Jumel Mansion: Patrol Post #4

 

The Jumel mansion is situated on W. 160 -162 street and Jumel terrace. It was the colonial home of Madame Jumel and Aaron Burr. It was used by General Washington during the Revolutionary War. Eliza Jumel became one of the wealthiest women in America, being married to both Roger Morris and Aaron Burr. She would be entombed in Trinity Church cemetery at W. 155 st and Broadway.


When I was a rookie about 14 officers in the 30th precinct were assigned to the 6pm x 2 am foot patrol. I was assigned to Patrol post 4, West 155 to 165 st and Edgecombe Ave. Specifically I was to give special attention to the Roger Morris, Jumel Mansion. As it was a gated park I was given the keys, not only to the front gate but also to the basement. Unlike the rest of the precinct patrol posts, PP #4 was like taking a time trip back to the 1700s. Opposite the Mansion was a small dead end street, Sylvan terrace, with the original small wooden houses.

Here are some incidents from Patrol Post #4.

During the bicentennial, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited and we had to change the street direction as the Queen always exits from the right. Her security saw one of our plainclothes red-headed Irish officers, John Browne, and said get him out of here. They then gave me a commemorative coin. We were not allowed to talk to the Queen, only respond if she talked to us. However, Prince Philip addressed and thanked us

After the Knicks won their championship in 1969, I saw a funky dressed man with a large hat. As I recognized him as Knick great Walt (Clyde) Frazier, I said, hey Clyde what are you doing up here. He said he was looking for the Edgecombe high school. I told him it was a few blocks up on W.165.

The next incident happened when an elderly Black man produced his lieutenant shield and said he was assigned to the security for former boxing champ Joe Louis at 555 Edgecombe Ave.

Finally, a couple of fellow officers had apprehended 2 youths who were playing with flintlock rifles. Upon questioning they said that they found a tunnel on the Harlem River drive which led to a trap door in the Mansion. The rifles were sent to ballistics which revealed that they were found to be loaded. Apparently the escape tunnel was dug 150 feet down in the rock at Coogan’s bluff.

As there was not much crime in this area, I was later assigned to another new brainchild idea, Vertical Patrol, with another rookie Kenny Mac.

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Case of Characters

Precinct Characters.

The precinct had a cast of characters from bosses to the patrolmen who would be called Police Officers with the advent of female officers. 

One of our Captains would send me for a can of tuna fish, he said don’t pick the top one as a mouse might have walked on it.

Ptl. Artie A. was a stickler for neatness. His locker was like no other for everything was placed in a specific order. Summer shirts, winter shirts, summer jacket and winter jacket. Also a special hook for his gun belt. He sustained an injury and was assigned to the interior of the precinct. He made a key rack for the keys to the police cars, each hook had two screws and he had the slot go up and down. Other officers would change the direction just to annoy him.

Ptl. John T. He always wanted to be a draftsman. Unlike other police officers who hand drew their accident reports, he drew them with accurate precision.

Ptl. Ralph M. He was one of the precinct typists and would type Uf 61, compliant reports, as well as other reports. One day he saw me typing my own report with 10 fingers. He said you can type? I said I was taught in high school. Soon after that I became his assistant.

Ptl. Kenny M. He was a police trainee and was assigned to the telephone switchboard. When he finished his trainee program he became my partner.

Ptl. Paul D. He was a collar, an arrest guy. Often at roll call someone would ask who’s catching. You didn’t have to ask him twice.

Ptl. Danny K. was a big Yankee fan and our best 3rd basemen on the precinct softball team.

One of the precinct characters was Sgt D. He had a VW green beetle and would come early to work and go thru the garbage. His family was in the junk business, and he once said he found a gold ingot.

Another Sergeant wanted to play 1st base for the Precinct softball team. He dropped every other throw, and  got the name “iron glove”.

Ptl. Jerry W. always put his hand over his mouth when he talked to you. I think the football and baseball coaches got it from him.

Ptl. Edwin B. asked me why I locked up his people, I told him don’t you realize you work in Harlem.

Other characters and celebs:

I soon found out that there were many more characters especially when I flew to the Central Park Precinct. One middle aged man, a former professor stands out. He went by the name Pete the parrot. He rode a bicycle and had two beautiful Macaw parrots on the handle bars. He was always enticing young police officers up to his apt, for refreshments, as he really loved cops.

We had a German Lieutenant who once asked us to take his uncle for a tour of the precinct. Later in the lunch room he said he was on the other side during WW2. He said he was in a tank and it was good while they were winning. As the war turned he had to survive on green pea soup. Finally he said his ears were still ringing as his tank ran over a land mine.

At Central Park precinct I met Otto Preminger, the Byrds, and Rocky Graziano. Met George H.W. Bush, then CIA director, at the Waldorf Hotel.

In 1979 me and my partner recovered one limousine of the Iranian Shah of Iran. Two retired detectives came to the precinct and asked if the Telex was still in the trunk. We went outside and popped the trunk and it was still there. The detectives said the Shah would be overthrown in a week, otherwise we could have retired and worked for the Iranian government.

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