Usually I was assigned to a foot patrol but on the day of my first gun collar I was assigned to an RMP (Radio Motor Patrol). We received a call 10-30, Robbery in progress, man with a gun w143 st. and Broadway, liquor store. As we were a block away we pulled up and surprised the young robber. Before we cuffed him, he handed me his jacket in which later I recovered the pistol. His mother went to the precinct and said her son was innocent and that I had planted the gun on him. I told her I’ll see you in court tomorrow.
Well in those days if you didn’t get a ride you took the iron horse downtown. On the train I met the mother and she says she heard that things are bad at Rikers. Is there anything I could do? I told her I would talk to the Assistant District Attorney as this was his first offense. The judge released him into her recognition. As we walked out of court, she thanked me. I learned that no child is ever guilty in a mother’s eyes.
I then went across the street to the famous bar, Marofi’s for a pastrami on rye from the Hawk. The court house was located in lower Manhattan, 100 Centre street, the infamous Tombs. Marofi was a bar behind the court house where Judges, ADAs, and defense attorneys settled a lot of cases over pastrami and rye and of course a pint of suds.
In my ten years I effected 22 arrests, mainly because my other assignments would soon take me off the streets. In a new assignment I would become the Station house officer, a position held by Lieutenants for more than 100 prior years. The
Police Department was evolving at a very fast rate as society was.
Maybe I should have prefaced that never in my career did I fire my revolver, but I was prepared to do so.To this day I thank the Lord.
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