September 29, 1998---The Clinton Administration allowed its chief drug policy spokesman, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey to initiate a plan to allow the expansion of availability of that legal addictive, methadone, by allowing it to be dispensed at your local doctor's office, rather than continuing to restrict its dispersal at methadone clinics. This is a typical liberal way of handling any problem, just change the name of the addiction (or any other problem, for that matter), and everything is alright. It's as if Clinton thinks, by giving easy access to methadone to addicts, they will all run to the polls in November and vote for a Democrat. The one person that Prosay loves to criticize, Ed Koch, has endorsed this plan, even though Our Mayor Rudy (in an apparent moment of legitimate thought) condemned the expansion of the legal use of "meth." On Koch's call-in show today, many people called also condemning the change in policy. Some were present and former meth addicts, as well as one cop who spoke of the many experiences we have had on the streets with those addicted to it. Koch just about called all of them "nuts," and even hung up on one caller. But when one caller stated that he was a meth addict, and he knew for a fact that there is little or no pre-screening of potential meth users (in essence, giving Federal Government endorsement and financial support to any drug users), Koch laughed off his own stupidity, and said, "What do I know; I've never been a drug addict." This was after Koch had the nerve to condemn anyone that called his show to condemn the policy. Koch has lived nowhere in his adult life except 5th Avenue in Greenwich Village and Gracie Mansion. Yet he bad-mouths cops and 'street people' for talking about their experiences, as if he has the "lock" on common sense. Sometimes I don't know who's worse: Koch or Giuliani.
September 28, 1998---Politics actively involved in Law Enforcement? Really? Say it ain't so, Joe....But don't bet on Detective John Ryan of the NYPD Special Frauds Squad asking that question! It seems that Ryan made a good collar involving a perp who passed some serious bad checks, and who was already involved in other indiscriminate use of other people's money, according to news column One Police Plaza. The Brooklyn D.A.'s Office, headed by Charles "Call me Joe" Hynes, s*** canned Ryan's collar for "lack of evidence," even though Ryan had a list of eyewitnesses ready to testify. Why did Ryan's hard work not pay off? Maybe it was because the perp was a "heavy" in the Jewish Hasidim community in Brooklyn, and Hynes (with Mario Cuomo whispering in his ear) really thought he had a chance to win the recent Democrat Primary for Governor! To Det. Ryan, and those out there that think that putting in a days work is worthwhile in the NYPD, Prosay says: Why Bother?
September 28, 1998---A follow up to the low numbers filing for the upcoming NYPD test (thanks to One Police Plaza): The upcoming Sanitation Test drew over 65,000 applicants, while the NYPD test is only up to 6312. Let's face it: Sanitation has become the "job of choice" for those young New Yorkers who vie for a good Civil Service job. After all, after you take one promotion test, you never have to lift another garbage can (or plastic bag, for that matter), not to mention that the base salary is only 10% less than a cop or fireman, but goes significantly higher when you add on the differentials involved. But, above all, you don't see Sanitation Workers going to jail for making too much noise during the AM pickups, or because they left a little mess at the curb.
September 24, 1998---Unfortunately, Prosay forgot to save the article, but in yesterday's (or was it the day before?) NY Times, there was a story of how Manhattan D.A. Morganthau has essentially shut out the FBI from the possible homicide investigation of the big-bucks socialite who lived on the East Side on 64th St., and the mother-son suspect team, the Kimes. This apparently raised the eyebrows of the agents involved, who tried to get back in using a little political muscle. But the agents didn't know who they were dealing with. Despite all his foibles, Morganthau must not have liked something that was going on with the joint NYPD-FBI investigation...something that was not political. He called FBI Director Freeh and told him to tell his NY office to back off, which Freeh did.
Assuming politics were not involved, Prosay would have to surmise that Morgy may have seen the future, with the Feds screwing up a very serious investigation of national importance, by going off on tangents rather than emphasizing one crime to hold the suspect before they get cut loose by the court because of some technicality. Solving the socialite homicide would do that, then the Feds could do what they want with the Kimes afterwards for the other crimes and homicides alledged to have been committed by them.
It is interesting, though, (but apparently a coincidence) that Morganthau chased the agents away right after Prosay basically said in a headline story that those of us in local law enforcement should keep our distance from the FBI.
September 21, 1998---In today's Newsday column, "One Police Plaza", reporter Leonard Levitt reports that, so far, only 2,500 applicants have signed up for the Civil Service test for N.Y.C. Police Officer. This extremely low number is unprecedent! Historically, the eventual number of candidates on the list have been halved at each step of the testing from the original number filed: half take the physical, half of that number take the medical, etc., etc. With this number of 2,500, the eventual list could only have a little more than 300 names on it! That would be distributed as 4 recruits per precinct. The news column gives some publicly given reasons, primarily the requirement of a two year college degree. But writer Levitt gives the real inside poop on why the low numbers: extemely low salary for NYPD cops frozen by Giuliani, lack of leadership in the ranks of the PBA (specifically pointing out Lou Matrazzo's public lack of support for P.O. Locurto in the Broad Channel incident), and the fact that there are a number of "high-profile" alledged brutality cases working, including "Louima." Anyone that believes that the lack of 60 college credits is the sole reason for the lack of interest is only fooling themselves. A person with any college credit would have to be a fool to use them for a job where public opinion over how you do your job could put you in jail, on either the state or Federal level...or both. Unless there is a change in mindset with the politicians over using the Police as pawns to advance their political agenda, don't expect too many young New Yorkers to jump on the Police Department bandwagon.
September 12,1998---As a cop, have you ever tried to offer a suggestion to a boss (of any rank) only to be rebuffed, primarily because THAT boss did not think of your good idea first? Well, your not alone! A tidbit in the Independent Counsel-Ken Starr Report released yesterday regarding the antics of our president and his girlfriend Monica (while on duty, and on "department property") shows that the Uniformed Secret Service bosses should consider their patrol officers ideas a little bit more seriously. We're sure this one "commander" (in the last line of the quote) will in the future:
"2. Observations by Secret Service Officers
Officers of the Secret Service Uniformed Division noted Ms. Lewinsky's 1997 visits to the White House. From radio traffic about the President's movements, several officers observed that the President often would head for the Oval Office within minutes of Ms. Lewinsky's entry to the complex, especially on weekends,and some noted that he would return to the Residence a short time after her departure.(418) "It was just like clockwork," according to one officer.(419) Concerned about the President's reputation, another officer suggested putting Ms.Lewinsky on a list of people who were not to be admitted to the White House. A commander responded that it was none of their business whom the President chose to see, and, in any event, nobody would ever find out about Ms. Lewinsky.(420)"
September 11,1998---When President Clinton's problems were just beginning to surface, the hypocritical Ed Koch led his listeners to believe that he was upset with Clinton's antics, and that Koch's future endorsements of Clinton were in jeopardy. However, today on his radio show Koch couldn't say enough to help the crippled President, saying the motto of the Democrats should be "SAVE THE PRESIDENT! Vote Democratic!" But followers of the Washington scene know that one of the scandals against Clinton is the fact that over 1,000 FBI files have been held in the White House, illegally, most of which contain very personal information of people inside and outside government and politics. D.C. insiders say that Clinton apologist are using this information from the files to discredit anyone that bad-mouths Clinton, calling it a "Scorched Earth" policy. Could Koch be fearful that a file on him could be in the hands of White House operatives? Does Ed have anything to fear if they do? Do any retirees from the old District 1 who worked "42 & 8" have any idea if Ed has anything, in fact, to worry about?
The Million Youth March continues to generate new news each day. Today's New York Times goes into some detail of the police operations, headed by new Chief of Patrol John Scanlon, and the followers of Mr. Muhammad. But something that caught Prosay's eye is the fact that Manhattan D.A. Morgenthau told the Times that he had sent his own people to the rally as observers. This is very intriguing. Are the officers of the NYPD now going to be "supervised" by an "outside agency," the District Attorney's Office? As told by the Times, Morgenthau convened a Grand Jury "based largely on accounts of the clash from several of his own investigators, including Leroy Frazier, who oversees Mr. Morgenthau's Harlem office." How can an Assistant District Attorney continue to be objective if, in the case his office is investigating, the ADA is a potential eyewitness? This causes major problems! If any officer is caught up in any claim of wrongdoing at the scene of the rally, Prosay recommends that the officer's attorney call for a change of venue (maybe to Staten Island), in order to prevent a "double whammy" against the cop: ADA testifying as witness, being examined by his own co-worker, another ADA!
September 3, 1998---Newsday, the Long Island based paper, is reporting that Sgt. Thomas Kennedy, at one time assigned to the 24 Pct., is going through a Department trial for an assault that he was criminally acquitted of. Kennedy, you may remember, was being honored at a dinner hosted by now-retired PD Senior Chaplain Bill Kalaidjain when Bill let go with a commonly heard, but politically incorrect, term to describe the Manhattan ADA that prosecuted Kennedy. When the term heard was made public and made the TV and print media, Kalaidjain got a call from 1st Deputy PC Pat Kelleher who inquired of Bill of just how many years he had on the job (hint, hint). So now, unfortunately for Sgt. Kennedy, Safir and his boys continue to go after him. What makes it more politcally an impossibility that Kennedy will also be acquitted at the Department trial, is the fact that a politician running for office happened on the scene just when the alledged assault took place. What makes it worse is the fact that the politician was leaving the local Democratic club at the time, with some of his supporters with him. Kennedy's lawyer says that the incident of the alledged assault was an accident, and, at the most, bad judgement on the part of the sergeant. "...(W)e don't punish people for bad judgement," says his lawyer. This is very true, but not when your a cop that is also an "FOB" ("Friend of Bill" Kalaidjain), and an active, running-for-office, liberal Democrat testifying against you.
