My Dumb Observations

Odd thoughts come to mind while reflecting on the passing of a friend one year ago. Some believe not everyone is called to be on the planet a long time. Of course, whenever a person in his early 50's passes, it's hard to avoid thoughts of "too soon." But Howie was an outlier. Both personally and professionally, Howie sailed rogue in a world divided by labels, conjuring his Brooklyn birthright to adapt in anyone's company. Nicknamed Triple H by fellow cops, he could be observed clocking out from a double shift with little sleep, or brown-baggin' a beer with flag waving colleagues, or seen donning a helmet to ride with his crew of urban motorcycle enthusiasts, often in the same day! Super cool, Howie's persona fit the stereotype of his appearance; like a lab-made hybrid of Barry White and Issac Hayes without the velvet notes or Kung Fu moves, but that never stopped him. Always the quiet charmer, Triple H would head back to his locker after roll call to spor...

I hate Christmas. The fake spirit, the phony joy, it’s all a big farce. As a kid, when Santa Claus was motivating, I looked forward to the seasonal customs, but was always suspicious of how Santa operated. On Christmas Eve, my parents would encourage my brother and I to “go to bed” because Santa would not arrive with people awake. Then they would stay up with a houseful of guests celebrating the holiday Italian style -drinking jugs of wine, smoking cartons of cigarettes, eating seafood, and carrying on till sunrise- while we listened and choked on the fumes atop the stairs. Christmas morning we would drag my parents out of bed. Hung over and exhausted, my father would set up the old 8 millimeter camera, flood the room with studio style lighting, and blind his children while capturing silent films of us tearing into an overabundance of gifts. We truly were blessed. We always received what we wanted, and as an added bonus, my brother often had more fun playing with the ...

The Manhattan bound train is empty as it lurches forward and begins its midnight journey out of Coney Island. Winter winds whip through the train as passengers slowly board at every elevated station. Most are headed to a night shift job or New York night out. My police radio is dead silent. With only one year on patrol I have yet to learn the best crime fighting efforts do not come from police executives or politicians, but from the tendencies of Mother Nature. My assignment to late night train patrol was precipitated that winter by a ‘lush worker.’ He was cutting open the pockets of sleeping passengers to remove personal items while they slept. The crime is not atypical for the hour or area, and the eyewitness description of the perpetrator was a black male 18 to 30 years old wearing a black jacket, black jeans, and armed with a box cutter. My platoon had been briefed numerous times about the robbery pattern, and with rookie ambition we certainly generated many stop and frisk reports...

Commissioner Bill Bratton's sudden departure from the NYPD could not have come at a worse time for the people of New York. Sought by Mayor de Blasio as the most tempered, experienced, and fair minded executive in policing, Bratton seemed a perfect fit for the controversial job. Following on the heels of Raymond Kelly, and twenty years of republican rule in New York City, both the distressed citizens and the demoralized cops in the Big Apple embraced the change. But the New York of today is a vastly different place from when crime and disorder dominated the political landscape. Some critics single handedly blame Bratton for lighting the fuse which led to the dissatisfaction people feel toward the police today. After all, William Bratton popularized the scientific management of policing. By strengthening law enforcement tools like crime mapping and targeted enforcement, Bratton's initiatives modernized how the police interrupt criminal behavior around the world. As crime ...

Enough already with thinking the police WANT to stop and frisk minorities. Reading media accounts of those stopped, one would think the police were frenzied cowboys running amok. Some articles suggest the police are financially compensated for stopping young black men and secretly rewarded for violating the rights of others. Of course the NYPD is not without fault for creating adverse reactions in many communities, but the overall issue needs a common sense middle ground. As a lifelong Brooklyn resident and a police officer, maybe a different perspective is in order. I haven’t been a frenzied pig my whole life, but I have been stopped and frisked more than most. In fact, during my adolescence I’ve probably been “tossed” more than all the New York columnists combined, yet I never came away with any more negative feelings for the police than I have today. Growing up on the streets of Brooklyn, I was associated with a large, loud, and disorderly group. We did not have community recr...

As a matter of principle, I believe a person should be permitted to be as reckless as one wishes with his personal protection. After all, whose life is it anyway? I not only believe, but ardently support one’s right to be personally injurious. It builds character. I’m no fan of all sorts of things that would benefit me greatly. While I recognize the utility of such, I do not endorse seatbelts, sunscreen, vitamins, motorcycle helmets, condoms, faith healing, or, hard to believe, bulletproof vests- and probably scores of other items I haven’t thunked about either. ‘My body, my choice,’ as the saying goes. I am guilty of relying on protection on many occasions. I am also not happy with burning urination either, so a balance may be in order… BUT IT IS STILL MY CHOICE! My employer thinks differently. Supervisors go through great lengths to inspect our front line defenders to ensure we are properly uniformed. A noble undertaking I must declare, but how responsive is the job at supporting thi...

So I'm investigating a suspicious briefcase left on a subway station platform. What makes it suspicious? I have no idea, except someone forgot it while commuting; but as long as you "See something, say something" I guess the world's a better place... Anyway, while two uniformed officers search up and down the outdoor platform  for said suspicious package, I notice an overly nosy mother/daughter team following our every move. The daughter is also wearing a cut off NYPD t shirt. So I squeeze between them, with my back to mom... "Excuse me," I say, "Did you happen to notice a tall Russian woman wearing a black blazer, black pants, and abnormally large sunglasses? She's also carrying a subway sandwich bag with a poorly made sandwich in it?" Holding back laughter while perfectly describing the mother standing only inches behind me, the daughter replies,  "No, But I will definitely keep a look out for it." "Thank you very much, an...