Archive for the ‘NYPD’ Category
Old School
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Wandering aimlessly, your humble narrator recently encountered this rather badly equipped automobile just off Northern Blvd. The historic cradle of the automobile industry in New York City, this stretch of the great thoroughfare hosts several multi acre car lots, including the famous Major Auto World. This is the corner of 44th street.
from fundinguniverse.com
Bruce Bendell and his brother Harold began operating a Brooklyn carwash and auto repair shop in 1972. Subsequently they and their father sold used cars and leased new cars in Brooklyn before purchasing Major Chevrolet, a Long Island City distributor, in 1985. At this time the dealership was in decline, with only 500 cars and $10 million in annual sales. By 1990 sales had increased tenfold. In 1996 Bendell’s Major Automotive Group was doing about $180 million a year in business. One of New York’s largest auto dealerships, it now consisted of six franchises, including Major Chevrolet/Geo; Major Dodge; and Major Chrysler, Plymouth, Jeep Eagle, in Long Island City, plus, in Woodside–another Queens community–Major Subaru, in addition to Major Fleet and Leasing, the leading supplier of taxis and police cars in New York and also a lessor of trucks.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I haven’t witnessed a car deconstructed in this manner for many years, perhaps as many as twenty. Once a common sight in the City of Greater New York, before “Giuliani Time“, this car was stripped of wheels and electronics, and the entire act probably took less than five minutes to accomplish- if the professionalism of the thieves guild has held up since the old days.
from wikipedia
Starting in 2005, New York City achieved the lowest crime rate among the ten largest cities in the United States. Since 1991, the city has seen a continuous fifteen-year trend of decreasing crime. Neighborhoods that were once considered dangerous are now much safer. Violent crime in the city has dropped by three quarters in the twelve years ending in 2005 with the murder rate at its lowest then level since 1963 with only 539 murders that year, for a murder rate of 6.58 per 100,000 people, compared to 2,245 murders in 1990. In 2009, the low would be displaced. Among the 182 U.S. cities with populations of more than 100,000, New York City ranked 136th in overall crime.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve been sort of expecting to see this sort of thing to start up again, and no, it’s not because there are fewer police these days.
Classic right wing thinking, a sort of disastrous chest thumping and braggadocio practiced by the safe and protected, is to proclaim “more cops” as a panacea for any and all of society’s ills. I thought that the right had learned the lesson of this at Waco, and at Ruby Ridge. We don’t need more cops, we just have to offer them better pay, support staff, and on the job training- but I guess that’s latent socialism talking.
Happy Monday.
an article from 1993, nearly twenty years ago, at the nytimes…
Last year, from January through September, 94,724 vehicles were stolen in New York City. That’s about 126,000 cars a year, or 345 a day. New York City leads the U.S. in auto thefts, with 139,977 in 1991, or twice the number reported by the second place finisher, Los Angeles. Despite the number of cases, or perhaps because of it, the police seem uninterested in the average theft.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Police clean up the mess after a crime- but they seldom are there when it’s being committed. Even during “Giuliani Time” or the long and notable tenure of the current Commissioner, the combination of a booming job market and mandatory sentencing were the direct causal factors in a reduction of crime here in the Naked City. The spate of 10-15 year sentences handed out so liberally in the 1990’s are coming to an end, and New Yorkers will once again know the true meaning of the word “Scumbag”.
from nyc.gov
If Your Car Does Get Stolen
Report theft to police.
- Obtain form MV78B “License Plate Form” from your local police precinct.
- Notify your insurance company.
- Submit Form MV78B to Department of Motor Vehicle.
- Retain a copy of Department of Motor Vehicle Form as a receipt.
NOTE: False reporting of vehicle theft is a crime and can be punishable by a fine or imprisonment.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
“It’s the economy, stupid”- When your baby is hungry, you do crazy things to put food on the table. The parents of fat, happy babies generally don’t do this to automobiles- or strap dynamite to themselves and blow up buses for that matter. Old school crime like this happens quickly, this car was probably stripped down within minutes, and the fact that a “chop shop” didn’t dissect it for black market body parts also speaks to the greater economy’s relative weakness.
from wikipedia
In his first term as mayor, Giuliani, in conjunction with New York City Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton, adopted an aggressive enforcement-deterrent strategy based on James Q. Wilson’s “Broken Windows” approach. This involved crackdowns on relatively minor offenses such as graffiti, turnstile jumping, cannabis possession, and aggressive “squeegeemen”, on the theory that this would send a message that order would be maintained. Giuliani and Bratton also instituted CompStat, a comparative statistical approach to mapping crime geographically and in terms of emerging criminal patterns, as well as charting officer performance by quantifying criminal apprehensions. Critics of the system assert that it creates an environment in which police officials are encouraged to underreport or otherwise manipulate crime data.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
We’ve become accustomed to walking about the city, these days, as if we were safe or something. That existential horror did not lurk along the brightly lit path of shambolic corporate fantasies and elaborate real estate schemes, and that a nightmare population of atavist monsters were not returning from exile to walk amongst us, and do what they wilt- which shall become the whole of the law.
Again.
also from the nytimes
A raging crack epidemic in pockets of New York poured people into its jails starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The population peaked in 1992, according to correction officials, when the daily average hit 21,449 and the annual intake reached 111,045.
But by the end of the last fiscal year on June 30, 2009, the average daily population had dwindled to 13,362, while the number of inmates admitted that year shrank to 99,939. This year, both figures appear likely to be even lower.
exhalted beyond thought
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Police methods are varied, and ingenious.
The NYPD Harbor patrol, staffed by fierce and dedicated mariners, has become quite modern of late. Recently noticed, but in their use for some time, was this Defender class boat patrolling the malign waters of the 21st century. The military variant of this watercraft carries an esoteric catalog of weapons and electronics, but the civilian police version shares only a love for speed and adept maneuvering with it’s Coast Guard cousins, and is not equipped with the high caliber machine gun on its prow.
from safeboats.com
The Defender class comes standard with full cabin to protect the crew from weather and an independent forced air diesel heater, both of which provide the crew with the maximum amount of comfort and minimal fatigue. The Defender has the direct benefit of years of evolutionary USCG Non Standard boat history to maximize its operational availability. Just one sea trial will prove that the Defender Class is unmatched in performance, work ability, fit, finish and quality.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Vigilant, notice that the officer noticed me taking his picture, which will be apparent if you click through to the larger incarnations of the image found at Flickr. The boat appeared to slice through waves, and it’s general appearance was that of a predator, silvery quick and able to strike at any time it chose. Comic book metaphors ring out, and if outfitted with large wing shaped hydrofoils and a certain insignia, this could very well be the Batboat of the late 1970’s come to life.
from wikipedia
The importance of the container shipping industry is equally matched by its vulnerabilities to terrorist attack. The U.S. maritime system consists of over 300 sea and river ports with more than 3,700 cargo and passenger terminals. The United States and global economies depend on commercial shipping as the most reliable, cost efficient method of transporting goods, with U.S. ports handling approximately 20% of the maritime trade worldwide. The volume of trade throughout the U.S. and the world creates a desirable target for terrorist attack. An attack on any aspect of the maritime system, mainly major ports, can severely hamper trade and potentially affect the global economy by billions of dollars. The security of ports and their deficiencies are numerous and leave our ports vulnerable to terrorist attack. The vulnerabilities of our ports are many, leading to potential security breaches in almost all aspects of the container shipping industry. With the sheer volume of maritime traffic, there is serious concern of cargo/passenger ship hijackings and pirate attack, as well as accountability of the millions of shipping containers transported worldwide. Given the overwhelming number of ships and containers, there are many areas of concern regarding the security of U.S. ports.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The Harbor Unit sped off, and as it did, I noticed the quick moving harbor pilot launch America nearby. Luckily, I was fairly close to America earlier in the trip, and got a couple of OK shots of a very capable boat. Incidentally, I’ve recently been exposed to a maritime truism that helps to distinguish when to call a water craft “boat” or “ship”. A “ship” can carry and launch a boat, not the other way around.
from uscg.mil
Developed in a direct response to the need for additional Homeland Security assets in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Defender Class boats were procured under an emergency acquisition authority. With a contract for up to 700 standard response boats, the Defender Class acquisition is one of the largest boat buys of its type in the world. The 100 boat Defender A Class (RB-HS) fleet began arriving at units in MAY 2002 and continued through AUG 2003. After several configuration changes, most notably a longer cabin and shock mitigating rear seats, the Defender B Class (RB-S) boats were born. This fleet was first delivered to the field in OCT 2003, and there are currently 357 RB-S boats in operation.
The 457 Defender Class boats currently in operation are assigned to the Coast Guards Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST), Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT), Marine Safety Units (MSU), and Small Boat Stations throughout the Coast Guard. With an overall length of 25 feet, two 225 horsepower outboard engines, unique turning radius, and gun mounts boat forward and aft, the Defender Class boats are the ultimate waterborne assets for conducting fast and high speed maneuvering tactics in a small deployable package. This is evidenced in the fact that several Defender Class boats are already in operation by other Homeland Security Department agencies as well as foreign military services for their homeland security missions.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is the Sandy Hook Pilots Launch Boat “America”. Like her namesake, she’s a tough cookie that can move very quickly, but works way too hard.
from state.nj.us
All pilot vessels are maintained to a high standard, and are equipped with state of the art electronic navigation and communications equipment. All motor boats are equipped with rescue equipment, including a “Life Sling” and davit for man overboard retrieval operations. Pilot boats must operate under severe weather and sea conditions. The hull material of the pilot boats is audio-gauged regularly, and steel/aluminum plating is serviced and/or renewed when required. In general, Planned Maintenance (“PM”) procedures and Service Life Extension Program (“SLEP”) work have prolonged the in-service usage of floating equipment used in the State pilotage system, in many cases well beyond its originally intended design life.
The newest addition to the fleet, the Yankee, a 53 foot aluminum, twin screw pilot launch is stationed at the Sandy Hook pilot base in Staten Island. It is used as part of a fleet of four similar launches at the entrance of the port, and sometimes as a shuttle craft from the base to/from sea.
The fleet of four similar launches – America, Wanderer, Phantom, and Yankee allow a maintenance schedule to exist to address the substantial wear and tear on the boats throughout the year. One boat is always at sea – two others ready to go – one under maintenance.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Tumultuous, storm prone, and crowded- NY Harbor is an estuarine environment of cross currents and drowned hazards. The archipelago itself must be protected at all costs, lest an out of control cargo ship or barge stray too close to a bridge or waterfront condominium. Experts on the intricate interplay of aquatic course and geographic knowledge, the Sandy Hook Pilots remain redoubtable.
from sandyhookpilots.com
The history of the Sandy Hook Pilots begins in 1694 when the population of New York City was under 3,000. In those days, the harbors of the Northeast were the commercial arteries of the New World. It soon became apparent that the aid to vessels entering and departing the port was necessary, and the Colonial Assembly commissioned a small group of local seamen to assist the ship masters as pilots. This port would eventually become one of the greatest commercial centers of the world.
The Newtown Pentacle 