A PUBLICATION OF THE NYC SERGEANTS B ENEVOLENT A SSOCIATION VOLUME X/ ISSUE I • 2012 FRONTLINE A Publication of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association Ed Mullins, President Writer/Editor Sgt. Charles Pulci, 72 Pct Sgt. Christopher Scott, 71 Pct Robert Mladinich SBA Communications Director Phone: 212-343-5674 Fax: 212-343-5678 E-mail: [email protected] Photography (unless otherwise noted) Robert Mladinich Walter Taylor On the Cover SBA members were among the well-wishers on hand to welcome home Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, on Sgt. Andrew McEvoy, PCO Sgt. Stephen Papp, PCO February 21. The Cardinal had spent 9 days in Italy, where he was made a Prince of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI. Photo: Robert Mladinich © 2012 NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association All rights reserved NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association 35 Worth Street Sgt. Gordon Pekusic, New York, NY 10013 Counterterrorism Sgt. Siria Henriquez, 42 Pct 15 years as a sergeant 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 Twitter: @ sbanypd Members of the School Safety Unit TABLE OF CONTENTS The Cardinal Comes Home Amid much pomp and circumstance, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, returned home on February 21, after 9 days in Italy where he was made a Prince of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI. Among those welcoming him were several SBA members, as well as the Emerald Society’s Pipes and Drums. See page 5 for more. SBA Media In recent months the SBA has been on the air in more ways than one. Besides being the subject of a feature on MSNBC’s “Rock Center,” which is hosted by Brian Williams, retired Capt. 7 Ernie Naspretto is now hosting the new SBA on-line audio show. Veteran Sergeants Few people will argue that being an NYPD sergeant is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. Six veteran sergeants, 8 all of whom have 10 or more years in rank, explain what it takes to make such a tough job look so easy. SBA Families There is no shortage of multi-generational NYPD stories, where the lines of succession run deep. Meet the Burkhalter and Courtney families, whose NYPD lineage 10 began in the 1950s and lasted into the 2000s. Faces of the SBA Meet many of the Faces of the SBA, as they kept millions of revelers safe during the New Year’s Eve 16 festivities in and around Times Square. OTHER ARTICLES & FEATURES President’s Message . 2 Legal Issues. 18 Super Bowl Champs. 4 Health & Welfare. 20 St. Patrick’s Day Parade . 6 Proud to be an SBA Member & Friend . 22 Widows, Children & Military Birth Announcements . 30 Families’ Holiday Party . 14 In Memoriam . 31 Delegate/Membership Luncheon . 15 Thanks to our Sponsors. 32 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE SBA PRESIDENT, ED MULLINS Dear Sergeants: While crime continues to plummet throughout the actions of retired Sgt. Paul Babakitis, a 22-year NYPD city, violence against police officers has increased dra- veteran who utilized his police training to coordinate matically over the past few months. The cold-blooded efforts in restraining an emotionally disturbed pilot murder of PO Peter Figoski of the 75 Precinct in while 30,000 feet in the air aboard a commercial airline December reinforces the fact that we can never take on March 27. the inherent dangers of our job for granted, regardless The type of bravery all of these officers exhibited is of how much experience we have. as much a part of the content of their character as it is PO Figoski, who was posthumously promoted to the a cultural component of the NYPD, which makes the rank of detective first grade, was a perfect representa- next few subjects so disturbing. tive of the law enforcement profession. Despite having The indictments of so many hardworking police more than two decades on the job, he chose to work officers in what has been called the ticket fixing scan- midnights on patrol so he could maximize the precious dal in the Bronx are as misleading as it is unjust and time he got to spend with his beloved daughters. demeaning. I have been a member of the NYPD for Officers like him form the backbone of the depart- over 30 years, and for that entire time, as well as for ment, and his loss was devastating to us all. decades before that, it has been the culture of the department to sometimes extend courtesies when tick- In the months after Det Figoski was killed, it seemed ets were issued. as if it became open season on cops. PO Kevin If that culture had outgrown itself because of chang- Brennan of the 90 Precinct miraculously survived after ing times, so be it. All the department had to do was being shot in the head at point blank range on January say that it had to end—and that would have been that. 31. Two weeks later, on February 14, Detective Kevin Because we work in a paramilitary organization, we are Herlihy of the Violent Felony Task Force in Queens very good at taking orders and adapting to new rules was shot in the arm, but managed to mortally wound and strategies. his assailant, a man who was wanted for the attempted The job I came onto in 1982 is so much different murder of his girlfriend’s daughter. from the job we have now. There are numerous mores On February 27, PO Thomas Richards of the and cultures that have changed during that time. No Housing Bureau’s PSA 4 survived a close-range shoot- one would have complained if the department said no ing when a bullet meant for his torso struck his ammo more courtesies were to be extended. We would have pouch. Capt. Al Pizzano, Dets. Kenneth Ayala and adhered to the program. All that these indicted officers Mike Keenan, and PO Matthew Granahan of ESU did was participate in a culture that extended to every were wounded by a heavily armed parolee in Brooklyn rank in the department for as long as the department has existed. To have branded these officers as criminals on Easter Sunday, and on April 17, PO Eder Loor of was reprehensible. the 23 Precinct barely escaped death after being stabbed in the head. I came out front and center in criticizing this inves- tigation early on, and I am still appalled that it got to Let us never forget the gallantry of all of these fine where it did, with the lives and reputations of so many officers, none of whom hesitated for a moment to take fine officers altered so dramatically. I am certain that dangerous actions, even when it was at great risk to they will all be vindicated, and this entire fiasco will their personal safety. Nor can we forget the heroic prove to be more of an embarrassment to the Bronx 2 WEAR YOUR VEST FRONTLINE: A Publication of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association District Attorney’s Office than a black eye for the extremely knowledgeable retired Capt. Ernie hardworking patrol officers who were caught in the Naspretto, the show debuted in early March. We were crosshairs of this witch hunt. lucky enough to have police union representatives On February 12, the PBA, as well as numerous other from San Francisco and Memphis on the show with us, police unions including the SBA, held a Sunday press and the entire hour was a lively discourse on the state conference to demand that the department release of policing in our nation. As we move forward with the medical records to a panel studying links between can- show, we will have a call-in format so I urge all of you cer and 9/11 rescue and recovery workers. Since 9/11, to participate so your voices can be heard. nearly 300 officers of all ranks have been diagnosed I want to congratulate Timothy Cardinal Dolan for with rare cancers, and 65 have passed away. being made a prince of the church by Pope Benedict For years the city had vehemently opposed these XVI in February. I also want to express accolades to demands, but within days of the press conference the New York Giants for their exciting win in Super agreed to cooperate in the probe. This should go a Bowl XLVI. The Cardinal, as well as the Giants, real- long way in assisting officers who continue to be ly personifies the New York spirit. They are tough, afflicted with these deadly diseases. durable, resilient and opinionated, and they conduct themselves with great integrity and stalwart determi- I want to extend my special thanks to PO Alonzo nation, much like we do as New York City sergeants. Harris, a first responder who secured portions of his In early March we lost a valued member of the SBA uniform in plastic bags a decade ago and had the family when retired Sgt. Bill Courtney passed away at wherewithal ten years later to have the uniform tested the age of 81. Bill served the Department from 1957 to for carcinogens. What was found was that his uniform 1993, and his son, also named Bill, retired as a detec- contained scores of cancer causing agents in various tive first grade. Although the older Courtney had been quantities. The evidence he provided was overwhelm- off the job for nearly 20 years, he stayed on top of ing, and it propelled the resistant city into addressing everything that was related to union labor.