August 1, 1998---Long-time NYC newspaper columnist (and no friend to the NYPD) JIMMY BRESLIN told listeners at a speech he gave in Connecticut and shown on C-SPAN, that the CROWN HEIGHTS RIOT was not a riot. Breslin went on to say that "only" two people were killed, "only" seven stores were looted, "there were no fires..." and (he admitted) even though he was, in fact, pulled from his car and seriously beaten and robbed in Crown Heights while covering the non-riot (only to be saved by a security guard who recognized him), AND that NYC TV reporter TIM DOLAN of Channel 7 had two ribs broken in a mele, a riot can only be compared to Los Angeles after Rodney King, and these were just "isolated incidents." Sorry Jim, but there are members of both the Brooklyn North and South Task Force, as well as members of the New York City Fire Department, that would disagree, not to mention the people who lived there. However, former P.C. (and present Mayor of Houston, Texas) LEE "Out-of-Town" BROWN would possibly agree with you, since he testified in a civil suit that he thought his driver took him "past" the neighborhood on his way home to Stuyvesant Town from Police Plaza during the situation, but he didn't really remember it. Brown should have called his First Dep., RAY KELLY, to find out what was going on; but he wasn't home---he was at the riot in Brown's absence, ducking the "air mail" and taking command.
July 31, 1998---The television news-magazine show "20/20" on the ABC Network did a story this evening on how police officers and their families have become the victims of violent attacks from persons the cops have locked up. One cop and his wife were the victim of a bombing at their home, causing the loss of the officer's left hand. One chief in Florida quit rather than have his family subject to such a life. At the end of the report Tom Jarrelson told anchor Hugh Downs that police agencies are now removing officers personal information from accessible information, such as vehicle registrations, and recommending officers get unlisted phone numbers. There was a time when officers from various jurisdictions were asking for such removals a long time ago, only to be laughed at by police administrators. "Why should you have such a perk?" asked many a mayor or chief. Now they know why. Politicians, whether civilian or Uniformed, can only see as far as their noses.
July 31, 1998---News reports today indicate that rogue NYPD Detective JOHN WRYNN resigned last week. Wrynn was accused by Federal authorities of "giving up" an NYPD undercover officer working a case against Organized Crime members that were also old friends of Wrynn. These friends of Wrynn were convicted of killing a NYC Firefighter as a result of an arson fire. Commissioner Safir, thinking that everyone was as naive as he is, and that no one would notice or care, put the younger Wrynn on modified assignment for FIVE YEARS rather than persue departmental charges, as a favor to Wrynn's father, a boss in IAB. Dispite these heavy accusations, "boy-Wrynn" stayed on modified since 1993, until the New York Times blew Safir's lack of action out of the water. The old man was also mentioned, but never charged, in disobeying a direct order not to review his son's file in IAB. He was transferred to Communications instead. Why the Department failed to act properly in this case is somewhat of a mystery, but First Deputy Police Commissioner PAT KELLERHER could probably fill in some of the blanks.
July 24, 1998---CAPITOL BUILDING SHOOTING, Washington, D.C.:
Within hours of the shooting of the two Capitol Police Officer, the usually disengenous politicians made sure that they got their faces on the tube giving rightful praise to the officers.
Sincere or not, Prosay hopes that this terrible incident gives these people pause to realize that police work is not what you watch on television, and that a cop does not relish the possiblity of getting involved in a "shoot-'em-up," where the outcome is not always the good guy going home that night, nor that they sit around on their days off figuring out which members of minority groups to beat up. However, Prosay doesn't really expect these same legislators to remember this incident when push comes to shove over legislation that may be in police officer's best interest.
Sadly, one commentator on CNN, almost immediately after the shooting, tried to put a political "spin" on the deaths of the two officers, trying to make some connection between this shooting and the recent Court Order to have Secret Service Agents testify in the Clinton/Lewinsky matter. I'm sure THAT was paramount in many minds!
July 24, 1998---Ed "The Hypocrite" Koch continues to bad mouth Mayor Rudy for the Midtown South situation. Fearing that the reports that this brothel caper may have been going on during his administration and might tarnish is reputation, Koch comes out in his Daily News column on 7/24 blaming Giuliani for finding it. Ed the Hypocrite also continues to push for the establishment of an "Independant Police Investigation and Audit Board," so when something goes wrong within the PD, the elected politicians can shrug their shoulders and point their fingers at an unelected board and blame them (like Ed the Hypocrite is doing to Giuliani). Sorry Ed, this won't wash. Your boy Ben Ward sat in the PC's chair for this one, too. But with his reputation, no one would have expected any major discoveries of this type. Besides, one hypocrite in an administration is enough.
By the way, Koch also makes the statement in his column criticizing Giuliani for having too much to say about the NYPD, with the statement, "...Giuliani even decides who should be promoted to detective." That's interesting, Ed. Prosay seems to remember a detective that was promoted to 1st Grade during your administration, and never spent a day in a Squad, and was not a part of the Mayor's Security Detail. This detective was seen and heard at many a police incident saying that he was "from the Mayor's office," and throwing orders around. Look's like Ed the Hypocrite had a lot of influence with detectives, also.
July 21, 1998---Five OSSINING, NY Police Officers have been suspended (WITH PAY, fortunately) for having been involved in a shooting incident while on-duty on Sunday, July 19. It came in as a "shot fired" run, apparently with a discription of the perp, and/or people on the scene pointing him out. A foot chase ensued, with the perp spinning around at one point with the gun in his hand. A gun was recovered, and the perp DOA.
Unfortunately, as in all these situations, the perp was a "model citizen," his rather long rap sheet not withstanding. Also as in most of these type of incidents, the "community" is enraged that one of their "resident criminals" finally reached the end of his rope by officers using lawful "deadly physical force" to stop "deadly physical force," as prescribed in the Criminal Procedure Code.
Prosay is surprised that the NYC press isn't making the same "big deal" out of this shooting as it has done before when it was anticipated that the normal rabblerouses and race-baiters, SHARPTON, MASON, AND MADDOX were expected to show up. But that trio have their hands full now and are laying low, anticipating being on the full-time domestic employ of the lawyer who successfully sued them for malicious libel.
We also hope Westchester County D.A. JEANINE PIRRO, usually the epitome of the "political animal" and television commentator, uses her legal abilities, rather than her political, to navigate this case thought the system.
July 20, 1998---The hypocritical Ed Koch, on his call-in radio program this morning, told a caller that he couldn't take the blame for the recent MTS situation, even though it is reported to have been going on for 10-15 years, during the time he was mayor. Koch started to blame Rudy, Timoney (ex-CO of MTS), Mario Cuomo, etc.; everyone that wasn't there. Koch also tried a "Clintonism," by saying that the MTS situation is happening in most, if not all, NYPD stationhouses. Koch then got two calls from callers who said he was a hypocrite, both of which he got rid of forthwith! Note to Phil Boyce (Program Director of WABC-AM): Maybe it's time to shorten Koch's depleting time slot some more...maybe by about 45 minutes.
July 18, 1998---The New York Post, in its coverage of the Midtown South situation, interviewed several female officers, asking them what they thought of the cops hanging out in a brothel while on duty. DETECTIVE ANDREA GONZALEZ, echoing the refrain of Bill Clinton supporters, was quoted in the Post: "The free sex doesn't bother me...What they do behind closed doors is their business." Actually, it should, detective. Besides the morale situation within the ranks of the job with the possibility of broken marriages and families as a result of all this, there is always the possibility of anyone who patronizes a prostitute catching various diseases. As a taxpayer (which you can confirm when you look at your check every two weeks), who do you think pays for the long-term sick leave that may come about? I can imagine what response you would have had if a relative of yours was mugged (or worse) leaving Madison Square Garden, and then finding out that the sector or foot-post was "on a personal" on 39th Street. Contrary to the politically correct crowd, being judgemental is a big part of the human intelligence.
July 16, 1998---PBA Prez LOU MATARAZZO has announced that he's going to "pack it in" in June of next year, according to several NYC newspapers. Matarazzo will be 63 in the middle of his next term if he was to run, but that is the mandatory retirement age for the NYPD, and he would not be able to hold PBA office after retirement. Some think it's Lou's chance to get out while the going's good, since he was also the Treasurer of the PBA when convicted PBA lawyers were taking what some would say was more than their fair share of the membership's dues. Possible successors to Matarazzo are the present members of the executive board of the PBA, as well as P.O. JOHN LOUD, a delegate assigned to the 19th Pct. Loud was very "loud" recently, organizing a protest in front of the PBA headquarters, protesting the lack of access to the PBA books in the beginning of the Transit PBA scandal that broke last year. Some of the Transit PBA lawyers that went to jail also represented the regular NYPD PBA. John Loud is a bit of an "ol' timer" in the job, and has seen the worst and the best of the NYPD, having worked in the nortorious 41st Pct. when it was known as "Fort Apache," before being "lifted" to the 19th.
July 14, 1998--POLICE OFFICER MICHAEL MEYER of the NYPD was indicted on Monday for the shooting of a so-called "squeegee man," one of those annoying individuals that stand at intersections and "offer" to wash the windshield of you car. Ironically, Mayor Giuliani was criticized for ordering active enforcement against these offenders when he was first elected to office. The Mayor wanted to prevent such an incident that Officer Meyer is accused of. Giuliani was called everything from "petty" to a racist (and, Prosay assumes, so will Meyer at some point) for seeking to rid the streets of these pests. The rabblerousers was silenced, however, when public opinion praised Giuliani (and, by extension, the cops that took the enforcement action) for putting a stop to them. (By the way: It was good to see REV. BILL KALAIDJIAN the next day at Meyer's arraignment, coming out of forced "retirement" to support an officer, something he's been doing for most of his adult and professional life!)
---Former NYPD Commissioner WILLIAM BRATTON, in an article in "New York Magazine," has come out for a reduction in the manpower in the NYPD, recommending that it be reduced by about 3,000 cops by attrition. Many a patrol sergeant would disagree with Bratton, because finding a two-officer foot post to "protect the glass" when warranted has become a bit of a problem. Bratton's replacement, Howard Safir, has put an emphasis on "specialize units", even on the Precinct level, essentially removing many officers from "routine patrol." However, Prosay agrees with what Bratton thinks they should do with the attrition savings---give the cops a substantial raise!
