Police News Roundup.
The Times has an intersting piece on the emergency response system--or lack thereof--in Suffolk County.

The Mayor has slammed the Feds, claiming that they are using the distribution of Homeland Security funds as a "political slush-fund." There is some truth to this, but unfortunately, throwing Federal anti-terrorism money to New York is like putting it into a big sink-hole. I'd support the Mayor more in this if he'd be as concerned about the shameful compensation level of his police officers. He's gleefully accepted that the City spend less than other cities in this regard. What does he want more federal money for? When I see this money doing some good instead of going into the pocket of some political hack consultant or contractor, I'll change my mind.

The New York State Attorney General thinks that Sikh's should be given the right to wear religious attire on-duty and not the uniform other members of the Police Department are required to wear. Let's see, Arab Police Officers wearing kaffiyehs in Hasidic Williamsburg. Officers in yarmulkes patroling Atlantic Avenue in Park Slope. In this way, the Dapartment can mimic the racial violence from all around the world in our own city! Base10 is sympathetic to this issue, but must reiterate a proposition from his previous posts: there is no US jurisdiction that recognizes this right, a fact conveniently left out of the Times article.

The Times also has a follow-up piece about the NYCLU lawsuit regarding use of metal pens for crowd control in demonstrations planned for the upcoming Republican National Convention.

In the bizzare case of the theft of the Salvador Dali painting in Riker's Island, former Corrections Asst. Dep. Warden, Benny Nuzzo was acquitted of the theft. Two other Correction Officers face charges and the drawing has never been recovered.

Two detectives are claiming that working at Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11 caused them to have serious illnesses. One has leukemia and the other was diagnosed with abnormal kidney function.

The Post reports that the father of an emotionally disturbed man is suing the city as a result of the man's death in custody. Jose Mateo, the deceased, was violent and had to be subdued. He later had a fatal heart attack on the way to the Hospital. Sounds like cocaine psychosis to Base10.

FDNY arrest watch. Gerard Pirraglia, a 20-year firefighter, was arrested after the City Island Bar that he owned was inspected by NYPD members and cocaine was discovered on the premises. Base10 wants to know why this is not a conflict of interest. The City's Administrative Code is rather explicit in its prohibition on working or having an ownership interest in a business that is regulated by the agency for which you work. FDNY surely regulates the industry--you've seen all those "occupancy by more than xxx persons is punishable by xxx" signs. Interestingly, there was no mention of disciplinary charges against the firefighter in the article.

Not to outdone by the FDNY in the misconduct department, Detective Mark Faljean was cross-examined in his trial regarding sexual abuse he allegedly committed against a colleague's girlfriend.

Heroes:

• Detective from Lake Alfred, Fl., who nabbed a perpetrator for a ten year-old murder. They were interviewing the perp when he requested an attorney, but left a toothpick behind. The investigators seized the toothpick and matched it to DNA found under the 80 year-old victim's fingernails.
  
• Cops from the 109 Pct. who apprehended a gang of sneak thieves who broke into a car parked in a funeral line at St. Mary's Cemetery in Queens.

Goats:

• The parents of the 7 year-old boy who brought several bags of crack to school with him.
  
• The owners, bouncers and other employees of Scores who seem to think that it's okay to get clients drunk and steal their money.
  
• The Pope, for chastising the President over Iraq and Abu Ghraib but who somehow failed to mention his own miserable record of leadership in the decades-old scandal involving Roman Catholic priests molesting their young charges. This pains Base10, who is a good Catholic lad. Please sir, put your own house in order before criticizing others. The Vatican has yet to issue a policy requiring Churches to report allegations of sexual abuse to civil authorities.

And finally, in the "you're no fun anymore" department, Russian regional government authorities have issued guidelines for their female employees to wear less revealing clothes. The agency's spokesman stated, "Of course, a woman must attract a man's attention, but not so much as to overstep norms and arouse not business-like but only animal instincts." Base10's promises to hold his animal instincts under control for the rest of the weekend.
- posted by Base10 @ 2:59 PM