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MIRACLE AT BELLEVUE A PUBLICATION OF THE NYC SERGEANTS B ENEVOLENT A SSOCIATION VOLUME VII/ ISSUE I • 2009 FRONTLINE A Publication of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association Ed Mullins, President Produced by REM Multi Communications, LLC Robert Mladinich, President Phone: 212-477-4915 E-mail: [email protected] Writer/Editor Robert Mladinich Photography (unless otherwise noted) Robert Mladinich Walter Taylor On the Cover Four months to the day after being stabbed in the eye, Sgt. Timothy Smith of the 101 Precinct was released from Bellevue Hospital. The SBA honored him as a Sergeant of the Year on September 21. See the President’s Message on page 2 for more. Photo: Michel Friang Special Thanks: Chris Granberg NYPD Photo Unit © 2009 NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association All rights reserved NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association 35 Worth Street New York, NY 10013 Phone: 212-226-2180 Fax: 212-431-4280 Health & Welfare phone: 212-431-6555 Health & Welfare fax: 212-431-6487 Hotline: 1-866-862-0695 Web site: www.sbanyc.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Miracle at Bellevue On May 15, one day shy of his 36th birthday and exactly four months after being stabbed in the eye by an emotionally disturbed person, Sgt. Timothy Smith of the 101 Precinct was discharged from Bellevue Hospital. As scores of police officers serenaded him with “Happy Birthday,” he stepped out of a wheelchair and walked about 20 feet to a waiting car. The hospital’s trauma director described his recovery as “just about miraculous.” Medal Day Ten SBA members were recognized at the NYPD’s annual Medal Day ceremony on June 9. Three were posthumously honored with the Distinguished Service Medal, while 3 others received the Police Combat Cross and 4 were presented with the Medal for Valor. 4 Heroism Awards Event Those being honored at the SBA’s 102nd annual Heroism Awards Event in November are His Excellency, Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York; Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Jack H. Jacobs; retired NYPD Chief of Transportation Michael J. Scagnelli; Academy Award-nominated actor Burt Young; Michael G. Cherkasky, the CEO of Altegrity; and Rainbow Apparel exec- utive Steven N. Stein. Being posthumously honored are PO Deon L. Taylor and 6 Det. Omar J. Edwards of the NYPD. SBA Timeline: 2002–2009 It has been 7 years since the current SBA administration took office in July 2002. Get a glimpse of where we started, where we are now, and where we are going. 10 Faces of the SBA Over the Labor Day weekend thousands of police personnel from throughout the city were assigned to West Indian Day Parade festivities in Brooklyn. 16 Meet some of the Faces of the SBA who were there. OTHER ARTICLES & FEATURES President’s Message . 2 SBA Stimulus . 26 Tribute to our Troops . 8 On the Job Fitness . 27 Capitol Hill Update . 9 Birth Announcements . 28 Health & Welfare. 14 In Memory Of . 30 A Journey for 9/11 . 18 In Memoriam . 31 Proud to be an SBA Member & Friend . 19 Thanks to our Sponsors. 32 SBA Family Picnic . 24 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE SBA PRESIDENT,ED MULLINS Dear Sergeants: In this edition of Frontline we pay homage to all of the the difficult and always challenging vocation that SBA members whose daily actions have resulted in us being we chose. universally recognized as the finest frontline police super- visors in the world. The level of dedication and profession- It has been over 8 years since the tragic events alism exhibited by all of you was very apparent on June 9th, of September 11, 2001. More and more rescue and when 10 active, retired or deceased SBA members were recovery workers continue to suffer or are newly honored at the NYPD’s annual Medal Day ceremony, and diagnosed with post-9/11 ailments. Many are ini- again on September 24th, when the SBA honored 21 mem- tially shocked and then appalled to find that, as far bers as Sergeants of the Year. as government assistance and intervention is con- cerned, they are on their own. While some elect- The work that was done to earn this recognition is awe- ed officials refuse to act appropriately, we are inspiring. Some were engaged in shootouts with dangerous lucky to have several allies who are working hard felons, while others performed daring water or railroad to do the right thing. track rescues, recovered incendiary devices, successfully performed CPR on an infant in a crowded department Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New store, or apprehended killers who were fleeing the scenes of York, and others, continue to toil in championing their grisly crimes. Sergeant Timothy Smith of the 101 the cause of so many sick and injured workers. Precinct was stabbed in the eye while trying to contain an Her determination to enact H.R. 847, which is EDP who was armed with a knife. otherwise known as the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act,” is well known. That incident was all but obscured by the fact that it Passage of the Zadroga Act would permanently occurred on the same day that a jetliner was forced to make authorize health monitoring and treatment for an emergency “landing” on the Hudson River. When no those who have become injured or ill from the passengers were seriously injured or killed, the press 9/11 attacks. It would also re-open the Victims dubbed it “Miracle on the Hudson.” Sgt. Smith endured 4 Compensation Fund for those who failed to file or months of agonizing treatment and rehabilitation. One of became sick after the original program closed in his doctors described his survival from such serious injuries December 2003. as being nothing short of miraculous. When he was released from Bellevue Hospital, 4 months after being Because so many workers are only now being stabbed and one day shy of his 36th birthday, we think it is diagnosed with unique diseases that are directly only appropriate to deem his ongoing recovery as our attributable to their work at Ground Zero and “Miracle at Bellevue.” other related sites, this seems like a no-brainer. The unfortunate truth is that there are no short- The common denominator in all of these cases is the fact ages of bureaucrats at the local, state and national that, more than anything else, the actions of these fine ser- levels whose memories are as short as their purse geants made the streets of New York safer and enhanced strings are tight. the lives of the more than 8 million people who call the Big Apple home. Mere words can’t aptly describe their George Martin, the longtime member of the heroic actions, but it is important for them to know New York Giants football team whose 3,003 mile how much we respect and value their commitment to walk across America raised millions of dollars for 2 WEAR YOUR VEST FRONTLINE: A Publication of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association ailing 9/11 workers, continues on long after he com- country as a member of the New York National Guard pleted his momentous Journey for 9/11 in June 2008. in Afghanistan; and Det. Omar J. Edwards, who was George hit the road again on September 13th, when mistakenly killed while taking off-duty police action. he and hundreds of supporters, including myself and All of these fine men have or had a fine tradition of Citywide Secretary Paul Capotosto, walked from the giving so much more than they ever received, and are New York side of the George Washington Bridge to most deserving of this prestigious honor. Giants Stadium. The SBA canteen truck drove along In this issue you will read a lot about where we are the route, dispensing refreshments to the participants. and where we are going as a union organization. While Upon our arrival at the stadium, where the Giants we have accomplished a lot over the past 7 years, there were scheduled to play the Washington Redskins, a is still so much more to do. We will never rest on our thunderous applause erupted from the approximately laurels, nor will we ever fall victim to lethargy or con- 30,000 fans in attendance as we took to the field and tentment. Critical to our success has been the input of walked from one end zone to the other. George plans the membership, whose comments and suggestions are to make this an annual event, and he is looking forward always welcome. I am delighted by the voluminous to expanding it to other cities. He regularly puts the amount of letters, phone calls and e-mails that we well-being of others before his own needs, and the receive on a regular basis. The SBA is all about the SBA is honored to be associated with him in such membership, which means it is the members who ambitious projects that will surely be around for a long make us so great, not the other way around. time to come. See page 18 for a more in-depth look at I assure you that I will always follow my moral com- George’s latest “journey” or to make a donation to this pass in assessing and evaluating all information related most worthwhile cause. to issues that affect the membership. More than any- I hope to see many of you at the SBA’s 102nd annu- thing else, I will never forget or take for granted the al Heroism Awards Event, which is being held on privilege that you have bestowed upon me by allowing November 5th. Being recognized this year is His me to serve as your president.

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