| By Ralph SeeramWhy would a Queens District Attorney, the head of NYPD Intelligence Unit, The Queens District leader,Wholesale Cheap Jerseys, the detective squad commander and a reputed mobster meet for lunch in a restaurant known as a hangout for mobsters? The lunch lasted some fifteen hours. And what were they discussing? They were planning on who should be the next NYPD Police Commissioner. Yes the mob was planning to install its police commissioner.That meeting took place in the early eighties; today many believe nothing much has changed since then in terms of corruption and cover ups in the NYPD.The above information is among many “gems” on the inner workings of the NYPD contained in the book NYPD Confidential written by Edgar award winning author Leonard Levitt. Levitt is a veteran New York City reporter who covered NYPD for over 15 years. In fact he had a column named “NYPD Confidential” which focused only on the NYPD.His book came out some two years ago,Wholesale Jerseys, but I just stumbled across it as I was browsing the bargain sections of a store. I started reading early afternoon. Later when my eyes began burning, I looked at the time. It was 1.15 am. The book was so fascinating that I could not put it down.Then I found a surprise link to Guyana. Yes Guyana featured. Some of you may have read about the link but I will come to that later. The writer, Leonard Levitt,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, to quote the book’s blurb “wrote the column “One Police Plaza” about the NYPD, for NEWSDAY. He was also a reporter for The Associated Press”, “The Detroit Press”, a correspondent for Time Magazine, and has appeared in Harper’s, Esquire and New York Times Magazine. Impressive credentials.As I read the book my thoughts flashed to the Guyana Police Force,NFL Jerseys From China, if you think the GPF is corrupt and controlled by politicians,Wholesale Jerseys, it is nothing in comparison to what this book reveals of the NYPD. The NYPD was more about image than efficiency and honesty.For instance, former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, unlike his image, is portrayed a ruthless dictator, spiteful and very vindictive. He wanted total control of the NYPD, including promotions and appointments to a body that was supposed to be independent.Giuliani took credit for the work of former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and William Bratton. He formed a security based on his fame that he brought crime down in NYC whereas it was the Commissioners along with some of their deputies that brought down subway crimes and murder rates down.Giuliani is described as a man not to be opposed or crossed. It was as the old saying goes “his way or the highway”; Police Commissioner Ray Kelly who was doing an excellent job was fired because he did not see crime-fighting the way Giuliani wanted.It was even worse for Police commissioner William Bratton who succeeded Kelly in 1994… “Bill” Bratton was a successful crime fighter, but also loved the limelight. He “wined and dined” with the elite and celebrities in NYC. This did not sit well with Giuliani. According to the author, Giuliani felt Bratton was getting more publicity than himself. He reportedly told Bratton not to dine at a famous NY restaurant that he Giuliani visited, and ordered him to stop his press conferences; all releases must go through his office.This was at the time the NYPD had a thirty-four man public relations department. He forced the head of that department John Miller a TV reporter (famous for interviewing Osama Bin Laden) to quit.When Time Magazine featured Bill Bratton on its cover in 1996 as America’s crime fighter it was too much for Giuliani. Two months later Bratton was fired. However through Giuliani the Guyana connection emerged. Enter Bernard Kerik; here was a con man extraordinaire.According to the writer, Bernard Kerik was a high school dropout with no academic qualifications; his claim to fame was through Giuliani. He was a bodyguard and chauffeur to Rudy Giuliani. That’s it. Through Giuliani he became head of NYC prison systems, and then appointed NYPD Police Commissioner in 2000.September 11, 2001 happened in the waning months of Giuliani’s term in office. The 9/11 tragedy at the World Trade Center turned out to be a gift for both Kerik and Giuliani. Giuliani’s career and reputation were already sagging,Cheap Jerseys China, the tragedy placed them in the local international spotlight.Kerik’s strength was Giuliani, after they were out of office they became security consultants. This is where the Guyana link came in. The pair got underserved international recognition as crime fighters, based on the work on Kelly and Bratton. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo recruited Keirk as a consultant to look into crime in Guyana.In the book Kerik mentioned the contract was for USD$7M. He was complaining to the author that he was going to lose the Guyana contract because of ongoing investigations and pending charges of corruption, bribe taking and income tax evasion.By this time Kerik was being investigated by the Bronx District Attorney and the FBI. Poor President Jagdeo should not feel bad about being conned by Bernard Kerik. No less a person than the former United States President George Bush nominated Kerik to be the head of the US Department of Homeland Security. Not bad for a high school dropout. By this time the “wall began crumbling” around Kerik; he withdrew his nomination.Today Bernard Kerik sits in a Federal Prison doing time for multiple offences. Kelly was reappointed Police Commissioner of NYPD in 2002. Bratton went on to head another famous police department, Los Angeles Police Department, LAPD.The writer outlined all the scandals,Cheap NHL Jerseys, police brutality, cover up and working of the “blue wall of silence” going back to the days of Serpico, made famous into a movie. It’s too much to detail in this column but readers can go to www.stmartins.com or Amazon .com to purchase the book. It’s titled NYPD Confidential by Leonard Levitt.While we are on the subject of police I just read that the former Commissioner of Police Henry Green died in a tragic accident. It was a terrible way to leave this earth, I saw a picture of him being pulled from the wreck, and thought he was alive until I read later he died. He was controversial and not liked by many, like the above story he was not the first Commissioner of Police to be influenced by the political directorate, and he did end his career on a low note, but that was not reason for some of the nasty blogs I saw written about him. Only cowards take shots at a dead person. Green had a brilliant career leading up to being head of the GPF and that should not be taken away from him, personally I believe he was set up on the rape charge, and he was certainly not the only police head to take directions from politicians.Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: [email protected] |
