exclusive Police Force.

Authors Richard Esposito and Ted Gerstein had exclusive access to the Bomb Squad starting on December 31, 2003. They will be joined by members of the Bomb Squad to discuss their work, and this new book.

Brooklyn North sleuth’s will certainly enjoy the passages from Retired Inspector Charlie Wells’ time in the Bomb Squad.

My suggestion is to get a copy of the book. I’ll be bringing mine, and have already told Charlie I’m leaving a spot for him to sign!

The Police Museum is at 100 Old Slip, between Water & South Streets.

http://www.nycpolicemuseum.org/

Admission is free to MOS.

A good motto to live by: “Under promise, and over deliver”.


WHO LOVES’ YA, BABY?

Hard to believe, but there are many who don’t know of – or who haven’t seen – an episode of Kojak!

Who, exactly, is Kojak? What about his boss, Inspector McNeil?

Lieutenant Theo Kojak is the famed television detective squad commander of 1970’s television stardom. The show ran from October 24, 1973 through April 1978, a total of 115 one-hour televison episodes.

The storyline for the series is as follows.

When they started out together in the New York Police Department, Theo Kojak and Frank McNeil had worked closely together and, for a number of years, been partners.

Over the years Frank had worked his way up the hierarchy to the point where he was now Chief of detectives for Manhattan South. Kojak, who had a cynical sense of humor and was determined to do things his way regardless of what his bosses thought, was nowworking for him. Kojak commanded a detective squad in Manhattan South, believed to be that of the Midtown South command, but one that pretty much took place all over south Manhattan (never Brooklyn!).

Kojak was outspoken and streetwise, and was not above stretching the literal interpretation of the law if it would help him crack a case.

Working closely with him was Detective Bobby Crocker, as close to a regular partner as he had.

The supporting role of Detective Stavros was played by Telly Savalas' brother, George, who, during the first two seasons of the show, was billed as Demosthenes in thecredits rather than his real name. Considerable on-location filming was done in New York with Kojak seen all over the city licking his trademark lollipops.

Kevin Dobson played Detective Crocker, with Dan Frazer playing Inspector McNeil.

Beginning life as an award winning 1973 TV Movie “The Marcus-Nelson Murders”, which was based on the true life Wylie-Hoffert case, and played with charismatic charm by long established movie actor Telly Savalas as the New York cop with a penchant for sucking lollipops, the series went for a graphic 'street level' realism which turned it into an instant top-ten hit in it's first season.

Lt. Kojak was a tough cop with a smart mouth and wits even sharper than his top flight dress sense. “Who luv’s, ya – baby” was his famous catchphrase.

The series was a global hit and even after it's five year run it was brought back in a succession of television movies, the last being made in 1989. By this time Theo Kojak had been promoted to the rank of Inspector.

The show continues to play on cable channels, and is still a hit worldwide. A box set of DVD’s is also available (yes, I already have it!).



INVESTIGATIVE TECHNOLOGY: HAND-HELD DOCUMENT SCANNER

I’ve noted previously on this site the evolution in hand-held investigative technology, including a hand-held document scanner.

This following scanner, reviewed recently on another investigative web-site, is billed as a “lawyer’s dream” – but can just as easily be considered the same for any investigator seeking to have the ability to scan and download documents from the field.

The new Planon Docupen RC800 scanner is a lawyer's – and investigators - dream magic wand.
It is the size of a fat ball point pen, except that it is 8 1/2 inches long, but don't let its svelte size fool you. This is a complete color scanner, that you drag over a document, book or magazine, and can hold up to 100 letter sized pages in its built-in memory.

The really cool feature of this new pen scanner, however, is that it has a Micro-SD card slot, which holds external memory. The memory door on top of the docupen is a little tough to remove, but once you do, there is infinite storage available. Carry this in your pocket, and the built-in rechargeable battery is enough to give you scanning capability anywhere.

Once you get back, just plug the USB 2.0 cable in, and the included software downloads the scanned images. The Docupen comes with PaperPort SE for document filing and handling. The software bundle makes this a bargain at $299. Many of you will want to throw one of these in the briefcase. You will never have to say "email it to me again".



ZODIAC- NEW YORK STYLE

A recent movie to hit the screens (it may already have ran it’s course, and soon-to-be available on DVD) focused on the infamous Zodiac killer from California.

The movie is about this most extraordinary serial killer who appeared to have no modus operandi, no pattern in the victims he chose, and left few traces at murder scenes.

Who was the man behind the cryptic ciphers – who was the real Zodiac?

Well, one early morning waking up to the late-night television set that was left on, I was greeted by the face of none other than Det1 (Ret) Louis Savarese – discussing the New York City Zodiac killer.

New York’s Zodiac killer a mystery to you? Check out the full story on the following site:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/about/special/zodiac/index.html



SOME LITTLE-KNOWN SERPICO FACTS

A recent inquiry by a loyal reader had me – and my sources – checking out some facts concerning the “Serpico” case. The following information may be of interest to you.

The location of Patrolman Frank Serpico’s drug bust that resulted in his being shot was at
778 Drigs Ave, within the confines of the 90 Precinct. This five-story multiple dwelling building is identified by the name “NOVELTY COURT”. It took place at Apt# 3-G, on Wednesday, February 3, 1971.

The narcotics team consisted of Serpico, along with his partners Ptl Gary Roteman, and Ptl Arthur Cesare. The fourth member of the team, Ptl Paul Halley, had earlier made an arrest of a drug buyer from the apartment, and remained in the car with that prisoner as Serpico and the other 2 plainclothes narcotics patrolmen went upstairs for the dealer.

The dealer they went to arrest was known as “Mambo”, real name of Edgar Echevaria.

Ptl. Serpico was shot in head as he attempted to enter the apartment, with his partners, to effect the arrest of the dealer. After being shot – remember, there were no portable radios, or cell phones at the time – a call went in from a building tenant reporting “shots fired”.

Roteman went to an apt in the bldg to call for an ambulance; he said that he stated he was a cop, and a cop was shot. The radio job failed to mention that. Cesare went outside to get an ambulance.

Uniformed MOS responded to a 10-10 job; they took Serpico in a radio car to Greenpoint Hospital.

The shooter escaped out a window, and was later caught at a female friends apartment where detectives had be conducting a stake-out for him. The arresting officer was Ptl Maxwell Katz, who shot the perp in the stomach.

At the time of his arrest Mambo possessed the 22 cal pistol he used to shoot Serpico, as well as Serpico’s 38 cal 2-inch revolver, which he had picked up after Serpico dropped it after he was shot. Serpico had been able to fire one round from that gun.

A question regarding who the Patrolman was that drove Serpico to the hospital has resulted in the following answer. Remember, this is entirely “unverified”, but appears to be as best we can know at this time. (If you think otherwise, please e-mail and let me know!).

It is believed that a young Patrolman named John Stendrini drove Serpico to Greenpoint Hospital. This is supposedly the same John Stendrini who retired as a DI from TARU, and became Chief of Staff to Ed Norris in Baltimore.

Ptl. Roteman and Cesare were awarded an Exceptional Merit award, as was Ptl Maxwell Katz.

In May, 1971 Serpico was promoted to Detective. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in the Spring of 1972. He retired by June, 1972, still suffering from his gunshot wounds. His command at the time of retirement is noted as Detective Division, Narcotics Brooklyn South.

I thank Vincent Henry, of LIU’s Homeland Security Institute, for his input to these facts. And I hope Insp (Ret) O’Brian will excuse me for the delay in trying to answer his inquiry – while at the same time I wish him all the best!


FROM A CHICAGO DETECTIVE

Following item is from an anonymous author, described only as a “Chicago Detective”.

While the city may be different, I think you will all see the analogy to New York.

“This is my first time posting, so please be gentle. I am a homicide detective who works in Chicago. I've doing it for several years. I can think of roughly a dozen cases in the last three years that wrapped up in a nice tidy package. Until this year, the unit I work in averaged about 170 murders a year. I usually have knowledge directly or indirectly of about 50 of those murders, so the numbers of nice tidy packages are probably greater. Believe it or not, people do confess. Unlike the nonsense you read in the papers, physical abuse is not used and is not effective. Physical coercion will only "lose" the offender. Creating a bond between the detective and offender is what is needed to gain a confession.

Hours are spent at the start trying to establish this bond. You just have to read the guy and go with what works. You might become his dad, or his priest, or his "homey". Like anything else, some detectives are masters at getting confessions and some suck. Most are someplace in the middle.

The offender usually confesses in stages. It usually starts with "I don't know nothing". After several hours of denials and bullshit that becomes, "I heard about it". That eventually becomes, "I was out there (witnessed it)".
And finally the confession process begins. This can take just as long as the rest put together.

The offender will try to seek out what you know and only admit to that. You're trying to get new info out of him and don't want to let him know what you know. Holding back what you know is how you verify the rest of his story.

I don't think people ever confess 100%. They always try to hold back the little things that will make them look really bad. At some point you have to go with the story he gives you. If you push him too hard, you might lose him. Before he is done, he will have confessed several times to different people. He is usually trying to work his own angle. Trying to make the co-offenders or victim look bad. During rape-murder or kidnap-murder (kidnapping is much more common than you think) confessions it can be difficult to keep your focus. These are usually your only truly innocent victims.

When someone describes in detail for you how he raped and murdered some girl it makes you feel some kind of primal fear inside. Not the kind that makes you want to run away.

You're sitting next to some monster eating hamburgers with him. And you have to say crazy shit that revolts you, such as "did the bitch like it”?

It’s all about keeping him talking. But you feel dirty, jaded, and afraid for people you love afterwards. Murder is a brutal, ugly thing. 80 or 90 percent of the time it involves narcotics or alcohol in one way or another.

Crime scenes can be physically revolting when you first start working murders. Decomposed bodies will always be revolting. One particular murder has given me a life long aversion to eating ribs. The victims usually aren't people you can have a great deal of empathy for. Often times they have worse criminal histories than the offender. Between the low clearance rate and not guilty verdicts, I figure you have 3 out of 4 chances that you will get away with murder.

Knowing who committed murder and charging/convicting them are two different things.

I always think of a confession as going to a bar and trying to get a beautiful woman who has no interest in you to agree to a one time hook-up. It’s really a twisted romance. You talk for hours and hours about meaningless shit, all the time trying to bring the offender back to the murder.

Most people will eventually confess for various reasons that are too numerous to go into. Eventually there will be motions in court to suppress the arrest and the confession. Every good defense attorney will attack your probable cause for arrest (the legality of it) and validity of the confession (you beat my client).

During the motions stage of a prosecution truth is in short supply at the defense table.

They will say whatever is necessary to get the offender off. The thought is if we throw enough shit some might stick. This is where a detective really earns his money.

You have to be able to articulate to the judge what you did and why you did it. The Cook County State's Attorney’s office places great importance on confessions (probably too much). A supervisor from the State's Attorneys Felony Review Unit is the person who ultimately approves 1st Degree Murder charges.

Television gives great importance to DNA, etc.

Physical evidence is rarely present or effective in real world homicides.

Prosecution comes down to witnesses and confessions. That is why confessions are so important.

The Justice Department even offers a seminar for local prosecutors in how to run a jury trial in a "post CSI" world where the jury has unreal expectations.

Usually offenders who have been through the system for serious crimes before won't confess. They know that all you are selling them is decades in state prison.

The system isn't perfect. Many offenders are not prosecuted. The States Attorney, the CPD command structure, and the Criminal Court judges drive the process. The detective just works within the system.

None of those organizations would ever ask, "what do you need to put offenders in jail?". The real corruption in the police department is not a dirty cop ripping off the dope man. The real corruption is clout. It's the same clout that permeates the state's attorneys office and the judicial selection process. Unqualified people in charge all around you. Phil Cline is the first police superintendent (Chicago Police Department) since Joe DiLionardi during the Jayne Byrne era who knows what he is doing (and it shows). However, he still has to give the devil his due.

Sorry for meandering on. I do love my job. I believe in silly old-fashioned ideas like justice, integrity, and law & order.

No one, no matter what they have done, deserves to be murdered.

I don't believe in the death penalty. Not for moral reasons, I believe special interest groups have turned death row convicts into victims. It distracts from justice. They should be locked up in isolation for natural life. Let them die mentally every day.

I ended up in this profession quite by accident and I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing. Thanks for giving me the chance to write this down. These are all random thoughts that have been floating through my head for the last 6+ years. Work is not something I am not comfortable talking to people about.

Being a homicide detective has had one personal drawback. I have an overwhelming sense of my own mortality. It is mildly depressing. But all that other "cop on the edge" stuff you see on television is a load of bullshit. All jobs become routine.

On a side note; never trust a detective who dresses like one of those TV characters. Detectives should be presentable and professional, like Mr. Big (Chris Noth, who played opposite Jerry Orbach’s Det Briscoe character) during his Law & Order days.

Homicide investigations are about justice, not image. It has been my experience that self-involved people make useless detectives. Actually they make useless cops, and we already have way too many of those”.


THE DETECTIVE’S CALLING

Ernest Van Wagner noted in his autobiography, NEW YORK DETECTIVE, when he wrote it in 1938, the pleasure of the detective.

“There is little monotony in the detective’s life. No irksome repetition of yesterday’s work or that of the week before, such as is found in other callings. There is ever a series of new and alluring problems, no two exactly alike, each requiring new moves to arrive at a solution”.

Try to remember this alluring post the next time you’re standing at the Compstat podium!


FROM THE CIGAR LOUNGE

I’ve recently found a cigar to rival my favorite.

My favorite, the La Gloria Cubana – Charlemagne and Corona Gorda – has recently met a great competitor.

If you haven’t already tried it, you have to check out the Padron Anniversary Series. A box press, hand made cigar to rival the best of them.

Editor’s Note: I am not suggesting, nor do I recommend, actually smoking one of these in a city-owned building, as there are appropriate ordinances against this, making this subject to heavy fines and disciplinary actions.

Smoke responsibly, and always treat an unlit cigar as you would a loaded firearm.


A MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF INVESTIGATION

I apologize for delays between posting new items to this site. I'm trying to maneuver around the "new and improved" computer systems we have recently received from MISD. The department is upgrading computers, and has made a lot of progress in this direction. However, internet access is limited.

I have difficulty accessing certain internet sites - apparently filters installed by the department are intended to prevent access to "questionable" sites, and apparently sites with a name "blog" in the title appear as such. I'm sure the intention is to prevent pop-ups which could damage the system - BUT - I have noted that we are also prevented from getting into such sites as Google Earth, and even MapQuest to a large degree. I guess the investigative advantages of knowing where you're going haven't been realized by all those in charge.

Which brings me to another sore point - e mail addresses.

Three such requests to receive an authorized, department e-mail address have gone unanswered. Apparently, there is some sort of "study" underway to limit the number of department e-mail addresses - due to a concern of too many addresses overloading documents on the network. (!!???)

OK, but then... don't ask me to "e-mail your weekly reports" - because I don't have an e-mail account!

Oh, sure, I can get into my private e-mail account and send/receive e-mail - wait a minute, I can't do that either - it seems that (unless you have AOL) it comes up as one of those restricted access sites.

Excpet for my Yahoo e-mail, which I have posted above.

But, wait - that not's entirely accurate either.

See, I an COMPOSE and SEND e-mail f rom my Yahoo account, but I can't actually READ e-mail that comes to that account.

So if you e-mail me something, you have to wait until I get home and read it. Although i could send you e-mail f rom this account from my desktop - I just can't read anything you send back to me. Get it? makes a lot of sense, right?

As much sense as it makes when you're having a discussion with some small, out of town police agency about a wanted person who may be in their jurisdiction. "Just send me a photo of the bad guy, and we'll send a deputy out to check it out". Sounds simple enough, but - wait - remember, I can't actually SEND anything, because the department hasn't given me that capability. What about "scanning" a photo into the computer and sending it out via a private e-mail account? Makes sense, excpet the scanners that we used to have are no longer hooked up to any of the computers - because they're not authorized for the computer terminals.

Try telling Deputy Fyfe at Mayberry Police Department, who can receive anyone's e-mail at some e-mail address that would probably look like deputy.fyfe@mayberrypd.gov, that you'd like him to send his official department mug-shot for verification to you at your private AOL, or Compuserve, account. Nice try!

Ask HIDTA to send you a photo at your private AOL account. It can't be done!

Just wondering how many people in 1PP are experiencing a problem with e-mail accounts and access?



“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

April 16, 1907 Ptl Alfred Selleck, 16 Pct, Shot – arrest
April 16, 1955 Ptl Andrew Reynolds, 107 Pct, Motorcycle accident on patrol
April 17, 1925 Ptl Thomas Kelly, 12 Div, Shot – arrest, GLA
April 17, 1938 Ptl Humbert Morruzzi, 9 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
April 18, 1936 Ptl Leroy Sheares, 32 Pct, stabbed, arrest
April 19, 1963 Ptl Kenneth Cozier, ESU, LOD heart attack
April 21, 1934 Det James Garvey, 20Sqd, Shot- investigation
April 23, 1977 PO Robert Mandel, 77 Pct, shot-arrest
April 24, 1897 Rndsmn Oscar Rheinhardt, 31 Pct, Thrown from horse
April 24, 1969 Det John Roth, DD, auto accident on patrol
April 24, 1980 PO Robert Sorrentino, 101 Pct, shot-robbery
April 25, 1874 Ptl John Gibney, 1 Pct, shot
April 25, 1955 Sgt Donald Wiseman, 107 Pct, auto accident on patrol
April 27, 1892 Ptl Adam Kane, Bwy Sqd (1Pct), Beaten 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 – arrest
April 30, 1979 PO Robert Betsch, 76 Pct, LOD heart attack

POLICING NEW YORK’S PARKS

Here’s an interesting story by Mike Bosak that sheds some light on the history of policing New York City’s parks.

NYPD Forgotten History: The New York City and the City of Brooklyn Park PolicePrior to the consolidation of NYC in 1898, both Brooklyn and New York had their own park police with all the lawful police powers and responsibilities of the regular police.

They also had pay parity with their city's police.

New York and Brooklyn 's police departments responsibility for policing its respective city parks stopped at the park line and the park police had their own police station houses.For example: The NYC Park Police had two station houses in Central Park and two in Pelham Bay Park. Bronx Park and Van Cortland Park each had their own police station house. Even Riverside Park once had its own precinct and station house. Brooklyn was the same.After consolidation, their city's park police departments became part of the NYPD. One example would be today's 52 Pct., who owes its origin to the Park Police precinct that worked out of the old Lorillard Mansion in Botanical Gardens.One last thing - the author obviously didn't do his research on Flushing Meadow Park.

Flushing Meadow Park was the home to two World's Fairs and its own police sub-station and NYPD detail to police the park. Later on the building became the headquarters for S.O.D., the Tactical Patrol Force, and Auto Crime. Hundred of cops worked out thebuilding with scores constantly coming or going at all hours of the day and night.

When the tennis center was expanded in the late 80's, the police station was torn down and all the units moved on to the locations that they areat now.


POLICE CAMP

Regular readers will recall me relating fond stories about the “Police Camp” on past postings to this site. This was a really great place for cops families to spend a week’s vacation in the mountains, and anyone who attended will surely have great stories to tell.

I came across this story on PoliceNY.com, that are some fond memories of the Camp from Ret. Det Joseph Gannon.

Check it out – I’m sure you’ll agree.

www.policeny.com/policecamp.html



ONLY IN THE 79: 1967

An entry found in the October 1967 edition of SPRING 3100, under the 79 Pct.’s report, is deserving of mention here.

It notes that Ptl. Mirabito and O’Hara made a nice Grand Larceny arrest – G.L. of a Fire Truck.

“When a male attempted to drive off with a Hook & Ladder with ladder extended with a fireman on it”.


PINKERTON: FIRST PRIVATE EYE

Allan Pinkerton emigrated from Scotland to the United States in 1842, when he was 23 years old; he soon settled in the town of Dundee, northwest of Chicago.

By the beginning of the 1850s, Pinkerton and a partner had established the North-Western Police Agency, which had its offices at Washington and Dearborn Streets in Chicago.

One of the first private detective agencies in the United States, this company worked for the Illinois Central and other railroads. By late 1850s, Pinkerton employed 15 operatives.

During the Civil War, the company provided intelligence to the Northern armies.

After the war, promoting itself with the slogan “we never sleep,” the company opened offices in New York City and Philadelphia.

Much of its business came from banks and express companies, who wanted to deter robberies. Starting in the 1870s, Pinkerton detectives also began to work for industrial companies as spies and strikebreakers, and they quickly became despised by American labor.

The company's most infamous strike-busting operation came in 1892, when 300 Pinkerton employees fought with workers at the Homestead, Pennsylvania, steel plant owned by Andrew Carnegie. When the two sides exchanged gunfire, nine strikers and seven Pinkerton agents were killed.

By the time Allan Pinkerton died in 1884, his sons William and Robert Pinkerton were leading the company, which had about 2,000 full-time employees and several thousand “reservists.” During the 1920s, annual revenues approached $2 million. In 1937, Robert Pinkerton II, a great-grandson of the founder, ended the firm's antiunion operations.

By the late 1960s, just after the name of the enterprise became Pinkerton's Inc. and the corporate headquarters moved to California, it had 70 branch offices (including central offices in Chicago and New York), about $75 million in annual revenues, and some 13,000 full-time employees worldwide. In the mid-1970s, the company had about 800 employees in the Chicago area. By the end of the century, the enterprise founded a century and a half earlier had become a subsidiary of a large Swedish corporation called Securitas.


CHICAGO DETECTIVE

The name Clifton Wooldridge means little to people today, but to Chicagoans and Chicago criminals, he was notorious.

Wooldridge, a former police officer was described at the time as "the incorruptible Sherlock Holmes of America," and he was on a mission to save Chicago from itself.

He considered Chicago the "wickedest city in the world."

It certainly had the right ingredients.

Chicago was seen as the land of opportunity, or at least the gateway to it. People passed through on their way to homesteading further west, the railroad brought folks to the city, in the hopes they would find one of the many possible jobs in this burgeoning city. It became a hotbed for vice and corruption.

As a police officer on the beat, Wooldridge saw what was happening. He battled everything: quack doctors, prostitution, gambling, investment swindles, insurance scams, fake banks, clairvoyants and marriage agencies. He associated with the down and out and the richest of the rich. Apparently he would stop at little to learn the ways of the criminal. Wooldridge was adept at disguising himself, and would dress for the part, whether it meant posing as a rube in from the country or even donning black face.

In 1906, after 20 years on the police force, he proudly proclaimed a record of 19,500 arrests, with 3,200 criminals locked up, 6,000 people paid fines, 100 girls rescued from prostitution, $100,000 worth of property recovered, and 100 marriage bureaus closed.

He wrote numerous books detailing crimes he'd witnessed in the sincere hope of preventing further victims. Titles included: Hands Up! In the World of Crime," and "The Devil and The Grafter and How They Work Together to Deceive, Swindle and Destroy Mankind."

Wooldridge was a man on a mission, intent on stopping further people from falling prey to thieves.

He wrote a list of tips called "Detective Clifton R. Wooldridge's 'Never-Fail' System for Detecting and Outwitting All Classes of Grafters and Swindlers."

Some of his tips included:

"When a man tries to hurry you into spending your money put it back in your pocket and keep your hand on it."

"If the promoter could do one-half of what he claims he would not need your money, but soon would be rich beyond the dreams of avarice."

"Industry, energy, thrift! These are the dice that win."

While his books read like the pulp fiction popular at the time, they also provide an unparalleled look into the criminal underworld of Chicago


10-13 ASSISTANCE NEEDED

The following has come to my attention, and perhaps you can contribute some assistance.

A group of people are trying to get a law passed regarding repeat-offenders that may be of value.

The law concerns a recidivist offender, who is convicted of a designated amount of misdemeanor offenses, would have subsequent offenses handled in a more serious manner.

Please check out this web site,

www.hillaryandromelloslaw.org

which will provide all of the information about the proposed law and available resources for people to show their support.



“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
March 31, 2002 Det Jamie Betancourt, BxNarco, Stabbed- o/d dispute
April 2, 1880 Ptl James Stone, 3 Pct Brooklyn PD, Assaulted – struck by brick
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
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


Remember to check out – and bookmark – NYPDAngels web site:

www.nypdangels.com

“You manage things, you lead people”.


WHITE COLLAR CRIME

A recent article in FORBES magazine highlighted some of the more recent white-collar crime sentences, contrasting them to some of the more heinous, violent crimes we are more aware of.

You may find this interesting.

Jeffrey Skilling, convicted of conspiracy and fraud in connection with the collapse of Enron – and the loss of many worker’s pension funds – was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison.

Landon Burgin, punched a man and then left him to die, sentenced to 3 years in jail.

Robert Memory, a motorcycle gang member sentenced for stabbing two people in the back during a bar fight that left a third man dead, received a 9 year sentence.

Timothy Rigas, convicted along with his father, of looting family-controlled cable company, Adelphia, received a 20 year sentence.

Joshua Hunter pleaded guilty to setting a fire that killed 2 people, a restaurant owner and his son. He received a 3 year jail sentence.

Melvin Bynum, a North Carolina pastor, received a 7 year sentence after he strangled his wife and left her body to decompose in an abandoned car.

Bernard Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years for conspiracy and securities fraud in connection with World-Com’s accounting scandal.

Walter Forbes ran travel conglomerate Cendant during a time it inflated earnings. In addition to paying $3.3 billion in restitution, he was also sentenced to 12 years in jail.



EDGED-WEAPONS

Did you know that 92% of police injuries are caused by edged weapons?

The most common weapon used to inflict these injuries is a screwdriver.

The minimum safe distance from an assailant wielding an edged weapon is 21 feet.


LEGALLY SPEAKING

Homicide: The killing / death of a human being by another human being.

Murder: Unlawful homicide.

Practically speaking, all “murder’s” are “Homicides”, but NOT all homicides are murders.

For example, death caused by another under legal means – justifiable homicide – is still a homicide, but is not an “unlawful” homicide – NOT a murder. An MOS shoots and kills another during the proper performance of police duties; “Justifiable” Homicide is ruled; the incident is still a “Homicide” – but NOT a murder.

Get it?




INTERESTING WEB SITE

Interested in SEC filing information?

The US Securities & Exchange Commission now offers full text searching at:

http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm

Searches filings of publicly traded companies – for free! The database covers the last 4 years.

Another search, Edgarscan, focuses on retrieval of financial information from 10-K and 10-Q reports.

www.edgarscan.pwcglobal.com/servlets/advancedsearch

Happy searching!



GADGETS FOR THE INVESTIGATOR

A nifty little device acts as a Telephone Recorder Pickup-device, allowing you to easily record telephone conversations.

The single-plug device, the TP-7 telephone Recorder Pickup, can be used with all telephones and requires no physical connection to the telephone.

Just plug the TP-7 into the “Mic” jack of any recorder, and put the earphone device into your ear. When speaking on the telephone this device will capture both sides of the conversation – your voice, picked up by the microphone of the recorder you are using, and the other side of the conversation through the earpiece – which you are holding against the telephones earphone as you speak, recording through the Mic-jack of the recorder.

Best of all, it can be used on landline phones as well as any cell phone.

It is manufactured by Olympus, and can be found at the following site:

Olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_accessories.asp?id=700&ct=all

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."
Michelangelo


BACKGROUND SEARCHING THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Reviewing a recent edition of an investigative magazine, I noticed that corporations are reporting their hiring managers have been researching employment applicants on internet “social networking” sites, and uncovering a lot of interesting information on these prospective employees.

“Social Networking” sites are another name for the popular sites such as MySpace.com, etc.

Not sure which are the popular sites in your area? Ask a teenager! They’ll surely know!

How does this apply to the detective?

Recent information also provides information being uncovered on some subjects that reveal another side to him/her that the investigator could find very valuable.

For example, evidence of gang affiliation searching through the MySpace pages of a subject may be uncovered through photographs that are posted, web sites they link to, or comments made on their comments pages.

Perhaps you’ll find photos posted of people in gang-significant clothing demonstrating gang signs? Certainly an interesting fact to be aware of.

A detective had noted one such anecdote.

A detective from Victorville, California ran a query using the term “Victimville”, which was a gang-slang for that town, on MySpace. There were about 350 such links, however, a search by the particular gang-name returned a manageable 3-sites; visiting the links on those sites connected to links of friends of those posted, providing a wealth of background information prior to sitting down and interviewing his subject.

Certainly something worth keeping in mind.

Remember, sometimes the detective doesn’t know what he/she is looking for until he finds it!


INTERESTING WEB SITE

Here are 2 pretty interesting web sites, available free access on the internet (may require an initial “Free Registration” for extensive searches). Worth checking out. If nothing else, check out your own residence, and see what information is easily available – free of charge – to anyone who wants it!

http://www.propertyshark.com/

Geared to real estate professionals, will include information on the owner, property value and taxes, as well as a recent photograph of the house! Very extensive info on New York locations.

http://www.zillow.com/

Provides real property valuations and aerial photograph, that looks very close to what you can get on googleearth.com. Has many more cities than propertyshark.com has.


GADGETS FOR THE INVESTIGATOR

Document Scanner that Fits in a Pocket:

DocuPen is a handheld color scanner, no bigger than a pen that can fit in your pocket, that help you scan documents for retrieval later on.

Docupen offers a 24-bit color scanning device that is just 8-inches long and less than 1-inch wide, can be easily carried in your pocket, and is USB interfaced in a very simple manner that can download scanned documents to your computer.

Few buttons to worry about, and the scanning is simple to accomplish.

A slow pass across the page with the “pen” will save the document to the scanner. When you get back to your computer, simply plug it into the USB port, and voila! The document is scanned into your computer!

The pen can hold about 100 pages in its internal memory. In addition to the color devices, there is also a black-and-white only device available.

The manufacturers web site can be found at:
http://www.planon.com/

The color version runs for around $300; the B&W one for considerably less, at around $100.

It may be a convenience you find worth having.




SOME MORE 1930’S CRIMINAL SLANG

BULL-OUT-OF-HARNESS: a plain-clothes man.
CALL THE TURN: said of a criminal after a detective has identified him.
ON THE DIP: pickpocketing.
FLY-COP: a detective.
FRONT OFFICE: police headquarters.
GOPHER-MEN: safe-blowers.
MOLL: a girl.
MOLL-BUZZER: a pickpocket who robs only women.
MOUTH-PIECE: a thief paid by the police for information; also a criminal lawyer.
PETER: a safe.
PETERMEN: safe-blowers.
THIMBLE: a watch.


POLAR BEARS?

Which two homicide detectives, and homicide squad commander, chose to take part in the recent Long Beach Polar-Bear swim in sub-20 degree weather?

Question: Is it true the worst part was walking from the beach to the car afterward?
Answer: No, silly; the worst part was being in the water!

ORIGIN OF NEW YORK CITY POLICING?

The following contribution by Ret. Sgt. Mike Bosak, noted department historian, concerns the origin of policing in New York City.

It has been dogma that Jacob Hayes was the founding father of law enforcement in New York and that the 'City Watch' wasn't established until 1803. Mike considers both these statements to be “fairy tales” that somehow or other became historical facts.

Perhaps, he notes, it just might be because Jacob Hayes’ primary occupation was that of newspaper publisher, editor and reporter, and he liked to write about himself?

For you see, England declared marshal law in New York City on April 19, 1775 just to maintain basic law and order and keep the criminal element in check during the American Revolution.

During those eight years just prior to the city being surrendered to the Americans, the British Army and the city's constables made thousands of arrests for criminal offenses, so that vital commercial activity could continue and the city's inhabitants could maintain some semblance of a normal life.

How could anybody espouse that NYC went without a criminal justice system, i.e. police, courts and jails for 20 years (1783 -1803)?



IN MEMORIAM: PTL. FRANKLIN DOREMUS, 1855

Mayor Fernando Wood’s speech at the New York Police Legion of Honor Ceremony held at Lafayette Park in 1856, had this to say about the recipient:

Ptl. Franklin C. Doremus – 17th Patrol District – “This officer was called upon on the morning of the 15th of May 1855. to quell a disturbance at a lager bier saloon upon his beat on 1st Avenue.

He entered the saloon for that purpose, and arrested one of the principal rioters.

In attempting to leave with his prisoner an effort was made to rescue him. A melee ensued, in which officer Doremus was dangerously stabbed in the upper part of the chest.

The wound penetrated the surface of the lung, three inches from the above, downward. He acted manly, and evinced courage and devotion to duty of a high order.

His life was in imminent danger for some time, but a sound constitution and a temperate life has enabled him to recover.”

It is noted, that, at the medal day ceremony, Ptl. Doremus was supported by two other officers and was carried up to the podium to receive his medal, “as he has not yet entirely recovered from his wounds.”

Research conducted by Ret. Sgt Mike Bosak documents that Ptl .Franklin Doremus resigned from the department on June 26, 1855 unable to perform his duties due to the injuries he had received. In all probability, he most likely died from his wounds at a later date.


MORE ON THE 1855 MEDAL DAY CEREMONY

All the bands used by the department that day were brass and drum.

In 1855 the ‘Native Americans’ controlled New York City government and anti-Irish bigotry was common throughout the city.

So despite the department being approximately a quarter to a third Irish, the pipes and drums were not to be heard that day in City Hall Park.

Later most of the commands had their own little ceremonies, dinners and festivities to honor their own. There is no doubt that several of these commands that were predominantly staffed with men of the Irish heritage later proudly paraded through and around their local ward to the wailing of the traditional bag pipes, and partied to traditional Celtic music.


DEPARTMENT MOTTO

Most have seen, or heard, the department’s motto “Fedelis ad Mortem”. English translation: "Faithful unto Death"

Did you know that it was not always this?

“Fiat justitia ruat coelum. Partum est Merito” was the motto of the 1845 – 1857 NYC Municipal Police Department.

The English translation of that is “Let justice be done, regardless of the consequences. The duty in itself is the reward.”

When the New York City Municipal Police Department was legislated out of existence and the state controlled Metropolitan Police began to police the city in June of 1857, the old motto went the way of the department and became lost to history.

On June 13, 1873, legislation changed the name of the new ‘New York Municipal Police’ (Established April 5, 1870) to the ‘New York Police Department’, and the motto was codified as, “Fedelis ad Mortem”. "Faithful unto Death"


INTERESTING WEB SITES

Autopsy Database:www.med.jhu.edu/pathology/iad.html

INTERNET AUTOPSY DATABASE - Searchable collection of over 49,000 autopsy facesheets.


Biographical Dictionary:www.s9.com/biography/
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY - Contains biographical information on thousands of notable people spanning from present day to ancient times.

Electronic Librarywww.elibrary.com/id/2525/
ELECTRONIC LIBRARY - Search thousands of newspapers, magazines, journals and books using a keyword.

CORPORATE LESSON

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings.

After a few seconds of arguing over which one should go and answer the doorbell, the wife gives up, quickly wraps herself up in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel that you have on."

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her 800 dollars and leaves.

Confused, but excited about her good fortune, the woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets back to the bathroom, her husband asks from the shower, "Who was that?" "It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.

"Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.



“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

February 9, 1963 Det Richard Arundell, DetDiv, LOD Heart attack
February 10, 1926 Ptl Frank White, 35 Pct, Shot-Burglary in progress
February 11, 1966 Ptl Stanley Butch, Harbor, Fell from boat
February 11, 1982 PO James Carragher, PSA1, Shot: Off duty robbery
February 12, 1930 Ptl George Miller, 22 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
February 12, 1936 Ptl James Young, Mounted, Shot-robbery
February 12, 1940 Ptl John Holt, 28 Pct, Off-duty burglary
February 12, 1980 PO Robert Bilodeau, SCU, Shot-investigation
February 13, 1918 Ptl Samuel Rosenfeld, 102 Pct, Shot-Robbery in progress
February 14, 1921 Ptl John Sheridan, 70 Pct, Line of duty incident
February 14, 1925 Det Chester Hagan, DetDiv, Shot-investigation
February 14, 1963 Ptl Vincent Zichetella, 14 Pct, Shot-robbery
February 14, 1984 PO Thomas Ruotolo, 41 Pct, Shot-Robbery
February 14, 1999 PO Matthew Dziergowski, 123 Pct, Auto accident
February 15, 1917 Ptl Samuel Cunningham, 42 Pct, Shot-GLA Arrest
February 15, 1932 Ptl James Goodwin, 34 Pct, Shot-off duty robbery
February 15, 1971 Det Joseph Piciano, 41 Sq, Shot by prisoner


TO CONTACT THE MINISTER OF INVESTIGATION…

You can e-mail me at:
Ltjac77@yahoo.com

Question of the day: Who drove Ptl Frank Serpico to the hospital after he was shot during a botched drug operation? What hospital did they go to?

If you know the answer, please drop me a line at my e-mail; I'm still conducting the research to these answers, but I figured I'd ask on the site and perhaps save myself time.

Who is the former Borough Commander that was incorrectly identified as a USMC alumni? (And, no, Jim O'Brian cannot answer that one!)

FORGOTTEN HISTORY: RIVERSIDE PARK

Riverside Park, just like Central and Prospect Parks, once had its very own precinct.

In 1939 the NYPD created a new command and named it the 26th Precinct. It covered Riverside Park from West 72nd St. to today's northern boundary of the park.

The one story station house, which was very small, was located under the West Side Highway at West 135th St. and 12th Ave. The department abolished the old 26th Pct. command in 1954 and split up Riverside Park, assigning its respective area to today's 20, 24, 30, and 34th Precincts.

Notice that today's 26 Precinct wasn’t included as patrolling the park.

The 26 Precinct, as we know it today, was established on January 7, 1959. Prior to that the 24 and 30 Precincts boundary was the center line of West 125th Street.

The old Riverside Park Precinct station house may still be in existence today. Until a few years ago it was still being used as a P.A.L. facility.

(Thanks to PD Historian, Ret Sgt Mike Bosak!)



ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY: RECOGNITION SOFTWARE

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, and other facilities across the country are developing behavior recognition software that, in conjunction with video surveillance systems, alerts authorities to suspicious behaviors.

This research has applications in security, anti-terrorism, and surveillance, among other sectors, and the Homeland Security Department and Pentagon have taken notice.

The software developed by Johns Hopkins allowed authorities to arrest robbery suspects during an armed robbery that occurred near the campus of Johns Hopkins in June 2006. During the incident, the Hopkins software singled out an image from one of the campus's 89 security cameras; the software highlighted the image because it recognized that one of the suspects was engaging in suspicious behavior on the street, with aberrant movements.

The security system automatically alerted an on-duty security guard, placing the image of the suspect on the security guard's computer screen, allowing the security guard to zoom in on the image and record a license plate number.

You can read more about this technology at the following web site:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.gait05jan05,0,1884420.story? coll=bal-health-headlines


ANOTHER ONE FOR THE BOOKS

Who’s the Detective who was complaining about coming down with
“Corporal Tunnel Syndrome”?



INTERESTING WEB SITE

Click here: BrooklynPix.com - Old Brooklyn Photos Pictures Books -- The Most Comprehensive Collection of Old Brooklyn Photogra

Great old photos of Brooklyn neighborhoods!


INVITATION TO A STICK-UP

Would anyone, especially anyone who has been involved in this line of work, accept an invitation to a stick-up?

I doubt it – unless you were conducting some kind of a decoy operation. But I’m not talking about that.

Let’s set the stage.

You like playing poker. In fact, you’ve become pretty good at it, maybe as good as anyone could expect to become at a game of chance like poker. Yes, I’ve heard all the arguments about developing skills, etc, but in any event, it’s still really a game of chance (unless, of course, if you can cheat really, really well).

So you play poker. You win more than you lose, so you look for a good poker game.

You find yourself playing a game of poker for some pretty high stakes; money’s going all around, when all of a sudden the hammer strikes.

A knock on the door results in your worst nightmare – four armed and masked gunmen, announcing a robbery, taking everyone’s money while roughing up a few players along the way to make sure everyone knows they mean business.

Maybe you’re armed, because you can be. Let’s say you’re a retired cop, and you carry for protection. You rightly assess the odds of going against four armed thugs with your 5-shot weapon, hope they don’t search anyone, and breath a sigh of release when the bad guys make their exit without anyone getting hurt, and chalk up your losses and move on.

An ideal situation for a robbery, because – of course – no one cares to report a robbery at an illegal gaming den, so everyone picks up and leaves – going on their way. It’s only a material thing; no one was hurt, let’s move on, you say.

Just a very bad night.

Except, and here’s the catch. You knew that this same location had been robbed several – and I emphasize several – times before. You knew this before you went there. You went there anyway. You went there with a lot of money, knowing that other people with a lot of money would be there, and it had been robbed several times before – never being reported, leaving the crooks in essence to have gotten away free and clear with a lot of money. You basically were walking into someone else’s “bottomless well”.

But you go there anyway.

You basically accepted an invitation to a stick-up.

Congratulations, you are the chump we all used to laugh about.

When’s the next game?


SECURITY WATCH

I know at least one retired MOS that might be interested in this:

World Game Protection Conference
Date: February 8-9, 2007 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: www.worldgameprotection.com

The World Game Protection Conference (WGPC) is a 2-day international summit dedicated entirely to casino game protection. Conference features information on latest scams, new game protection technology, experts on casino and gaming security and a place to network with end-user peers. Bellagio is the host for 2007.

Maybe you could get some of that money back from that great invitation to a stick-up?


FROM THE MINISTER…

Holiday and workload have caused some lapse in posting to this site. My apologies to those who have missed it. I’ll try to do better!

Also, I know I have some e-mails backed up that need answering and/or posting here; I will try to do that this week.

Part of the problem is that I am no longer able to access on-line to post on this site from my workstation – and continue to try and do so from home when I remember and/or have made copies of the posting to carry home and complete. I know – nobody really cares, but figured I’d try and explain anyway. Please bear with me!




“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

January 30, 1930 Ptl Maurice O’Brien, 28 Pct, Shot-arrest
January 30, 1956 Ptl Benny Bruno, GCP Pct, Auto pursuit
January 31, 1901 Ptl Thomas Fitzpatrick, 29 Pct, Explosion-rescue
January 31, 1901 Ptl Edward Mullin, 29 Pct, Explosion-rescue
January 31, 1927 Ptl James Masterson, 18 Div, Shot-robbery in progress
January 31, 1928 Ptl Patrick Fahey, Traffic C, Fall from horse
January 31, 1928 Ptl William Kelly, 37 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
January 31, 1931 Ptl Harold Conway, 27 Pct, Drowned
January 31, 1959 Ptl Michael Talkowsky, 23 Pct, Shot-robbery
January 31, 1968 Ptl Stephen DellAquila, Safety B, Scooter accident on patrol
January 31, 1984 PO Angelo Brown, 84 Pct, Shot-robbery, off duty
January 31, 1992 PO Hilario Serrano, 43 Pct, Shot-robbery, off duty
January 31, 2004 Sgt Keith Ferguson, ESS7, LOD Heart attack

It is noted that the eleven line of duty deaths recorded on January 31 represent the date with the most line of duty deaths for members of this department.

February 1, 1935 Sgt George Nadler, ESU, Explosion-investigation
February 2, 1975 PO Frank Bugdin, Midtown North, Shot-investigation
February 4, 1933 Sgt Eugene Monahan, 34 Pct, Shot: Robbery pursuit
February 6, 1864 Ptl John Hoffman, 25 Pct – Accident, runaway horse
February 6, 1864 Ptl Austin Easterbrook, NFI
February 6, 1914 Ptl Edward Murtha, 147 Pct, Shot-Robbery investigation
February 6, 1944 Ptl Eugene Mahoney, 5 Det Sq, Auto accident on patrol