Police Academy

Police Academy, a photo by Guzilla on Flickr.

Running Errands with Daddy

"They're right outside Daddy!"

Daddy's little outlaw. We made a great team today. Just like Butch & Sundance. Except I hate horses & he's less than 3 feet tall...

McCain Motorcade & The Week in Review

Drove a vehicle in John McCain's motorcade leaving midtown Manhattan, right to the tarmac at Newark Airport. It was thrilling. Had a phalanx of Secret Service and police and drove down Manhattan streets and the Lincoln Tunnel at speeds heretofore achieved only in videogames. Here I am pictured doing my best "Junior G-Man."

It has been quite a week... In the space of one week I attended a prison rodeo at a maximum security state penitentiary in Louisiana, presented to the absolute top venture capital firm in the country, won "Best In Show" at a Halloween costume party, and drove a vehicle in a presidential candidate's motorcade.  Oh, and voted next to my favorite supermodel from adolescence.  Quite a week indeed...  

Of course, I also thought my "Fillmore West to Fillmore East" trip was cool... My brother has gone, in the space of less than a week, from Angola (prison, in Louisiana) to "the real Angola", in Africa. Well done.

McCain Motorcade

Just drove a car in The Senator's motorcade.  It was a thrill.  Had to be up super early, but then a large phalanx of police and Secret Service took him from his midtown hotel to the tarmac at Newark airport.  Made great time and the show of force was impressive!

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly

Took my father-in-law to a lecture luncheon at the U. Club this afternoon featuring NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. A great speech and Commissioner Kelly deserves a ton of respect. He is the only person to hold the position of Police Commissioner for 2 nonconsecutive tenures and is, to date, the only person to hold every rank in the NYPD. This on top of a career in the Marine Corps (including service in Vietnam) and Commissioner of the Customs Service, among many other impressive posts. He is a true American hero who has devoted his life to public service.

The speech was great and very detailed - he certainly has a command of the relevant statistics. Was impressed to learn how active the NYPD is in assisting combat, and learning from, global terrorism with task forces sent to global hotspots; in the case of the Madrid bombing THAT DAY. I was also particularly impressed by the depth of language experience in the NYPD's counterterrorism group, which makes sense given NYC's multicultural makeup. Commissioner Kelly said that the language skills extend to colloquial "street language" and not just an academic understanding. So much so, the NYPD has been brought in to consult with Federal agencies.

However, he made a point to bring up the disturbing fact that, due to union pressures, starting salaries for new NYPD recruits have been dropped from $40,000 a year, to $25,000 and it is negatively affecting recruiting efforts. This is not good for the long term. He said the Department was examining ways to address this, but this is a pretty discouraging fact. There must be a way for a very grateful New York populace to address this... However...

I left feeling very encouraged about New York City's safety and those charged with defending it.

This picture is from last year's Manhattan College De La Salle dinner dance at the Waldorf when I first met Commissioner Kelly.