“Controlling information is power, and they (the FBI) don’t want to let it go.”
Police Commissioner Kelly as quoted March 25, 2007 from the Washington Post

“When you control the mail, you control information.”
Newman on Seinfeld


WHAT’S THIS CHICKEN HAVE TO DO WITH DETECTIVE WORK?

Two recent occurrences regarding chicken connected to detective work should be mentioned.

I just read an obituary for the founder of the Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken chain, Al Copeland, who recently died at the age of 64.

It seems that Mr. Copeland, who grew up in New Orleans, started out at the age of 18 with a one-man doughnut shop. He moved on to chickens when Kentucky Fried Chicken came to town, and after trying several different recipes, he finally chose a spicier Louisiana Cajun style, reopened his chicken restaurant, and called it Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken.

So, where’s the detective part?

Well, it seems that he named the restaurant Popeye’s after the Gene Hackman character in the film “The French Connection”.

Hackman played Detective Popeye Doyle – the one with the pork pie hat – based on the true story of the NYPD drug bust in the 1960’s. You know the film, the one with the famous chase scene under the el.

I just don’t get it, though. Popeye Doyle was a New York Irishman, NYPD police detective, working on a drug case involving a connection to France. Where’s the chicken come in? I’ve watched the movie – many times – and have read the book. I don’t recall any part of the story where chicken plays any part whatsoever. They never went out and ate chicken, no one in the film cooked chicken, he didn’t wear a chicken-pie hat, I just don't get it. A fast food restaurant that specializes in Louisiana Cajun-style fried chicken, from a New Orleans chicken restaurateur, is actually named for an NYPD Detective?

After mulling around that chicken story all day, I then am introduced to another true chicken-detective story. Two chickens in one day?

Tony Viggiani, one of the finest detectives I know, was recounting a story about an arrest for homicide that took place not so far in the past. Armed with the suspects photograph, and doing what detectives do, the team was out scouring the neighborhood in search of the perp. After he’s spotted on the street, the detectives move in.

As the perp is grabbed, he is carrying a plastic shopping bag. The detectives grab the bag as the cuffs are put on, prompting this spontaneous statement from the perp: “I know I did something really bad, and I’m going away for a long time – Can I at least have the chicken?” It seems the bag contained his recently purchased order of fried chicken.

Another example of fried chicken and its role in detective work. Another in a long line stories too true you can't make up.

Some call it ironic.

I call it just another story from this Naked City.


POLICEWOMEN, DECOYS AND THE TPF

The department’s monthly magazine, SPRING 3100, has been providing a written historical review of the department for decades. Get your hands on some old issues of this magazine and you can be assured a virtual walk through time, a time sometimes little understood by current day law enforcement.

A look through the magazines “Self Portrait” of February 1964 recently provided just such a perspective for me.

As has been noted on this site in the past, there was at one time a Bureau of Policewomen.

There was noted a “growing awareness of the usefulness of women in law enforcement, especially in those jurisdictions where their natural attributes and talents have been incorporated into the broad spectrum of police functions”. Keep in mind this was, at the time, “forward thinking”.

There were, at that time, approximately 340 policewomen on the department, of which more than 25% of them were assigned to the Youth Division.

“The Bureau of Policewomen functions as a personnel pool for all units within the department. Most detective squads, specialized units and borough commands have short-term, intermittent need of a policewomen’s services. When specialized departmental divisions require continued and extensive use of female officers, policewomen are permanently assigned. More than 25% of the policewomen force is detailed to the Detective Division. Policewomen are now eligible to compete for promotional ranks, beginning with sergeant”. This was in 1964!

A few pages away from the details of the Bureau of Policewomen was that of the Chief Inspector’s Office, and the Tactical Patrol Force.

The TPF was established in 1959 to supplement the regularly assigned foot patrol personnel in any given area during periods when unusual crime conditions require reinforced manpower.

TPF was the origin of the now borough uniform task forces.

The TPF worked from 6PM to 2AM, the hours which accounted for the greatest percentage of crime.

What was not stated, but was a well known fact, was that entry to the TPF was limited to Patrolmen over six-feet in height.

In addition to providing the enhanced patrol presence in high crime areas, they also provided two other functions which, at that time, were unique to that command.

One of the tasks that TPF undertook was “Operation Decoy”. Selected members would, while attired in women’s clothing, work as part of three-man teams in sections of the city where street crimes were on the rise. “One team member acts as the woman, and the other two are the back-up men”. I guess utilizing the members of the Bureau of Policewomen was not considered? Better to put a dress on Rocco, hairy legs and all, I guess.

It was also the TPF that utilized another state-of-the-art tactic: Civilian Clothes Patrol.

In today’s department, when every precinct has what sometimes seems like more MOS and units performing duties in plainclothes than they do in uniform, it is hard to imagine the day when the civilian clothes patrol was a special concept, undertaken by a citywide, specialized unit to address street crime.

The former Street Crime Unit sprung from the ranks of the TPF civilian clothes patrol, at a time when the plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit of the precinct wasn’t even considered. Other than those in the Detective Division (it was still a Division, not a Bureau), the only people performing plainclothes duties were the few precinct Captain’s Men, addressing vice and gambling enforcement, and the Division and Boro Plainclothes Unit, also to address vice and gambling. Narcotics enforcement fell under the direction of the Detective Division.

Women as cops, and civilian clothed enforcement- two concepts taking rise in the early 1960’s!


DNA INFORMATION

Check out this website on DNA:

http://www.denverda.org/DNA/DNA_INDEX.htm

Seems that the District Attorney's office in Denver has decided to share their knowledge about DNA and prosecution.

Here’s another site with additional info on DNA:

http://www.denverda.org/DNA/Forensic_DNA_Articles.htm

ANOTHER INTERESTING WEB SITE

http://www.policeny.com/ptlmofpatrol18.html

Check out these photos, recently posted on the great web site, Policeny.com

Everything from the Beatles to Lauren Bacall and Malcolm X!

This is one of the best PD sites on the internet. It MUST be bookmarked on your computer!



UNTOUCHABLES MEMORIAL RUN & BBQ

Norman Horowitz would like to let everyone know that the Untouchables Motorcycle Club is hosting their 1st Annual Memorial Run and BBQ, for the benefit of the widows and children of NYPD’s PBA and DEA who have lost family members in the line of duty.

The event will take place at Wantagh State Park in Wantagh, on Sunday July 20, from 12pm to 5pm.

The run, (a motorcycle run, not an actual foot-run, hence the Untouchables MOTORCYCLE Club) starts at Cunningham Park in Queens, with a 9am registration. The run will commence at 11 am. If not participating in the run you may also register for the BBQ at Wantagh Park at 1130.

The donation of $20 per rider, $15 for passenger, with $20 for non-riders and $5 for children under 10, will provide you with hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, june ham, beverages as well as live music.

“Ride for those who cannot.”

What a fool believes he sees no wise man has the power to reason away.
The Brothers Doobie


ITALIAN ORGANIZED CRIME LIKENED TO FAST FOOD?

As reported by the Italian news organization ANSA on February 20, the Calabrian organized crime syndicate 'Ndrangheta is similar to both a fast food chain and the Islamic terrorist network al Qaeda. This analogy is according to a new report by the Italian Parliament's Anti-Mafia Commission.

'Ndrangheta is like a fast food chain, the report explained ''because it offers the the same, recognizable brand and an identical criminal product all over the world''.

The similarity with al Qaeda lies in the fact that it has a ''tentacle-like structure which does not have a strategic command but a kind of organic intelligence,'' the report said.

The mafia in Calabria, more so than its Sicilian counterpart Cosa Nostra or the Camorra in Naples, has an ability to adapt and infiltrate into different geographic realities and market situations.

''And it does this by using the family as a base while expanding on a worldwide scale. With its tribal mentality, it is able to efficiently operate in a global and modern reality,'' the report observed.

However, 'Ndrangheta's propensity to expand may be its weak point, the report said, ''as rival families compete against each other with an intensifying obsession to control their territories''.

Up until now, the report recalled, Calabrian organized crime had been able to expand without overlapping territories and thus avoided the bloody gang wars common in both Cosa Nostra and the Camorra.

Now that the drive to expand appears to have reached a fever pitch, the report said, there have been increasing examples of gangland slayings by rival clans both in Italy and abroad.

These included the murders of six Italians in an ambush in Duisberg, Germany, last summer.

Some experts believe 'Ndrangheta is now the most powerful mafia organization in Italy and is even more ruthless than Sicily's Cosa Nostra and the Camorra in the Naples region.

The reason why 'Ndrangheta is considered stronger than its Sicilian counterpart is because the families involved are fewer and more closely knit, thus making infiltration and betrayal more difficult.

According to a 2006 report from Italy's national crime bureau DIA, 'Ndrangheta holds a virtual monopoly on drug trafficking in Europe, especially for cocaine, which generates an estimated annual turnover of almost 36 billion euros (nearly $50 billion).

It also has branches operating in Latin America, Canada and Australia, the result of emigration from Italy during the 20th century.

HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION CELEBRATES 35 YEARS!

The Commemorative Celebration of the NYPD’s Hostage Negotiation Team, celebrating its “35 Year’s and Still Talking!” will take placed Friday, March 28, 2008.

Seeking as many active and retired MOS from the HNT to attend, its Commanding Officer, Lt. Jack Cambria, is putting together a commemorative celebration second to none.

The event will take place at St. John’s University, Council Hall, on the Jamaica campus of the college.

The program starts with an 8am-9am breakfast and registration, and the days events will include a hot buffet luncheon and commemorative gift.

Those wishing to attend should contact:

Lt Jack Cambria at 646-610-8763, or
Det Sal Abuiuso at (646) 610-6631.

A great time for all former and present negotiators to get together for a “chat”! Sounds like it should be a great day. Perhaps the esteemed Ret. Capt Frank Bolz, one of the founding fathers of the team, will be there?


MEMORIAL MASS: PTL. NORMAN CERULLO AND PTL. CHRISTIE MASONE

Commemorating thirty years since the death of two Police Officers from the 79 Precinct, a Memorial Mass is scheduled April 5.

The two Patrolmen, Officer Norman Cerullo and Officer Christie D. Masone, both from the 79 Precinct, were shot and killed on April 2, 1978, after stopping two suspicious men in front of 660 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn.

Officer Cerullo exited the patrol car and spoke to one suspect, while Officer Masone spoke to the other suspect while still seated in the patrol car. After Officer Cerullo had finished speaking to one suspect, he re-entered the patrol car. Officer Masone suddenly exited the vehicle and began to struggle with one suspect. This suspect then drew a 9mm handgun from his clothes and began firing at Officer Masone. Officer Cerullo exited the patrol car and began firing at the second suspect. When the firing had stopped, Officer Masone laid dead. Officer Cerullo was mortally wounded, and one suspect was dead. The suspect that had been struggling with Officer Masone was struck twice in the legs, but was able to get to his car and escape the scene.

He was able to travel eight blocks before crashing into a parked car at Summer Avenue and Lexington Avenue. An off duty officer en route to the hospital to offer assistance to the fallen officers noticed the accident, but did not connect it to the shooting. When he arrived at the hospital and was informed of the circumstances of the shooting, he took three uniformed officers and returned to the accident scene and arrested the suspect.

The Memorial Mass is to take place on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at the Diocese of Brooklyn Administration Building, 310 Prospect Park West (corner of Prospect Park West and 19th Street). This is across the street from Bishop Ford HS (72 Pct area).

The Mass is scheduled for 10am, with a brunch & reception immediately following.

Let us not forget those who have gone before us.


INTERESTING WEB SITES

GPS by Phone:

A free service for directions by phone is touting itself as the ideal answer for those times when you may have left your GPS at home (or in someone else’s car).

According to Directions, anyone can get driving directions by calling from their cell phone.

Dial 347-328-4667, tell the voice activated service a starting address and destination address, and instantly receive a text message with Mapquest driving directions.

According to the company, the service is free and works on all cell phones.

You can also check into this at their web site:
www.dialdirections.com/default.html


Dick Tracy Wrist-phone:

The wrist-watch telephone made famous by that comic strip character, Dick Tracy, is a reality.

The ready to wear phone is made by Hyundai. The W-100 is a phone that you can wear on your wrist, features a 1.3 megapixel camera, a touch screen, Bluetooth, as well as a watch!

It can also be used as an MP3 player, and will be available in the U.S. soon.

Check it out at: www.akihabaranews.com/en/news_details.php?id=14958



THE NAKED CITY: WRITER MALVIN WALD DIES

It was reported on March 11, 2008 that Malvin Wald, the screenwriter nominated for an Academy Award for the 1948 movie “The Naked City”, died at age 90.

This gritty 1948 crime film “The Naked City,” was a prototype for modern police dramas, including the popular television show of the same name.

Ending with the famous lines “There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them,” “The Naked City,” was inspired by Mr. Wald’s adolescent years on the streets of Brooklyn.

“No one had done a film where the real hero was a hard-working police detective, like the ones I knew in Brooklyn,” Mr. Wald told The Hollywood Reporter last year. “We knew we were making a new genre that became the police procedural.”

The idea for “The Naked City” came to Mr. Wald from a photography book of the same name showing the bloody crime-scene coverage of the famed tabloid photographer Arthur Fellig, known as Weegee.

The film script follows Detective Dan Muldoon, played by Barry Fitzgerald as he trails the killer of a woman found drowned in the bathtub of her Upper East Side apartment.

The movie was shot on city streets, on East River piers and finally on the Williamsburg Bridge, where the killer climbs a towers, is shot and lands with a thud.

“My concept was that the Police Department — with all its fingerprint experts, crime scene photographers and autopsy physicians — solved murders, not Sam Spade-type private eyes working alone,” Mr. Wald later wrote.

At one point in the script, Detective Muldoon says, “Haven’t had a hard day’s work since yesterday.”

My note:
Alas, the Brooklyn homicide detective brought to the big screen – but, of course, the crime takes place, where? On the Upper East Side!

“There are 8 million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.”



“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

March 15, 1922 Ptl James McMail, 85 Pct, Assaulted during arrest
March 15, 1930 Ptl Walter DeCastillo, 84 Pct, Shot- robbery in progress
March 15, 1934 Ptl Philip Clarius, 78 Pct, Shot – robbery in progress
March 15, 1936 Ptl Dioniso Pasquarella, 75 Pct, Shot – off duty altercation
March 16, 1940 Ptl Francis Dolan, 10 Pct, Fell from auto
March 17, 1956 Ptl George Lessler, 10 Pct, LOD heart attack
March 18, 1926 Ptl William Higgins, 13 Div, LOD injury
March 18, 1948 Ptl John Casey, 20 Pct, LOD injury
March 18, 1972 Ptl Elijah Stroud, 80 Pct, Shot – robbery
March 19, 1943 Ptl James Donovan, 75 Pct, Shot – investigation, off duty
March 20, 1804 Ptl Hugh Enright, 24 Pct, Shot- burglary arrest
March 20, 1963 Ptl John Tuohy, TD2, Heart attack chasing felon
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


Noted: March 12, 1909 marks the 99th anniversary of the death of Lt. Jospeh Petrosino, the only NYPD officer killed in the line of duty on foreign soil.

His death has been profiled on this site in the past, and I have learned recently that there is a documentary in the works as well. A screenwriter has been researching the exploits of Petrosino, interviewing relatives and others who are providing valuable information, and will be preparing a documentary. Should be interesting when completed.

More on this as I get it.

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

–Sir Winston Churchill


BROADENING YOUR HORIZONS: YOU’RE A PROFESSIONAL

I have always found that, no matter where you travel or venture to, cops are cops.

Especially true with Detectives – whether they be investigating shootings in the Big Apple, Chicago, LA, or in Palermo Italy, two detectives get together for a chat and will inevitably find more in common than disparate.

One of the principles I preach when instructing at the Criminal Investigation Course is that, as investigators, we should be professionals. Professionals maintain their knowledge of their profession by partaking in continued education, by reading and networking with others that can help them to broaden their knowledge of investigations and investigative tactics and procedures.

All too often detectives act as if they performed inside of a bubble (not quite like “bubble-boy”, but you get what I mean).

What can the detective from Chicago teach you about investigations? Certainly a detective from Manchester England, or Dublin Ireland, can have nothing of value to teach you? That kind of thinking is not helpful, and can be very harmful.

Keeping up to date with the latest practices and issues on forensic procedures, particularly DNA related, is extremely valuable to every investigator, regardless of their geographic area of employment.

Share ideas, network, and keep an open mind.

I often read news articles concerning crime issues from around the world. The geography changes, but the frustrations of the investigator, the skills and the tactics of the working sleuth, can be duplicated across the globe.

The only frustration I sometimes encounter is discovering a new tactic, procedure or whatever that may be applicable locally, and getting someone of power and/or authority to listen. “To think outside the box” always sounds great when you’re the owner of the box, but never very popular when you work in the bureaucracy around the box owner.

Why live in a bubble, when there is so much more?




With those thoughts in mind, I am presenting some out-of-the ordinary items on this posting.

Investigations from around the globe, and a look at the application of investigations in a corporate environment – items to educate, and broaden the investigators knowledge.

There is no such thing as too much education.

Professional knowledge for the professional investigator.


USA HAS BASEBALL – EUROPE HAS F1 CAR RACING

We have been surrounded with news items concerning steroids in baseball, from the print media to television and radio broadcasts.

Professional sports are a hot item, and always make for good media exposure.

Why would the US Congress get involved in conducting hearings on the use of steroids in baseball? It certainly couldn’t be a political issue, right?

Well, in the light of broad-based information, I’d like to share an ongoing tale of fraud and deception presently underway in Europe, involving the Formula 1 (F1) Racing teams of Great Britain and Italy.

It appears that the British racin g team, McLarens, had obtained paperwork from the Italian team, Ferrari, that has become a large scale corporate espionage investigation.

It was released on February 29, in Bologna Italy that statements and information gathered by Italian investigators during an unannounced swoop on McLaren's headquarters in Britain and the homes of its top executives have been turned over to magistrates preparing an industrial espionage case against the British Formula 1 team.

McLaren has already been condemned by the international racing federation- FIA - for the illegal possession of technical data belonging to Ferrari.

The British team was fined 50 million pounds and stripped of all its points in the 2007 championship, which it was leading. The British team now faces criminal charges in Modena, the city which has jurisdiction over Ferrari's home town Maranello.

Working with British police, Italian investigators on Wednesday gathered information and documents at McLaren's headquarters in Surrey and from the private homes and offices of team boss Ron Dennis and executives Martin Whitmarsh, Jonathan Neale, Rob Taylor and Paddy Lowe.

Although McLaren has admitted having the technical data for Ferrari's 2007 race car, it has always denied using the data for its own benefit.

However, Modena magistrates said on Thursday that they had ample evidence which ''clearly showed the responsibility of top company management and technical staff'' not only in regard to obtaining the Ferrari data but also using the information for its own car and in deciding race strategy.

The material gathered Wednesday by Italian investigators, working with British police, mostly involved computer data and email records.

A statement from McLaren said that the police and investigators had been satisfied with the team's cooperation.

The information about the 2007 Ferrari was allegedly obtained by McLaren's chief designer who obtained it from Ferrari's former chief engineer.

McLaren is said to have received a 780-page dossier of Ferrari secrets from the Ferrari technician at the start of the 2007 Grand Prix season.Ferrari have taken legal action in Britain against McLaren’s engineer, and in Italy against the former Ferrari engineer.

SWEETHEARTING

I was reading an article on fraud deterrence in the private sector, and came upon the term “sweethearting”.

I had never heard the term used before, and wasn’t sure exactly what it meant – could it have something to do with “Leap Day” or “Sadie Hawkins”? An affair of the heart – but how does it apply to corporate fraud?

Sweethearting is the term that reflects a practice by employees that results in large dollar losses to retailers at all level.

Here’s a good example.

People come into the store and buy an item at a certain price, but the cashier rings up a different product at a much lower price.

They call that sweethearting in the trade, and that costs revenue.

The granting of special favors or privileges, especially to friends or family; in retail, the giving of unauthorized discounts or the abetting of shoplifting or other theft; the giving of a sweetheart deal.

The cashier may fail to charge the customer for some items, or may only ring up one item of a multiple purchase (a can of Coke rather than a six pack, for instance)

In shops with no bar code scanning, the cashier may ring an item up with a lower price, or ring it up as a cheaper item.

The cashier may apply discounts where they are not justified.

Like all forms of fraud involving collusion, sweethearting is difficult to deter by means of administrative controls.

You should know that many large retailers use closed-circuit cameras to both detect sweethearting and intimidate employees out of doing it.

I go back 30 years to my time as a McDonalds store manager, and realize that I fired a worker for sweethearting, before I even knew the term applied. Giving her boyfriend 3 hamburgers, a bag of fries and a soda, and charging him for only 1 hamburger – that sweethearting, sweetie-pie!

CHANGING POWER IN ITALIAN ORGANIZED CRIME

It was reported in Italian news media recently that there appears to be a shift in power as it relates to organized crime in that country.

We lump all organized crime groups under the simple heading of The Mafia. In fact, in Italy, one of the major investigative arms of the National police (Polizia di Stato) is the Anti-Mafia Investigative Division.

Organized crime – the Mafia – is actually composed of several distinct organizations- Cosa Nostra, in Sicily; ‘Ndraghetta in Calabria; and the Camorra in Naples.

Long known as the most powerful of organized crime groups, the Cosa Nostra, which is Sicilian based, appears to be losing ground to the Calabria based “Ndrangheta.

The 'Ndrangheta's power has been rising for decades and it is now considered more of a threat than Sicily's Cosa Nostra, with huge drugs revenue and a greater resistance to penetration by informants.

In November 2005 it signaled its new-found strength by murdering a prominent local politician.

In a 2006 report from Italy's national Anti-Mafia group, DIA, the 'Ndrangheta was described as more ruthless than Sicily's Cosa Nostra or the Neapolitan Camorra.

It dominates drug trafficking in Europe, especially the cocaine market, and has an estimated annual turnover of almost 36 billion euros (nearly $50 billion).

Recent arrests come in the wake of a series of police success against Cosa Nostra in Sicily and the Neapolitan mafia, or Camorra.

''After the capture of the big bosses in Sicily and Naples, now the strongholds of organized crime in Calabria are being dismantled too,'' Amato said.

He praised the collaboration between German and Italian police which had made the arrests possible.

WHAT THE HECK IS A WICKLANDER QUALIFICATION?

Ever speak to someone in the corporate setting and have them ask you if you are “Wicklander certified”?

What the heck does that mean?

Checking out the web site of Wicklander – Zulawski and Associates will tell you exactly who these people are.

Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc. claims that they continue to be recognized as the premier consulting and training company on interview and interrogation techniques.

Ever hear of John E. Reid Associates, or the Reid Technique for Interviewing? Apparently Wicklander and Reid have teamed up on much of this training.

They state that they are dedicated to assisting public and private sector professionals to improve their ability to obtain the truth through legally acceptable techniques. To this end, WZ continues research to provide the highest quality training, products and professional services to an ever-increasing number of organizations throughout the world.

http://www.w-z.com/




INTERESTING WEB SITES

Investigative Links:

Heres an interesting site that I have passed on before, but certainly worth doing so once again. Certainly worth a look-see.

Black Book Online has completed a transformation and testing of its new design. It is now the single largest FREE database of public record searches available on the Internet!

If you haven't visited in a while, visit it again soon at

http://www.BlackBookOnline.info

10-13 Association:

The 10-13 Association has a great web site you should check out also.

They also are providing a listing to help you find old friends or stay in touch with people you’ve worked with in the past. By clicking onto the below site you will be brought to the list of those who have registered.

If you would like to register yourself, it takes a little searching to figure out how to do so – but I’ve done it for you! (You’re welcome!)

Go to the home page, and click on the Guestbook link. You will be brought to the sign in guest book; register a new email address, fill out the boxes, and you’ll be added.

Take a look!

http://www.ny10-13amer.org/viewlist.htm


Flags:

Charlie from Florida, a law enforcement officer who has his roots in New York, has passed on the following link of interest.

This site will bring you to the flags of NYC, as well as the NYPD flag, and provide a little history of them all.

http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/us-nycp.html

Once there, the history of the nypd flag and nyc flag(s) are there. On the "clickable map" you get all the info about the flag including a history of each borough.

Charlie has been in touch with me in the past, and is a regular reader, and sometime contributor, to this site. I recently had the pleasure of meeting him in person, when he attended the Homicide Course this past January. Thanks for everything!!




PAY PHONES: DISAPPEARING FAST

Remember driving around looking for a pay phone so you could answer the “beep” you just received from home or work?

How about just having a beeper – no readout – and trying to figure out who was beeping you by elimination phone calls?

Well it should be no surprise to many people that pay phones are falling away real fast.

AT&T has announced its getting out of the business altogether.

It has announced a fire-sale on its last 65,000 pay phones, hoping to not be the last man on a sinking ship. When the liquidation is completed, the telecom giant won't own a single coin-operated phone. The pool of payphones nationwide has shrunk from 2.6 million to one million over the past decade, according to the Associated Press.

“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

March 1, 1945 PO Albert Black, Traffic F, Fire rescue
March 1, 1970 PO Joseph Mariconda, Aviation and
PO Patrick Harrington, Aviation
Helicopter Accident
March 2, 1924 PO Thomas Gaffney, 26 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
March 3, 1989 PO Robert Machate, BSTF, Shot-car stop
March 4, 1927 PO Henry Farrell, 3A Pct, Fire rescue
March 5, 1973 PO Irving Wright, 20 Pct, Shot-arrest
March 5, 1975 PO Robert Rogerson, Div.Licenses, Auto accident
March 9, 1948 PO Julius Mirell, 34 Pct, Shot-burglary
March 9, 1974 PO Timothy Hurley, 103 Pct, Shot-robbery
March 10, 1917 Ptl Deforest Fredenburg & Ptl John Lober, No information available
March 10, 1994 PO Sean McDonald, 44 Pct, Shot-Robbery
March 10, 2003 Det Rodney Andrews, OCCB Firearms, Shot-UC gun buy
March 10, 2003 Det James Nemorin, OCCB-Firearms, Shot-UC gun buy
March 11, 1930 Ptl Joseph Scott, 32 Pct, auto accident on patrol
March 11, 1947 Ptl Winthrop Paris, 30 Pct, Shot-Investigation, off duty
March 11, 1959 Ptl Robert Forrest, 24 Pct, Off duty LOD heart attack
March 11, 1987 Det Louis Miller, FTU10, Shot-Burglary in progress
March 12, 1909 Lt Joseph Petrosino, Det Div; Shot – Investigation in Italy
March 12, 1931 Ptl James Flanagan, 25 Pct, Shot- off duty investigation
March 14, 1872 Det Phillip Lambreck, 19 Pct, Assaulted
March 14, 1967 Det John Pollins, Narc, Arrest- narcotics buy/bust
March 14, 1996 PO Kevin Gillespie, SCU, Shot – investigation

MAFIA ROUNDUP- ACROSS THE GLOBE

Recent news items in New York City highlighted the round up of New York Mafia gangsters, and was described as the fall of the “last of the Gambino’s” in the New York Daily News.

It turns out that this roundup was part of an international effort, between New York and Italian authorities, dismantling much of the organized crime factions operating between the two countries.

You may have seen news items on the New York arrests. The following details more fully the international aspect of this organized crime effort.

Thursday February 7 was the day these efforts took place.

At least 80 people all together were arrested during this major crackdown on the Mafia carried out by Italian and American law enforcement agencies.

Code-named 'Old Bridge', the operation focused on revived relations between organized crime families in the United States and Sicily.

About 60 of the arrests were carried out by the FBI in the US and regards members of the New York-based Gambino family, including its reputed rising star Francesco (Frank) Cali', also known as 'Frankie Boy'.

'Old Bridge' is the lastest in a series of anti-Mafia offensives which began in 2005 and in 2006 allowed for the arrest of Cosa Nostra superboss Bernardo Provenzano, after over 40 years on the run, and last November of his heir in Palermo, Salvatore Lo Piccolo.

''Today's operation is the natural development of the investigations carried out by police in Palermo in recent years and which resulted in the arrests of Provenzano and Lo Piccolo,'' Italy's chief anti-Mafia prosecutor Pietro Grasso said.

''The evidence gathered in these investigations has shed light on the growing importance of renewed relations between Cosa Nostra families in Sicily and America, especially the Gambino family in New York,'' he added. Lo Piccolo had been instrumental in re-establishing ties with those Cosa Nostra families which were forced to flee Sicily in the early 1980s after they lost a bloody gang war for control of Cosa Nostra to the Corleone clan headed by Salvatore (Toto') Riina and Provenzano.Provenzano took over as the boss of bosses after Riina was arrested in 1993 and in recent years gave his blessing to re-pacification with those families which had fled Sicily.

Among these was the Inzerillo family which in the US allied itself with the powerful Gambino family.

Thanks to Provenzano, several members of the Inzerillo family returned to Sicily and were allowed back into the business, also because the original Corleone clan had been depleted by arrests and defections.
The business primarily involved drug trafficking and money laundering, which the American 'cousins' carried out through the Gambino-Inzerillo family's various legal activities including construction and food imports. Cali', who is married to a member of the Inzerillo family, is believed to have been responsible for relations with the families in Sicily and laundering their drug money in the US.

The FBI's investigation led to the discovery of a number of front companies operated under Cali's supervision including a law firm in Brooklyn which handled financial transactions as well as real estate investments for the family.




INTERESTING WEB SITE

http://www.telequery.net/

Here’s a commercial database for telephone listings, including a reverse directory, that costs nothing to start – is a “pay-as-you-go” site that could prove valuable and helpful.

You can start up with a trial program to test it out and see how you like it.

It promises to be “the most powerful, flexible, accurate, and easy-to-use name, address, and telephone number information search tool in the world.”

They provide you with real-time access to the Telephone Company's most current US and Canadian customer name, address, and telephone number databases.

Although we have the Real Time Crime Center for telephone inquiries. You may find this to be of use in your investigations.



SPOOFCARD

SpoofCard offers the ability to change what someone sees on their caller ID display when they receive a phone call.

Simply dial the toll free number and then your PIN. You’ll then be prompted to enter the destination number followed by the phone number to appear on caller ID.

SpoofCard is legal in the US and throughout the world. You have the ability to change your voice to a Male or Female, as well.

If you do choose to change your voice, the person whom you call will hear your transformed voice in real-time. It also offers the option to record your conversation, which can later be retrieved by logging-in to the control panel or calling a toll-free access number from any phone.

There is no extra charge for these features, and are included in the purchase.

Check out their web site for more details, including pricing info, at:

http://bb.spoofcard.com

You can also call 800-964-8450.

Certainly sounds pretty interesting, and investigators I know who are using it find it to be all it promises to be.



COPY MACHINES WITH INVESTIGATIVE VALUE

Did you know that many of the higher priced copiers contain a hard drive that saves copies of documents that are scanned or printed?

In fact, many copiers are integrated with your computers and can be used as fax machines.

This is something to think about when conducting an investigation, and you are retrieving the computer for forensic examination. You may want to have a look at the copy machine that is attached to it as well!

On a personal level, before you discard a copier from home, you may want to make sure you’re not discarding personal information others may be able to access.


IN MEMORIAM: P.O. SERAPHIN CALABRESE: 2/24/1980

Winter, 1980. A b.s. fare beat stop in the subway.

The newspapers in New York City carried the story of Transit Police Officer Seraphin “Sam” Calabrese, of District 1, who was killed in the line of duty that winter day.

Shot with his own gun, the story unfolded as follows.

“A transit police officer was shot and killed with his own gun last night in a struggle with a man who attempted to jump a turnstile in the Columbus Circle subway station on Manhattan's West Side, the Transit Authority reported. A suspect was seized outside the station.

At least four witnesses, including a token booth clerk, said the assailant had wrested the officer's service revolver away from him and emptied it in a barrage of gunfire that struck the officer in the head and back and reverberated through the sprawling station at
59th Street and Eighth Avenue at 9:50 P.M.”

“As the victim slumped to the concrete floor of the white-tiled underground concourse, the assailant fled to the street. Less than a block away, on 57th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, a pursuing transit police officer spotted and seized a suspect who was
said to be carrying the fatally wounded officer's gun and nightstick.

The fatally wounded officer, Seraphin Calabrese, 34 years old, was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:05 P.M.”

Witnesses told the police that the shooting occurred near a token booth on the underground concourse at 58th Street and Eighth Avenue, near the south end of the station, describing further that the assailant had entered the concourse at the northeast corner of 58th Street and Eighth Avenue and "was trying to sneak in" through the turnstiles. "The officer warned him to leave, then, the officer chased him a few times, a scuffle ensued and he managed to wrest the gun from the officer."

Witnesses said the assailant also took the officer's nightstick.

Transit Police Department Chief James Meehan said the assailant had fired all six shots from the officer's .38-calibre service revolver.

This was before the time when bullet proof vests were standard-issue for police officers, and it was noted that Officer Calabrese was not wearing a bullet-proof vest. The fatally wounded officer fell about 20 feet from the token booth, where a clerk who saw the shooting called for assistance.

The assailant, still carrying the officer's gun and nightstick, fled to the street, as an alarm went out over police radios.

Transit Police Officer Earl Sharpe was on the scene within moments, got a quick description from witnesses, ran out, commandeered a taxicab on Eighth Avenue and spotted the subject carrying the nightstick and gun and apprehended him without a struggle on 57th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.


“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

February 19, 1931 Det Christopher Scheuing, 13Sq, Shot-burglary in progress
February 19, 1968 Ptl Anthony Graffia, 106 Pct, Shot-robbery
February 19, 1971 PO Horace Lord, MN PEP Sqd, Shot-arrest investigation
February 20, 1921 Ptl George Smith, 96 Pct, LOD Accident
February 20, 1971 Det Erle Thompson, 114 Pct, Shot-off duty domestic dispute
February 21, 1917 Ptl Ralph Boyland, NFI
February 21, 1920 Ptl Henry Immen, 53 Pct, Shot-burglary in progress
February 21, 1982 PO George Werdann, 47 Pct, Robbery, off duty
February 22, 1925 Ptl Maurice Harlow, 13 Pct, Shot by prisoner
February 23, 1930 Ptl Joseph Keenan, PA, Shot-accidental discharge
February 24, 1930 Ptl George Coughlin, Mcy Dist, Auto accident on patrol
February 24, 1968 Ptl John Augulis, 83 Pct, LOD heart attack
February 24, 1980 PO Seraphin Calabrese, TPD-1, Shot-arrest
February 25, 1938 Ptl Henry Masterdon, 11 Pct, Injured on patrol
February 26, 1988 PO Edward Byrne, 103 Pct, Shot-assassination guarding witness
February 27, 1909 Ptl Thomas Smith, NFI
February 27, 1925 Ptl Harold Ormsby, NFI
February 28, 1928 Ptl John Hubbard, Traffic A, Auto accident on patrol
February 28, 1952 Sgt Paul Brooks, GCP Pct, Motorcycle accident
February 28, 1970 Ptl Michael Melchionna, TPD1, Shot-investigation
February 29, 1980 Ptl Irving Smith, TPD-PA, Shot-off duty robbery

Like most readers on this site, I look over the names of those who gave their lives in the line of duty, with some recognition along the way.

I joined the Transit Police Department in 1981, coming on during the time when subway crime was reaching its peak, grafitti covered train cars had become a staple of New York City, and attacks on Police Officers had continued on a rise as the start of the crack epidemic was taking root.

Sammy Calabrese and Irving Smith were still fresh in the Transit Police Academy Instructors' minds, many of whom had worked with either or both of them at some point.

Michael Melchionna, who was killed in 1970, had a brother, Henry ("Hank") on the job who taught most of us recruits - myself included - how to shoot a gun at the Firearms range in the basement of 300 Gold Street.

The Transit Police Columbia Association had an Annual Medal of Valor that was presented for a heroic act in the line of duty that was named in memory of Michael Melchionna. I was to be awarded this in 1982.

Who can forget the horror of PO Eddie Byrne being gunned down in 1988 as he sat in a radio car guarding a witness' home.

Remember them always, say a prayer for those they left behind. True heroes, one and all.

GUMSHOE

We now use the word gumshoe to informally describe a person who works as a private investigator or detective, but the original gumshoe was quite literally something people would wear on their feet.Gumshoes in the late 1800s were shoes or boots made of gum rubber. Precursors to contemporary sneakers, these shoes were soft-soled and quieter than other shoes available at the time.At the start of the 1900s, "to gumshoe" meant to sneak around quietly. Later the word referred to either thieves or the police who caught the crooks.By 1908 the word almost exclusively described the good guys, the people who investigated the crimes by acting stealthily or surreptitiously.The term has also been used to describe a Private Eye who "sticks like gum" to someone as in a surveillance on foot.


LOOK FOR THE OBVIOUS

Recently, a corporate investigations firm was hired to review and audit payments made during renovations at a construction site.

Reviewing the amount of money paid for work on the buildings water tank, the auditors began the process of going over the itemized bill.

Work performed to drain, clean, and repair, then paint and refill the tank were closely reviewed.

Some of the items the team wanted to examine, as good investigators conducting a forensic audit, included comparison for the amount paid for the work involved relative to similar work by other firms. Was their substandard paint applied? Was the tank painted before repairs were made? Was the tank even painted at all?

While others began the tedious accounting task of auditing the billing procedures, one of the more experienced, “street-detectives”, went out and performed the obvious: was there even a water tank on the roof of the building?

You guessed it – the firm was being billed for work on a water tank that didn’t even exist!


MITIGATION INVESTIGATION?

Most of us are familiar with the legal investigator hired by an attorney in preparation of defending a criminal client.

Reviewing statements made by witnesses, visiting the crime scene, seeking additional witnesses are all tasks that could be expected to be undertaken.

Have you ever heard of the mitigation investigation?

In preparation of the sentencing stage, attorneys will conduct a “mitigation investigation”, seeking to provide information on a defendant’s background in the hope of presenting to a jury, or sentencing judge, factors that may help lessen the sentence.

The mitigation investigation doesn’t seek to explore the elements of the crime itself, in a defense stage, but examines the aspects of the client’s life that led up to the crime.

In capital offense crimes, mitigation is intended to make a judge – or jury – less likely to sentence the person to death. The mitigation investigation is a required aspect of all capital offense cases, and is mandated by the US Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has ordered, in its 2003 decision Wiggins v. Smith, that attorneys must present mitigation evidence, should they be aware of it, which may compel a jury to return a sentence different than that of the death penalty.

While most investigators are working on determining innocence or guilt, and preparing a proper case for trial, you should know that there are others out there who will finding factors, such as past abuse, rape, homelessness, diminished mental abilities, which will lessen the sentence for the crime committed.

“I did it, but I can’t help myself for doing it?”


THE OUTCRY WITNESS

The person who heard the first version of events from the complainant – victim is known as the “outcry witness”.

Sometimes the version of events given to the “outcry witness” are different than what is reported on police reports.

That’s why it’s important to find out who accompanied a victim to the hospital, or who shows up there? Who are the complainants friends? Did the complainant/victim make any phone calls right after the incident?

You may want to ask your victim “Who did you talk to about this?” If you don’t, the defense attorney may do so – when your victim is on the witness stand!


INTERESTING WEB SITE

If you use a computer, you surely use Google to conduct searches.

There are ways to search sites, links, dateranges, etc. which may increase the effectiveness of your search.

A quick “cheat sheet” provided at Google can be found at:

www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html

Check it out, it could be quite helpful.


“WHAT NUMBER IS THIS?”

If you need to know what number you are calling from, whether it be a land phone or a cell phone, you can try the following.

Dial: 800-444-4444

You will hear an MCI recorded message giving you the phone number you are calling from.

It doesn’t work on VOIP or internet phones, though.

PASSING THE TORCH

I would like to mention the recent retirements of some very fine detectives.

This past month, First Grade Detective ROBERT RIVERA and FIRST GRADE DETECTIVE PATRICIA TUFO retired from the department.

Both these detectives have the distinction of serving in their Precinct Detective Squad with exemplary accomplishments.

Bobby Rivera defined the 77 Detective Squad. OPne of the finest detectives this department has known, he possessed a dogged perseverance and determination that proved him well throughout his tenure. I had the pleasure of serving with Bobby when I commanded the 77 Squad, and saw first hand his value as an investigator. His accomplishments, while too many to name, will long be remembered, and his loss to the squad, and this department, will not be easily replaced.


So, too, Patty Tufo stood as the factotum of the 81 Squad. An unwielding force striving for success, Patty leaves a void in Brooklyn North. A true gumshoe, sleuth, detective! If Patty had the case, you could be sure that no stone would go unturned, no lead would be left aside, every case received her utmost care and skills as an investigator.

Detective First Grade - they personified the title!

I wish them both all the best in their future successes, as whatever they eventually turn to can certainly reach no other level but success.

We also saw the retirment this month of Lieutenant DAVID STEIN, Squad Commander of the 77 Squad, who received an accidental medical retirement, leaving the department shy another exemplary detective commander. Dave is planning a spring wedding, and will certainly be very busy in the coming months. You leave us too soon, and we wish you all the best for the future.

Retirements are a fact of life - yet you never take for granted, and can never forget, the work they have contributed in the past.

Friends one and all, I reach out for Brooklyn North Detectives, and the Detective Bureau as a whole, and say "Thanks for everything, and Best Wishes for the future!"



“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

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
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
February 16, 1918 Det John Quinn, DetDiv, Physical assault during arrest
February 16, 1923 Det John Donohue, DetDiv, Shot by EDP
February 16, 1923 Ptl Joseph Reilly, 21 Pct, Shot by perp
February 16, 1941 Ptl Leon Fox, 60 Pct, Shot-Robbery in progress
February 17, 1921 Det Joseph Bridgetts, DetDiv, Shot-GLA Arrest
February 17, 1996 PO Charles Oddo, Hwy2, Struck by auto


I encourage you to visit, and bookmark, the site:

http://www.nypdangels.com/

for an excellent memorial tribute to our brothers and sisters who have fallen in the line of duty.

1PP LOBBY DEDICATION: NEW YEARS EVE TERROR REMEMBERED

New Years Eve will never be the same for some heroic members of this department.

The January 1 2008 edition of the Daily News noted the dedication of the lobby at 1PP to the five members of the NYPD who heroically were called to action on December 31, 1982 in response to the bombing incidents that took place around lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn.

It was twenty five years ago that the Puerto Rican terrorist group FALN planted five bombs in the city aimed at law enforcement targets – the federal building at 26 Federal Plaza, the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse and 1PP.

Commissioner Kelly dedicated the visitor’s entrance at Police Headquarters to these heroes on December 31, 2007 – 25 years to the day.

The first explosion went off at Federal Plaza; the blast blew out the windows and could be heard for blocks.

PO ROCCO PASCARELLA was working Headquarters Security, and was tasked to check the perimeter of the building. The second bomb found him.

PASCARELLA was able to alert SALVATORE PASTORELLA, who was a Bomb Squad Detective at the time that the bomb was inside a fast food container (chicken box).

A third explosion went off around 10pm at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse.

Soon after, after having been alerted of a person seen leaving paper bags near the main entrance of 1PP, the other devices were found.

PASTORELLA and his Bomb Squad partner ANTHONY SENFT cleared the area of any pedestrians, covered another explosive with Kevlar blankets, and suited up in their bomb squad suits to begin their work.

“I knelt down on my right knee and extended my right hand,” PASTORELLA remembers. “Just then the bomb went off.” SENFT was sent flying 15 feet in the air, and was blinded in the right eye and broke his hip. PASTORELLA was blinded in both eyes and lost most of the fingers on his right hand.

The fifth bomb was then successfully disarmed by two other Bomb Squad MOS, Detective FRANK DECICCO and then-Sgt. CHARLES WELLS. This fifth device was found by the entrance to 1PP.

Brooklyn North sleuths will know Charlie Wells very well, as he retired last year as an Inspector, the XO of Detective Borough Brooklyn, after serving in posts as a Detective Captain in Brooklyn North Detectives, with the Brooklyn North Gang Squad, Staten Island Detectives, and then at SID where he commanded the department’s counter-terrorism efforts after 9/11.

“What is it that enables these men to confront danger that most people would flee?” Police Commissioner Kelly said as he honored these men.

“You realize again how lucky you were to have survived,” remarked SENFT, who is still a Detective.



THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF CRIME

Compiled in 1859 by George W. Matsell, former Chief of Police of New York City, the SECRET LANGUAGE OF CRIME was a comprehensive dictionary of the criminal; a Rogues Lexicon.

Some of the entries of interest follow:

Amusers: Fellows who carry snuff or pepper in their pockets, which they throw into a persons eyes and then run away; the accomplice rushing up to the victim, pretending to assist, robs him while suffering with pain.

Barking Irons: Pistols

Baster: A house thief

Betty: A picklock

Blow a Cloud: Smoke a cigar or pipe.

Booth: A place where thieves gather or congregate.

Case: A dollar

Century: A hundred dollars.

City College: The Tombs.

Fly-Cop: A sharp officer; an officer that is well posted; one who understands his business.

Moll: A woman.

Mumpers: Beggars

My Uncle: Pawnbroker.

Oil of Barley: Strong beer.

Peepers: Eyes

Philistines: Police officers; officers of justice.

Pinked: Stabbed.

Roofer: Hat

Stop: A Detective

Tail-Diver: A thief who steals pocket-handkerchiefs from coat-tail pockets.

Thimble: A watch.

Turkey-Merchants: Purchasers of stolen silk.

BROKEN WINDOWS: NAPLES STYLE

The AK-47 has long been the weapon of choice of European organized crime gangs.

In Italy, where the Camorra rules organized crime enterprises in the Naples area, it is absolutely the weapon of choice.

“A young man with a degree in economics, was so impressed with the contraption (the AK47) the first time he shot it that he immediately wanted to take a trip to meet its inventor”, it is noted in the book Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano, on the Italian organized crime empire.

“The neighborhood capo wanted to be sure that all his men, even those with college degrees – the businessmen as well as the foot soldiers – knew how to shoot” an AK47.

This particular crime soldier, the one with the economics degree, was responsible for millions of euros, and had control over the distribution of certain brands of coffee in the area bars. Organized crime knows no boundaries! “It’s not just drugs”.

Being handed an AK47 for the first time, he told how he unloaded it into various bar windows one night, selecting them at random. The feel of the gun was impressive to this first-time shooter.

What of the storeowners who would find their windows shot out in the morning? Well, in this particular part of Naples, the feeling was that the owners “would come up with some sort of valid explanation of why someone would be shooting their windows out, because there’s always some reason to feel you’re in the wrong, or got caught by someone who you were trying to get over on”.

Many storekeepers have taken to installing bullet-resistant glass. But a bullet-resistant shop window can cost up to 5,000 euros, so it’s better to stick with the violent decorations than to replace it. And besides, there’s always the chance that the sight will lure curious customers to stop and ask what happened, chat with the owner, and maybe even buy a little something extra in the end. Rather than replace the broken window, most just wait until they implode from the next burst of gunfire. At that point insurance will cover the cost, because if the owner gets there first thing in the morning and makes all the merchandise disappear, the spray from an assault rifle is labeled a robbery.

A shop window shooting is not always an intimidation, so much as a necessity.

When a new shipment of AK-47s arrives, they have to be tested, to make sure they don’t jam. The Camorra could try them out in peace in the countryside, shoot at old armored cars, or buy some sheet metal to blow to pieces. But, no, they fire at stores – windows, doors, metal shutters – a reminder to all that there is nothing that does not potentially belong to them and that everything is really granted by them, a momentary concession.

And there’s also the side benefit.

The local glass companies with the best prices on replacement windows are all related to the clan; the more broken glass, the more money they make.



AVTOMAT KALASHNIKOVA

The AK-47 is short for the Russian “Avtomat Kalashnikova”, which means “Kalashnivov’s automatic”, and 47 refers to the year in which it was selected as the official weapon of the Soviet Union.

The AK47 is noted as a weapon that is very easy to use, with very high firepower.

Their strength is in their size: neither so small as to lack sufficient firepower, like revolvers, nor so big as to become unwieldy or have too much recoil. They are so simple to clean and assemble that in the former Soviet Union the military trained schoolboys to do it in an average of two minutes.

Mikhail Kalashnikov is the inventor of this high-powered weapon. Little did he anticipate what his resulting firearm would become, when he set out to design a weapon of value for the Soviet Army that he served in for many years.

Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov was born in 1919, and is now a well-preserved, sprightly old man, who still gets invited all over the place as a movable icon to the most famous assault rifle in the world.

Before retiring from the armed services of the Soviet Union, he received a general’s stipend of 500 rubles, which is more or less $500 a month. If he had been able to patent his weapon in the West, he would undoubtedly be one of the richest men in the world. There are approximately more than 150 million Kalashnikovs of varying models that have been produced over the years. Even if he only earned one dollar for each weapon, he would be swimming in money.

“I did not invent that weapon to make money, but only and exclusively to defend the Motherland in a moment in which she needed it. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would do exactly the same things and live my life just as I have. I have worked all my life, and my life is my work”.

Interesting, as there is nothing in the world which has produced more deaths than the AK-47. It has killed more than the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, more than the bubonic plague, more than malaria, more than all the attacks of the Islamic fundamentalists.

Yet there are those who consider its inventor, and the gun itself, to be an icon.


GREEN LIGHTS

Why are there green lights outside police precincts?

It is believed that the Rattle Watchmen, who patrolled New Amsterdam in the 1650's, carried lanterns at night with green glass sides in them as a means of identification.

When the Watchmen returned to the watch house after patrol, they hung their lantern on a hook by the front door to show people seeking the watchman that he was in the watch house.

Today, green lights are hung outside the entrances of Police Precincts as a symbol that the "Watch" is present and vigilant



“LEST WE FORGET”… NYPD Memorial
“It is not how they died that makes them a hero, but how they lived their lives”.

January 11, 1908 Ptl Robert Fitzgerald, Bridge Pct, Drowned-Rescue
January 11, 1916 Ptl Joseph Gaffney, 26 Pct, Shot-arrest
January 11, 1929 Ptl Albert Bruden, Mcy Unit, Auto pursuit
January 11, 1941 Ptl Edward Maher, Traffic P, Shot-robbery
January 12, 1974 PO Timothy Murphy, 120 Pct, Shot-off duty incident
January 12, 1981 PO Robert Walsh, 7 Pct, Shot-off duty robbery
January 13, 1924 Ptl John Schneider, 3Div, Robbery investigation
January 13, 1950 Ptl Edward Carraher, 14 Pct, Injured on patrol
January 13, 1997 Det Kenny Fung, 72 Sqd, Heart attack during investigation
January 15, 1938 Ptl Frank Zaccor, 14 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
January 16, 1953 Ptl Thomas Sheehan, 10 Pct, Line of duty heart attack
January 17, 1947 Ptl Harry Schriffies, McyDist, Shot-investigation
January 17, 2000 PO Benny Marciante, SITF, LOD Heart attack
January 18, 1935 Ptl James Killion, 17 Pct, Shot-robbery in progress
January 18, 1960 Sgt Edward Johnson, 5 Pct, Stabbed by EDP
January 18, 1967 Det Harold Jacob, Safe Loft & Burg Sqd, Line of duty heart attack
January 18, 1979 PO Robert Manzione, 7 Pct, Line of duty heart attack

January 21, 1932 Ptl John Walsh, 17 Div, Shot-off duty robbery
January 21, 1941 Ptl Daniel Piselli, 88 Pct, Killed-line of duty incident
January 21, 1948 Ptl William Von Weisenstein, 101 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
January 21, 1958 Det Francis O’Rourke, 32 Sqd, Line of duty heart attack
January 21, 1986 Det Anthony Venditti, OCCB, Shot-investigation
January 21, 1995 Det Alfred Boesch, Housing SNEU, Line of duty incident
January 22, 1971 Ptl Robert Bolden, 75 Pct, Shot-off duty altercation
January 23, 1934 Ptl Joseph Misichia, 114 Pct, Shot-arrest
January 23, 1943 Ptl Pasquale Venturelli, 45 Pct, Auto accident on patrol
January 23, 1987 PO Michael Reidy, 41 Pct, Shot-off duty robbery

SOME DNA DEFINITIONS

Nuclear DNA: DNA located within the nucleus of a cell. Nuclear DNA is typically analyzed in evidence consisting of blood, semen, hair that has tissue at the root end, saliva, skin cells, tissues, organs.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA): DNA located within the cell mitochondria and not the cell nucleus. Mitochondrial DNA is typically analyzed in evidence consisting of naturally shed hairs without tissue at the root end, hair fragments without the tissue at the root ends, bones and teeth.

Contact DNA Evidence: Contact DNA evidence consists of Nuclear DNA obtained from skin cells that are deposited / transferred on to a subtrate as a result of contact between a person and the subtrate. Contact DNA can be collected from such items as eyeglasses, cell phones, shirt collars, hat bands and other “touched” items such as door knobs, broken glass, metal containers, etc.

Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA Analysis: The analysis of ectremely small quantities of Nuclear DNA evidence. It is usually performed on contact DNA evidence and on extremely small samples of DNA evidence, and on extremely degraded samples of DNA evidence.

Substrate: The surface onto which DNA is deposited or transferred.



FROM THE LIBRARY

Here’s an interesting web site to check out if you enjoy true-crime stories, or stories written by police officers.

http://www.police-writers.com/

Provides a very good index of books written by police officers (active and retired), with indexing by authors, department, subjects, and others.

Certainly worth taking a look at.


NOTORIOUS NEW YORK- 1929

The Hotsy Totsy Club: 1721 Broadway

Story has it that not everyone carried out of the Hotsy Totsy Club on Broadway was dead drunk - sometimes they were just plain dead.

That’s not so surprising since the owner of the club was Legs Diamond, who, in the 1920s, was highly regarded in the field of organized crime.

Legs, it seems, could also be a pleasant host as long as patrons kept their eyes shut while inside the club. Otherwise, they were liable to end up in court testifying against gangsters, if not at the bottom of the East River.

One night in 1929, Legs and gangster pal Charlie Entratta got into a drunken argument with two men. Suddenly, guns were drawn and bullets were flying. In seconds, the two men, one of them nicknamed Red, were lying on the floor of the club in a puddle of blood.

For the next eight months, cops searched everywhere for legs, but all the witnesses to the double murder – including the bartender, three customers, a cashier, and the hat-check girl – either disappeared or died very unnaturally. The following March, ten months after the shootings, Legs walked into a police precinct in Midtown and asked, “You guys looking for me?”

It was a fine time to surrender since no one was left to testify against him. The Hotsy Totsy murders were never solved, leading one newspaper to write: “The solution is locked up in the graves of dead men and in the minds of a few men still alive who are anxious to keep on living until their time comes to die from natural causes.”

Legs, known for surviving dozens of bullet wounds, finally died in his sleep a year later in an Albany hotel room. The police found him in his pajamas, with three bullet holes in his head.


CINEMA INFLUENCES REAL LIFE: THE SCARFACE EFFECT

Several of my latest postings on this site concerning organized crime in Italy, and in particular, the area of Naples controlled principally by the Camorra.

This is in large part to a recent book I finished, GOMORRAH- A PERSONAL JOURNEY INTO THE VIOLENT INTERNATIONAL EMPIRE OF NAPLES’ ORGANIZED CRIME SYSTEM, authored by Roberto Saviano.

The author lived in Naples, and won a Literary award for this, his first book. It was also noted that “since its publication, he has been placed under police protection.”

A passage in the book noted how “movies are the forms of expression.” It was noted how the Camorristi look to the movies to create for themselves a criminal image they would like to emulate, but somehow lack.

This also includes cinematographic inspiration on how one handles a gun.

A veteran of the Naples police force’s forensic division remarked how much the Camorra killers imitate the movies:

“Ever since (Quentin) Tarantino (the American movie director) these guys don’t know the right way to shoot! They don’t keep the barrel straight anymore. Now they hold it crooked, like in the movies, which makes for disaster. They hit the guts, groin, or legs, seriously wounding but not killing. And so they have to finish off the victim with a bullet to the nape of the neck. A pool of pointless blood, a barbarism completely superfluous to the goal of execution.”

How many times have we not heard similar statements by our own witnesses, describing the same way the gun was handled by the shooter, cocked sideways, preventing the gun from operating properly – but looking like the movies!

We thought it was only here in Brooklyn? Not by far – not only does art imitate life, but very often life imitates art – when it comes to the movies!


“LEST WE FORGET…” THE NYPD MEMORIAL

January 2, 1932 Ptl John Kranz, Det Sqd, Shot
January 3, 1975 PO Michael McConnon, 13 Pct, Shot-robbery
January 3, 1978 PO Ronald Stapleton, 77 Pct, Shot, off duty incident
January 5, 1922 Det William Miller, 38 Sqd(32 Sq), Shot-arrest
January 5, 1922 Det Francis Buckley, Det Div, Shot-arrest
January 5, 1944 Ptl Patrick Malone, Traffic I, Auto accident on patrol
January 7, 1930 Ptl Paul Schafer, 19 Pct, Motorcycle accident on patrol
January 7, 1933 Ptl Walter Murphy, 14 Div (13 Div), Shot-pursuit
January 7, 1934 Ptl Ernest McCarron, 68 Pct, Fire rescue
January 8, 1946 Ptl Benjamin Wallace, 32 Pct, Shot-Investigation
January 9, 1938 Ptl Anthony Tornatore, 52 Pct, Shot-investigation
January 9, 1973 Ptl Stephen Gilroy, ESS8, Shot-robbery / hostages
January 10, 1987 PO Francis LaSalla, ESS1, Fire rescue
January 10, 1998 PO Edward Ahrens, 28 Pct, Shot (5/5/75) narco invest

As New Years Day approaches, I would like to express a very Happy and Healthy New Years wish to all!

The Minister of Investigation
Ltjac77@yahoo.com