This coming Wednesday my 11 1/2 year career enters a new and challenging phase. At 5:30pm I will be leaving my current detective position and returning to the road as a newly promoted Patrol Sergeant.
Back in March and April I got a small taste of this when I was assigned TDY (Temporary Duty) to two different "Acting Sgt." positions. But this time it's for keeps! From Wednesday onward I will be responsible for the safety, accountability and professionalism of MY squad.
I gotta tell you, I am as scared as I am excited, but I know I can do this job and I look forward to the task. My goal is to be fair, responsible, caring, but still able to whoop ass when needed. I want to run my squad as a breeding ground for future sergeants and leaders. I will give my crew the freedom to think and tackle problems with imagination and innovation, but that will require that they and I are willing to be accountable for our actions.
Overall I know this will be the beginning of a new chapter, but it will definitely not be the last big move I make.
Challenge = Success
Saturday, September 15, 2007
A Gift From The Heart
On August 10, 2007, Broward County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Chris Reyka checked out with two suspicious vehicles parked at a local store about 1:20am. As Sgt. Reyka stepped from his car to check on the vehicles, one of the vehicle occupants also exited his vehicle and immediately began shooting. Sgt. Reyka was struck multiple times and died at the hospital. The suspects fled and are currently believed to still be at large.
Then this week 8-year-old Arden Capizola from Palm Beach County told her parents and friends to give her money instead of toys for her birthday this year. Arden's birthday party raised an amazing $1,110, which she plans to donate to the family of Sergeant Chris Reyka.
I can't tell you how touching this gesture is. This is a wonderful example of how sometimes kids "get it" better than adults. Miss Capizola showed empathy and compassion well beyond her years. She showed us adults what it really means to care. If only half of us were as generous and compassionate as this gutsy 8-year-old ours would be a much kinder and happier world.
May God Bless the family and friends of Sgt. Chris Reyka. May Miss Capizola's stirring act honoring a fallen hero show us all how one small act can make a big difference.
Arden Capizola's selfless act of kindness makes her a true hero in my book!
Then this week 8-year-old Arden Capizola from Palm Beach County told her parents and friends to give her money instead of toys for her birthday this year. Arden's birthday party raised an amazing $1,110, which she plans to donate to the family of Sergeant Chris Reyka.
I can't tell you how touching this gesture is. This is a wonderful example of how sometimes kids "get it" better than adults. Miss Capizola showed empathy and compassion well beyond her years. She showed us adults what it really means to care. If only half of us were as generous and compassionate as this gutsy 8-year-old ours would be a much kinder and happier world.
May God Bless the family and friends of Sgt. Chris Reyka. May Miss Capizola's stirring act honoring a fallen hero show us all how one small act can make a big difference.
Arden Capizola's selfless act of kindness makes her a true hero in my book!
Friday, September 07, 2007
NYPD in the Conspiracy Biz?
Some A-hole tries to pollute the United Nations with a Chemical Warfare Agent. What do you do?
Tell the world over CNN et al. that it was just some "old" canisters of nerve gas that were found "by accident" as an office "was being cleaned", Uh Huh!
Tell them that although we shut down a big chunk of city around the U.N. that NO ONE IS IN DANGER! Tell 'em there was NEVER any danger!
Tell everyone with a microphone that it's basically a non-story. Some dope brought these back on a trip from Iraq a bunch of years ago and, oopsee!! forgot they were in his desk!
Then a few days later: Oh, did we say nerve agent? Nah! It was just a commercial solvent!!!
It's Roseanne Rosanadana from the old SNL with her favorite tag line when she got the story wrong: "OH, NEVERMIND!"
But seriously, think about it, even though the place had been crawling with federal alphabet soup (FBI / DHS / ATFE / DOS) which agency makes the big "Nothing To See Here" announcement - the NYPD. Why?
Because it is the classic federal minimization of an event to make it seem a lot less important than it really is. If the Feds say nothing and let the local agency do all the talking it immediately reduces the importance of what is said. Then have the locals announce it was all just a big misunderstanding and it becomes even less important.
So here we are a week since the U.N. was the apparent victim of a failed chemical weapon attack and not one single news outlet even mentions it anymore. No one is asking the hard questions. No one is saying - "Hey, if it was a mistake, how'd you mistake commercial solvent for a chemical weapon?" I am really going to be worried if the best anti-terrorism units in New York City of all places are NOT able tell the difference between rat poison and a poisonous rat?
Of course this is just my theory - I could be wrong.
Tell the world over CNN et al. that it was just some "old" canisters of nerve gas that were found "by accident" as an office "was being cleaned", Uh Huh!
Tell them that although we shut down a big chunk of city around the U.N. that NO ONE IS IN DANGER! Tell 'em there was NEVER any danger!
Tell everyone with a microphone that it's basically a non-story. Some dope brought these back on a trip from Iraq a bunch of years ago and, oopsee!! forgot they were in his desk!
Then a few days later: Oh, did we say nerve agent? Nah! It was just a commercial solvent!!!
It's Roseanne Rosanadana from the old SNL with her favorite tag line when she got the story wrong: "OH, NEVERMIND!"
But seriously, think about it, even though the place had been crawling with federal alphabet soup (FBI / DHS / ATFE / DOS) which agency makes the big "Nothing To See Here" announcement - the NYPD. Why?
Because it is the classic federal minimization of an event to make it seem a lot less important than it really is. If the Feds say nothing and let the local agency do all the talking it immediately reduces the importance of what is said. Then have the locals announce it was all just a big misunderstanding and it becomes even less important.
So here we are a week since the U.N. was the apparent victim of a failed chemical weapon attack and not one single news outlet even mentions it anymore. No one is asking the hard questions. No one is saying - "Hey, if it was a mistake, how'd you mistake commercial solvent for a chemical weapon?" I am really going to be worried if the best anti-terrorism units in New York City of all places are NOT able tell the difference between rat poison and a poisonous rat?
Of course this is just my theory - I could be wrong.
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