Assassinations

Assassinations

 

There were three important assassination attempts during this time period.

The first involved two Police officers, Curry and Benedetti of the 26th precinct which is south of the 30th. They were assigned to guard the residence of District Attorney Frank Hogan on Riverside drive. They were machine gunned down but somehow they survived but never were the same. Curry’s older brother was a seasoned homicide detective in the 30th.

Next, the deaths of Patrolman Waverly Jones and Joseph Piagiantini, Greg Foster and Rocco Laurie are similar. The two Black officers were shot in the back of their heads causing instant deaths. Also the were shot because they were Black. The two white officers were shot multiple times in both their testicles and eyes, sending a message. Eyewitness accounts recorded how the two pleaded for their lives.

Now this was the Police Department Pearl Harbor and every officer was on alert. The Chief of Detective mobilized a 100 man task force to hunt down the killers. In the Patrolman Jones and Piagiantini case which occurred in the neighboring 32nd precinct multiple arrests were made and brought to the 30th for interrogation.

As is always the case good old fashioned detective work would lead to the arrests and sometimes the deaths of these killers. I was amazed to learn that one of the killers was a former Marine who had been radicalized. Some of the members of the Black Liberation army actually lived in the 30th.

Now down the street on W. 158th Street and Broadway on December 6, 1971 there was an armed robbery of the Harlem Savings Bank by members of the Black Liberation army. This incident involved a shootout with both a 30th Precinct sergeant and his driver. We the police were now the target as described in deputy commissioner Robert Daley’s book, Target Blue.

No police officer ever considers himself or herself a hero.

The 30th Precinct is located on the west side of upper Manhattan, to the east is the 32nd Precinct. It is lower in topography and called the Valley. One day I had to bring some communications to this Precinct and when you walk in you are humbled immediately, for there are 10 memorial photos of officers who have died in the line of duty. One of the most recent was for a senior officer who used to stop in a liquor store to say good night to the owner. He was shot as the store was being robbed. Sadly he was eligible for retirement. During my 10 years at the 30th Precinct, no office died in the line of duty, also there were no memorial photos.

A check reveals that the 32nd Precinct holds the grim NYC record of 27 police officers killed in the line of duty since 1900.

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Community Service

 

   
Labor and Delivery:

In my ten years in the 30th Precinct, I was to handle almost every type of assignment. The one that stands out is the female in labor. My partner and I got that call in a snowy winter day. We had to climb 5 flights of stairs as there are no elevators on 5 story walkups. Upon entering the apt we were greeted by the entire Hispanic family and taken into the bedroom where a young female was in labor. Soon we found out that the grandmother wanted us to perform a Cesarean as she brought a boiling hot water pot with a large knife in it. I looked at my partner and wrapped a blanket about her and a kitchen chair and carried her down the 5 flights of stairs to our car. She delivered about an hour later at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. It would not be until I was a Sergeant in the 90th Precinct that I would assist a woman in a natural childbirth.

Note, I was always amazed at the faith and trust that people had in the police early in my Police career. I really don’t know when that lack of confidence occurred.

Summer Camp:

There was an area in the Precinct known as Sugar Hill. This area housed some of the most influential leaders in the Harlem community. It was part of the Harlem Renaissance which included many historical residences from the Roaring 20s.
Well there was a Sugar Hill men’s club which sponsored a trip to the Adirondacks.

Two officers were assigned to 8 male Black teenagers and were to go camping along the Saranac River. I don’t remember all the details, but I did bring my camper trailer to the site. A local forest ranger would check on us and bring us some firewood for the nightly campfire. I think we were given $500 for the trip, gas and food. we arrived on Sunday and left on Saturday.

Somehow, we survived and the program was a success. We were on duty all the time, and armed. We did not encounter any bears or ticks. The teenagers slept in pup tents and one day a raccoon came to the campfire.

I spoke with my 30th Precinct partner Kenny Mac, also a McClancy grad, who refreshed my memory, actually he was amazed about our memories.

Kenny said I cooked breakfast every morning, he remembers the bacon and eggs over the open campfire. We went to town for supplies and had sandwiches for lunch. Dinner was usually hot dogs and hamburgers. We were given sporting equipment and played football and softball. One night we took the kids to a drive-in movie. One kid said he never took a bath, so we went swimming in the river. The kids had a good time listening to my stories at the nighty campfire meeting, even then I was good at embellishing hunting stories.

It was either 1971-2 and the program lasted all summer, the police officers were given comp time for their days off. Apparently 500 dollars went a long way. Although the program was a success the city did not continue it in the following years. The Community affairs officer arranged for the Sugar Hill men’s club to sponsor the trip and provided us with an itinery, and supervision. There were no cellphones only a dime phone in town.

Christmas Party:

It was a tradition to hold the annual Christmas party at the neighboring school basketball court. This party was not only for the kids of the police officers but also for the kids in the precinct. At this party one officer P.K. played Santa, he loved Budweiser and one of my daughters said, Santa smells of beer. One of my Sergeants would bring his 8-yr old niece to sing and dance, later she became a tv star as the Nanny, Fran Drescher. I was fortunate to have many good sergeants who mentored me. ###

Fran Drescher

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Gun Safety

Gun Safety

I believe that the opening clip of Law and Order sums up what police work is really about. In that scene you see a female Police Officer rendering Aid to a victim. I thank GOD that in my 24 years I did not discharge my service revolver. However, I think there were about 5 incidents where I could have.

The following Monday after I was sworn in, I had to report to Firearms section at Rodmans Neck in the Bronx. My instructor was a Camp Perry champion and he told my class a few things. First, keep your mouth shut and ears open for what I tell you might save your life. He then put a dime on his red barreled gun and pulled the trigger 6 times without the dime falling. Next, he said, once you pull the trigger you can’t have the bullet come back. Finally, he said you only have six bullets, learn to count them. Next we were taken to the firing range for qualification and told to aim at the center of mass on the Ugly man target. We shot at different ranges and with both strong and weak hand. Finally, after certification, we were told that in most Police related shootings, you could actually touch the opponent.

Shortly after my first arrest, the Department came up with the idea of steady tours from 6pm to 2am. Me and about 15 other officers “volunteered” for this new assignment. I was given Patrol Post #4, which encompasses the Jumel Mansion. When you step off w162 st and St Nicholas Ave it’s like going back to revolutionary war times. This mansion was in the northeast section of the precinct, a relatively low crime area.

It was here on my post that I met a Black entrepreneur named Bill Bailey and his wife Mimi. He had a takeout chicken and shrimp market. His business had a plywood wall with a small takeout window and it was here I almost discharged my revolver.

As I was sitting behind the wall eating my dinner with his wife, two young men came in and said it was a robbery. I started to pull my gun and she admonished me, telling the robbers that they should not fool around as she recognized them. They never knew what danger they were in.

This post included 555 Edgecombe Ave, the former home of Joe Louis, and across the street was a staircase down to the now removed Polo Grounds. It was here that I earned the trust of the Community and one parent passed on info re. drug dealing. This led to the recovery of a kilo of heroin and the removal of a major drug dealer by the Narcotics Division

We had been taught about the dangers of the job, but there was a new phenomenon where the Police were now the targets.There is a famous gate at the rear of Columbia or City university overlooking Morningside park. Well, during the Vietnam protests me and two other officers were assigned there. All of a sudden two male Blacks rode up on bicycles and one attempted to draw a holstered gun. What he did not know was that I had a second gun on me and outdrew him, his eyes went wide open and he had an immediate Afro.

We radioed for a supervisor and upon checking found he had a plastic gun and was trying to provoke an incident. The boss said get rid of the toy and make no arrests. The perpetrator had come maybe 1-2 seconds of losing his life if he had pulled the gun. No difference from 1972 till today.

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Non-Arrests

 

West 155 St. and Amsterdam Ave. At this location two non-arrest situations occurred.





First, my partner and I responded to a fight which involved a man with a large machete. He was threatening another neighbor over some family matter. I told him to drop the knife and he did not comply. As he was distracted by my partner, I struck his wrist with my nightstick. After settling the argument he asked if he could have the knife back. I told him I’ll give you the knife if you want to be arrested.

Second, as I was on routine patrol, I saw an elderly male Black with a gun in his waistband. As I exited the RMP (Radio Motor Petrol), I said, "Sir can I have a word with you." Before he could answer I grabbed the gun which I knew was a WW2 Walther P-38. He told me that he was a combat WW2 veteran and had been in many battles including the Battle of the Bulge. He further stated that he had taken the pistol off a captured German soldier.

He said he now felt threatened in his own community. I said, "go home sir, the war is over" and I would not arrest him but rather voucher the weapon as found property instead of arrest. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. A famous U.S. Supreme Court justice once said, “that the law is often what the local police officer says it is”.

On Friday and Saturday nights we often had to go into the Inwood section of the 34th Pct. to break up the large so-called Irish bar fights. They were like hockey fights and often they would say, “hit me over the head with your nightstick, but don’t put me in jail."

In those days you put the bubble light on and hit the siren, there may have been a few heads cracked but usually no arrests effected. Just like in a hockey fight they don’t hit the refs. I think the only time I used my nightstick was to disarm that machete wielding person. After me he probably would have been shot.

Handling emotional disturbed persons is one of the most challenging assignments for any police officers, usually the taser has little effect and the department experimented with a large fork. About a month after the Elinor Bumpers shooting, me and my partner experienced a similar situation of a knife wielding female, this time emergency service members disarmed her with thankful different results. Note we were trained that an armed person with a knife can close the distance from about seven feet before you can draw your revolver.

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First Gun Arrest

 

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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First Arrest

It had been more than two weeks since I had been assigned to the 30th Precinct and I had not effected an arrest. Well my time was soon coming but I had not expected how it turned out. I was assigned to a 4x12 shift and after reporting for duty, I was assigned to the Central Park detail, not unusual for rookie or young officers. Well I got back early, and the desk officer reassigned me to Patrol post #6.

I actually went out to w145 street to w152 street and Convent Ave. Note this was the house post and I did not know that I was supposed to go to the locker room and complete my tour. About 2300 hours I witnessed a woman crossing an intersection and two males jumped her and stole her pocket book. I was about a block away, and it happened so fast. They fled and I approached the woman and asked her if she was alright. She said yes, and then I saw that their footprints led into a 5 story walk up. [It was March and there must have been snow on the ground]

She accompanied me as we went to the roof in order to recover her pocket book. Now on the roof, I saw that their footprints led to the fire escape. Lo and behold as I looked over, I saw the two robbers going thru her bag and I told them "police, my partner is at the bottom of the fire escape." They walked up to the roof where I handcuffed them right hand to right hand and said if they fought or tried to escape I would shoot them. I walked them about 5 blocks back to the precinct and once again stated that I would shoot them if anybody tried to assist them.

When I walked into the precinct, the Lieutenant asked where I was as they were looking for me. I said I got two under for Robbery. He said good job and take them up to the detectives.

Somethings I recall: the detectives helped me process the arrests and fingerprints. I think the patrol wagon took me and the prisoners to court. I met the female complainant in the room where the court docket was typed up, a very long process. Then had to wait in courtroom for arraignment. First the prostitution cases were heard for their pimps paid $50 to get the girls back on the streets. A tax even then in this money making scheme. Then my case was heard, I don’t recall much, propbably remanded to Rikers for later court appearance, or they might have plead guilty.

The female stayed with me and I think we took the subway home, she told me that she was about 3 buildings from her residence when she was robbed. I think I kept my first memo book, I will check today to refresh my memory. [see image]

Looking back, it was the element of surprise that assisted me, as it could have gone very bad. In 1969 I could have shot them. This policy started to change in about 1972, with the Knapp Commission. In 1969 I guess I had stupid courage but that’s what Cops do. When the word got out in the Precinct, I went from being a rookie to a seasoned veteran, and respected by all.

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Note: I was attempting to recover the woman’s pocketbook, I never expected to find the two robbers going thru it on the fire escape.   

 

First Day: 30th Precinct

The 30th Precinct is a section of West Harlem called Washington Heights. It encompasses the land from west 141th street to west 165th street and bounded by the Hudson River to Edgecombe Ave. The streets run east to west while the named thoroughfares run north to south in this order, Edgecombe Ave, St Nicholas Ave, Amsterdam Ave. Broadway, Fort Washington Ave., and Riverside Drive. The 30th precinct was located on 1854 Amsterdam Ave, the northwest corner of w.152 street, later a new building was built a block away at 451 West 151st street, the current location.

Upon graduation I was given instructions on how to get there. From Queens by car, the Triboro bridge to w 155 St. exit on the Major Deegan, (Yankee Stadium exit) proceed over the Macoombs Dam bridge and up the viaduct to Amsterdam Ave, left turn to w.152 street.

I think I took my dad’s 1956 Oldsmobile as we were told not to bring new cars to the precincts. I was to report at 0900 hours, in uniform and salute the desk officer, usually a Lieutenant and say my name and reporting for duty. Go up to the first floor to the clerical office for your assignment, Rookie. In 1969, they didn’t coddle you and you had to learn quickly what was not taught at the Police Academy. 

First day:

The clerical office is the command center of the precinct. In it are three major police officers who run the daily operations.

1- the Roll Call man, he types the daily work sheet which includes, assignment to the radio motor patrol sector cars, foot patrols and other assignments.

2-the Captain clerical man is responsible for handling all communications; ie, future assignments to special details like parades.

3-the payroll officer, he sees that you get paid for regular and overtime work.

The roll call officer then assigned me to a squad and said I would be doing mostly foot patrols and fill in as a sector partner. The clerical officer then took me one flight up to the locker room. As this was a very old building there was only one light on a black wire in the center of the room. Finally I was given a map of the Precinct which included both sector and foot assignments. I was told to go home and report for tomorrow 4x12 tour.

I had not hit the street as of yet, but that would soon come.

As I reported for the 4x12 tour I entered the sitting room where the Sergeant would give you your assignment. Before this a veteran Black officer said “what’s your name Rookie?" I replied Ptl. Joe DeStefano. He then said shut up that’s the last time you talk for the next month. Another, veteran Italian officer said don’t mind him I got your back Kid. Well I think I was assigned a foot patrol and not much happened and I was required to write in my memo at the conclusion of the tour, Nothing to report.

Every police officer wants to get that first arrest under his belt, mine would take another two weeks. In between that time I got assigned to a sector car. This is where you respond to all the calls from Central. After receiving the call you had to acknowledge it by ending with a “k” code. This signifies that you are finished talking. Note the Dispatcher handles all my precinct's sectors as well as 3 other precincts. Not an easy job before the computers. If the dispatcher used the words, “in the” you stopped what you were doing and your ears perked up for this was the signal 10-13 officer needs assistance. This call was not used lightly but for the most serious calls.

Note: the Macoombs Dam viaduct overlooked the old Polo Grounds where the NY Giants played. It was torn down and replaced by housing projects. Later, members of the Black Liberation Army, today they would be called a domestic terrorist organization, would call in phony police emergency calls to time response time. It would be here that they brutally assassinated Patrolman Waverly Jones and Patrolman Joseph Piagentini for no other reason than they were Police officers. They would go on to murder 10 more Police officers in their year and half reign of terror. Recently their leader Joanne Chesimard would die in Cuba.

Note: the 30th precinct had a dry moat around the building. That building was a classic and inside was a 4x4 plaque which we had removed and placed in the lobby of the new station house.The community was given the building.

Next up my first arrests, you have to remember it was 1969. ###