olume viii/ issue ii · 2017. 5. 30. · frontline a publication of the nyc sergeants benevolent...

VOLUME VIII/ ISSUE II • 2010

A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E N Y C S E R G E A N T S B E N E V O L E N T A S S O C I A T I O N

FRONTLINEA Publication of the

NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association

Ed Mullins, President

Produced byREM Multi Communications, LLC

Robert Mladinich, PresidentPhone: 212-477-4915

E-mail: [email protected]

Writer/EditorRobert Mladinich

Photography (unless otherwise noted)

Robert MladinichWalter TaylorMichel Friang

On the CoverCarlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey,

which is the subject of the hit television series“Cake Boss,” was gracious enough to bake aspecial cake to honor the spouses of NYPD

members who lost their lives as a result of theperformance of their duties. The cake was

unveiled at the SBA’s 103rd Annual HeroismAwards Event on October 28th.

See pages 6-7 for more.Photo: Michel Friang

© 2010NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association

All rights reserved

NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association35 Worth Street

New York, NY 10013Phone: 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

Sgt. Chris Dennis, 67 PctSgt. Juan Duran, 30 Pct

Sgt. Michelle Williams, 110 PctSgt. Carl Root, 41 Squad

Sgt. Jose DeLaCruz,PSA 7Sgt. Stanley Lopez, 78 Pct

Sgt. Gabriel Healy, PSA 6Sgt. Maryann Mims,

Personnel Bureau

OTHER ARTICLES & FEATURESPresident’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Widows, Children & Military Families’ Holiday Party . . 14Delegate/Membership Luncheon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Health & Welfare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18FLSA Lawsuit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20On the Job Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Eating Right: Third in a Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Proud to be an SBA Member & Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Birth Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Special Thanks to our Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

8

Medal DayThirteen active, retired or former NYPD sergeants were

honored for their gallantry and heroism at the NYPD’s annualMedal Day ceremony on June 8th. One living member received

the Medal of Honor, while 8 were presented with the PoliceCombat Cross, and 4 were awarded the Medal for Valor.

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Paying TributeCarlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey, which is the subject ofthe hit television series “Cake Boss,” paid tribute to the 140 livingspouses of NYPD personnel, as well as the former Housing andTransit police departments, by baking a special cake that was unveiledat the SBA’s 103rd annual Heroism Awards Event on October 28th.See pages 6–7 for more.

Capitol Hill WatchThe SBA and its Washington representatives worked long and hard to get the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Actpassed by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Whenthe Act was finally passed in the final hours of the 111th Congress,Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called it “a Christmas miracle.”

SBA FamiliesScores of children follow their parents into the NYPD, where the

lines of succession run deep. Meet 3 families whose pride, commit-ment and dedication to duty is a multi-generational thing. 10

4

16 Faces of the SBAMeet some more of the Faces of the SBA as theycontinue to make their very difficult job look easy at theLabor Day weekend detail in September.

2 WEAR YOUR VEST FRONTLINE: A Publication of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association

Dear Sergeants: The Zadroga Bill

In this issue we pay tribute to scores of heroes, who areusually described as ordinary people who perform extraor-dinary feats under the most difficult or dangerous of circumstances. Never was the gallantry and heroism associ-ated with police work more evident than on September 11,2001, and in the months afterward.

Thousands of officers of all ranks responded to theWorld Trade Center terrorist attack, and many more tookpart in the momentous rescue and recovery efforts. Now,less than a decade later, more than double the amount ofpolice officers who lost their lives on that fateful day havedied from unique illnesses directly related to the attack.Countless more are battling an array of debilitating diseases whose origins lie in the dust and debris of Ground Zero.

For more than five years the SBA had been a formidablepresence in Washington, D.C., where board membersaggressively lobbied for the passage of the James Zadroga9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The sole purpose ofthe bill is to provide health care and compensation to peo-ple sickened from exposure to 9/11 toxins. At the onset onewould have assumed that our elected officials would havedone everything in their power to pass this bill as quickly as possible.

But that was not to be. There was much resistance to thebill, with it being stonewalled again and again for a varietyof “reasons.” It often seemed as if the rescue and recoveryworkers who needed it most were being treated as nothingmore than pawns in a game of political chicanery. Refusingto give up the fight, the SBA organized a law enforcementcoalition that descended on Washington on many occa-sions to make sure that our voices were heard loudly and clearly.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGESBA PRESIDENT, ED MULLINS

With the help of our New York delegation inWashington, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand andCharles Schumer, as well as RepresentativesCarolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Peter King,Anthony Weiner and Michael McMahon, I amhappy to report that the Zadroga Act was finallypassed by a vote of 206-60 in the final hours of the111th Congress, just prior to Christmas.

We owe a big debt of gratitude to the New Yorkdelegation for their steadfast, long-term commit-ment to this bill, which should provide much-needed care and compensation for those whom itwas designed to assist.

Tributes to the Finest

Even though police officers perform heroicfeats on a daily basis, the actions of the 13 active,retired or former sergeants who were honored onMedal Day was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

At the SBA’s 103rd annual Heroism AwardsEvent in October, we honored the 140 livingspouses of NYPD personnel, as well as the formerTransit and Housing police departments, whohave lost their lives as a result of their duties. It was a stirring event, and the strength, fortitude,pride and dignity that these honorees displayedunder the most personally challenging and heartbreaking of circumstances was extremelyhumbling.

We salute the many men and women who havefollowed one or both of their parents into theNYPD. The pride and honor experienced by eachgeneration makes you realize just how importantthe work that we do really is, regardless of the erain which it is being performed.

We also recognize the many sergeants who toil dayin and day out at commands throughout the five bor-oughs. They are truly the department’s unsung heroes.While so many New Yorkers were enjoying the LaborDay and New Year’s Eve weekends with their families,scores of sergeants were assigned to the West IndianDay Parade or to Times Square for the two busiestdetails of the year.

There is no way to properly acknowledge the leveland quality of work performed by NYPD sergeants. Somuch of the work you do and the positive influenceyou have on the public goes undocumented. Many ofyou dismiss it as doing nothing more than what you arepaid to do, but it is important for me to remind you ofjust how integral of a role you play in making our city one of the safest, and certainly the greatest, in the world.

The Road Ahead

The SBA is busily preparing for the tough roadahead as labor unions around the country are underattack from all quarters. Many of our electedofficials are pitting the public sector versusthe private sector, blaming unions forbeing a, if not the major cause of therecession in which we are now miredwith no end in sight.

Some politicians have declaredan all-out war on labor unions.One Midwestern governor-electhas threatened to remove collectivebargaining as the process for negoti-ating contracts. The rights and benefits that we currently have didnot come easily, so we are alreadyplanning strategies to battle theresistance we are sure to encounterin the upcoming rounds of contractnegotiations.

The Variable Supplement Fundbenefit, which the Mayor derisively, inac-curately and unfairly refers to as a “holidaybonus,” was actually bought and paid for by New YorkCity police officers. It was derived from a collectivebargaining agreement and legislation jointly supportedby the PBA, DEA, SBA, LBA, CEA and the City. Thislegislation passed both houses and was signed into lawby the Governor. The reality is that the city greatlybenefited from this law because it received much-needed funds during a time of financial strife. Ourmembers benefited as well, but to describe the VSF assome sort of unearned bonus or perk is completelyfalse and purposely misleading.

In the 1980s, when the City was in dire financialstraits, police officers gave over $75 million up frontand in excess of a billion dollars of surplus pensionearnings over the years to the City’s coffers as a sort of“bailout.” A small portion of those monies was sharedby our members in a defined benefit. As a result ofthese actions, where all of the risks were taken by the

pension funds, the city realized billions of dollars inbenefits. It now wants to renege on the agreement. Inorder for them to do so the law would have to bechanged, which we would fight long and hard to notsee happen.

When a union such as the SBA initiates litigationagainst the City of New York, it might seem to some asif David is going up against Goliath. But we neverviewed ourselves as too powerless to fight for what was right, and we have always refused to go along withthe status quo. Please read the update on our FLSA litigation on page 20 to better understand what I’mtalking about.

As many of you probably already know, on October12, 2010, President Obama signed the Law Enforce-ment Safety Improvement Act of 2010, which amend-ed the 2004 Act more commonly known as HR 218 orthe “Right to Carry Law.” The old Act stated that inorder for “Qualified Retired Law EnforcementOfficers” (QRLEOs) to carry weapons within theUnited States, they had to be “qualified” to do so by

the department in which they worked.Because of the NYPD’s unyielding refusal

to create a certification procedure forretired members, this was impossible

to do.

Under the newly enactedchange, QRLEOs can now “qual-ify” at any facility that is licensed

to perform this function. Whilethere are several of these venues inthe greater New York metropolitanarea, it is disturbing that the NYPDhas done nothing to assist itsretirees in these endeavors.

Making things even more per-plexing is the fact that the depart-

ment likes to tout its ability to havethousands of “volunteers” at their

beckon call should another terroristincident occur. Because nearly all of those

volunteers are retired NYPD personnel whoserved the department with honor and distinction, itseems as if there is a lot of one-way activity going on here. It is the retirees, after all, who just might be called back to the front lines in the future.

Thank you very much for your continued support,and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous2011.

Fraternally,

Ed MullinsPresident

FRONTLINE: A Publication of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association WEAR YOUR SEATBELT 3


MEDAL DAY 2010

T hirteen active or retired SBA members were honored for their gallantry at the NYPD’s annual Medal Day ceremony on June 8, 2010. As their friends, colleagues and loved ones looked on with great pride, one member was presented with the Medal of Honor, the Department’s highest award, while 8 others received the

Police Combat Cross, the Department’s second highest award, and 4 were awarded the Medal for Valor, the Department’sthird highest award.Recipients of the Medal of Honor are selected “for individual acts of extraordinary bravery intelligently performed in theline of duty at imminent and personal danger to life.” The medal itself consists of three parts: a bar with the inscriptionValor, 12 white stars affixed upon a green ribbon, and an 8 point star-shaped medal whose center depicts the Seal of the Cityof New York.The Valor inscription symbolizes the extraordinary bravery performed at great personal peril, the green and white coloriza-tion of the ribbon represents the traditional NYPD colors, and the cluster of 12 stars represents the original 12 police con-stables who comprised the city’s first organized and centrally coordinated police force.More often than not, the Medal of Honor is awarded posthumously. Thankfully, that was not the case this year.The Police Combat Cross is granted to “members of the service who have successfully and intelligently performed an actof extraordinary heroism, while engaged in personal combat with an armed adversary under circumstances of imminent per-sonal hazard to life.”The Medal for Valor is “conferred upon police officers for acts of outstanding personal bravery intelligently performed inthe line of duty and at imminent personal hazard to life under circumstances evincing a disregard of personal consequences.”

MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTSgt. Timothy Smith101 PrecinctOn January 15, 2009, Sgt. Smith and others responded to areport of an emotionally disturbed person. After encounter-ing the man who was wielding a large kitchen knife, Sgt.Smith bravely stepped between two police officers to Taserthe subject, but the non-lethal weapon had no effect. Theman responded by charging the officers and stabbing Sgt.Smith in the left eye. After enduring 4 months of agonizingtreatment and rehabilitation, his doctors described his recov-ery as “miraculous.”

POLICE COMBAT CROSS RECIPIENTS

Sgt. Brian Holland Sgt. Kenneth ZepherinOrganized Crime Control Bureau Intelligence Operations

& Analysis Section

On September 14, 2002, Sgt. Zepherin and then PO Holland were assigned to the Brooklyn North TargetOffender Program. As they exited their auto to investigatea street dispute, they observed an armed man run awayfrom them and into a housing development. After ascend-ing an overpass and obtaining a good tactical position, theman fired upon the officers. The officers returned fire, butthe gunman ran into an apartment where he was appre-hended before a hostage situation could take hold.

Sgt. Sean Lynskey Sgt. Scott McKennaGang Squad Manhattan Intelligence Operations

& Analysis Section

On the morning of June 23, 2007, Sgt. Lynskey and thenPO McKenna were assigned to PSA 5 when they observeda dispute involving a large amount of people. As theyslowed to investigate, they saw a gunman pull out a hand-gun and fire at three people, killing one and wounding two.They exited their vehicle and ordered the gunman to drophis weapon, which he refused to do. During the subsequentgun battle, the subject was shot and wounded and takeninto custody.

was armed with a semi-automatic pistol. The suspectrefused to drop the weapon and opened fire on the officers,but was subsequently taken into custody with no injuriesbeing incurred by anyone.

MEDAL FOR VALOR RECIPIENTS

Retired Sgt. John BoeschESS 9In the early morning hours ofJune 16, 2002, retired Sgt.Boesch of ESS 9 was assigned tothe Bridge Response Detailwhen he and others, includingthen PO Michael Gargan,responded to a hostage situationinvolving a heavily armed man ata Manhattan nightspot. Sgt. Boesch coordinated tactics andlogistics within the inner perimeter, which resulted in thecapture of the suspect and the release of the 16 hostages.

Retired Sgt. Timothy DeevyNarcotics Borough BronxOn September 29, 2008, Sgt.Deevy and a detective assignedto the Midnight NarcoticsModule were conducting plain-clothes enforcement operationsin the 42 Precinct when theyobserved an armed man runningdown a street. As they chasedafter the subject, the man fired upon the officers. WhenSgt. Deevy’s gun jammed, the subject prepared to shoothim at close range, but was thwarted by the detective whotackled him to the ground. The subject was then appre-hended after a fierce struggle.

Sgt. Felipe GomezPBQN Anti-Crime UnitOn the evening of December 8,2006, Sgt. Gomez and two policeofficers were on routine plain-clothes patrol in an unmarkedauto when they observed a manadjust his waistband as an RMPdrove by. They exited their autosand identified themselves, but the man ran into an apart-ment complex. During a labyrinthine interior and exteriorchase through the complex, the subject pointed his gun atofficers, but was shot and wounded by Sgt. Gomez beforebeing taken into custody.

Sgt. Rory Mangia84 PrecinctOn the evening of March 27,2007, then PO Mangia andanother officer were assigned tothe 78 Precinct. While in uni-form but driving an unmarkedauto, they observed a man smok-ing marijuana. As they exitedtheir vehicle to investigate, theman took off running. During the subsequent chase, fol-lowed by a violent struggle, Sgt. Mangia was shot in the leg.Despite still carrying bullet fragments in his leg, Sgt.Mangia returned to full duty after several months of inten-sive physical therapy.

Sgt. Joseph JetteIntelligence Operations &Analysis SectionWhile assigned to PSA 2 on July12, 2008, Sgt. Jette and severalpolice officers were performinganti-crime duties. As theyresponded to an area where theyhad heard gunfire, they observedan armed man run into an alley. They ordered him to drophis weapon, but he instead opened fire on the officers beforebeing mortally wounded during a running gun battle.

Sgt. Raul IrizarryPatrol Borough Staten IslandOn the morning of July 22,2008, Sgt. Irizarry and a policeofficer were assigned to the 120Precinct when they responded toa report of a man with a gun.Upon their arrival they learnedthat the man, who had recentlyescaped from a psychiatric ward, was now armed and insidehis house. The man exited the house clutching a bible, butwas quickly disarmed of one weapon. As the officers tried tofurther search him and take him into custody, he broke free,produced another weapon, and attempted to take a womanhostage. During a subsequent gun battle, the emotionallydisturbed man was mortally wounded.

Sgt. Michael Gargan102 PrecinctOn June 16, 2002, then POGargan of ESS 7 was assigned tothe Bridge Response Detail. Inthe early morning hours, fellowofficers called for immediateassistance at a nearby bar inLower Manhattan. A heavilyarmed man had just shot two people, firedupon responding police officers, andtaken 16 hostages inside the establish-ment. Sgt. Gargan began a dialogue withthe subject, who told him he had doused the hostages with aflammable liquid and was going to light them on fire. Duringa moment of opportunity, Sgt. Gargan led an entry team intothe restaurant and took the man into custody.

Sgt. Gargan’s grandfather, Ptl. Thomas J. Gargan (inset) ofthe 6 Precinct, received the Police Combat Cross in 1945for the fatal shooting of a career criminal who had justrobbed a Greenwich Village nightspot and shot and wound-ed another police officer.Two years later, on August 17, 1947, Ptl. Gargan was shotand killed in the line of duty while responding to report ofa prowler at a private residence. The 47-year-old officerwas just one month away from retirement.

Sgt. Michael Raso52 PrecinctOn April 13, 2009, Sgt. Raso anda police officer were performinganti-crime duties in PSA 5 whenthey were flagged down by a manwho said he had been menaced.After exiting the vehicle, the offi-cers observed the suspect, who


T he SBA’s 103rd annual Heroism Awards Event tookplace on Thursday, October 28, 2010, at the HiltonNew York. The recipients of the prestigious HeroismAwards are recognized for their commitment to pro-tecting and enhancing the liberties and freedoms thatare so easily taken for granted.

While the event is held each year in honor of Sgts.John Coughlin, Michael Curtin, Rodney Gillis andTimothy Roy, all of whom lost their lives whileresponding to the terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter, this year’s honorees were the 140 living wid-ows and widowers of NYPD personnel, as well as theformer Transit and Housing police departments, whohave lost their lives as a result of the performance oftheir duties.

The sacrifices and sense of loss that these survivingspouses and their families have been forced to endureis unimaginable. It can never be minimized, nor will itever be forgotten.

Standing: Liz Sanchez, RoseNemorin, Ella Washington

Seated: Rita Williams, Ruby Walton,Myrna Thompson

Marcela Leahy, Joanne Langone, Barbara Talty

SBA President Ed Mullins

2010 Heroism Award recipients

Erin & Patty Coughlin

SBA Vice President Bob Ganley read a touching letterfrom Anna Mirell, whose husband, Patrolman JuliusMirell of the 34 Precinct, was shot and killed whileinvestigating a burglary in March 1948. Of all the sur-viving spouses, it is that incident that goes back thefurthest.

“The police department has been especially kind to mesince I was discovered as a surviving combat widow anumber of years ago,” she wrote. “Although I cannotbe with you, please know that I feel more than ever apart of the NYPD family.”

Susan McCormack, the wife of PO Joseph McCormackof ESS 2, as well as the co-founder and currentPresident of Survivors of the Shield (SOS), stirringlydescribed how the wonderful organization, whosemotto is “To Honor and Remember,” was formed.Susan’s two sons, James and Andrew, continue toenhance the family’s rich law enforcement legacy asactive uniformed members of the NYPD.

Special thanks to Buddy Valastro, the owner of Carlo’sBake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey, and star of thetelevision series “Cake Boss,” who was gracious

enough to bake a special cake for the occasion.Although Buddy could not be in attendance, his repre-sentatives, Mauro Scastano and Angelo Caporrino,delivered the cake, as well as an emotional speech insupport of the SBA and all of the night’s honorees.

Also in attendance was Philip Messing, the longtimereporter for the New York Post, and Vivian Scarangella,the widow of PO John Scarangella of the 113 Precinctwho died in May 1981 from injuries sustained in ashootout. They had met each other nearly three decadesearlier under very different circumstances.

As the officer clung to life for several days in the hos-pital, Messing had been dispatched to the Scarangellahome for an exclusive report. The assignment left anindelible impression on him, and he remembers it as ifit occurred just yesterday.

“As a young reporter it was a very formative experiencefor me,” said Messing. “I was particularly touched bythe strength and courage outwardly displayed by Mrs. Scarangella. It really gave me insight into what ittakes to be a police officer, as well as the spouse of apolice officer.”

Standing: Patty Gillespie, Chris ClonanSeated: Marge McDevitt,

Phyllis Spinola, Ann O'Connor,Maryann Cox

Angela Danz, Leslyn Stewart,Ann Driscoll

Serena Gillis,Eileen Rafferty,Carmen Suarez

Jimmy Smith,Margaret Mosomillo

Special thanks to Carlo’s Bake Shop,Hoboken, New Jersey

Susan McCormack, Co-founder &President of Survivors of the Shield

Never forgottenFormer Police Commissioner

William Bratton with ChristineBuczek & Millie Alcamo

Standing: Larisa Forster,Maritza Nieves

Seated: Rose Nemorin, Nicole Smith


Just over nine years after the most devastatingterrorist attack in American history, the UnitedStates Congress repaid the nation’s long over-

due debt to the heroes who answered the call ofduty on that fateful September morning.

In the final hours of the 111th Congress, the “JamesZadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act”passed the United States Senate and the House ofRepresentatives. Named in honor of the first NYPDofficer to have his death directly linked to his expo-sure to the toxins of Ground Zero, the bill was signedinto law by President Obama on January 2, 2011.

The SBA and its Washington Representatives haveworked hard for more than five years to getCongress to make a long-term commitment to thecompensation and health monitoring of those whoresponded on September 11th. Although the Houseof Representatives passed a version of the bill onSeptember 29th, it was unclear if the Senate wouldmake time to consider the legislation.

When the Congress returned to Washington onNovember 15th for its “lame-duck” session follow-

ing the recent mid-term elections, the Senate faceda long list of issues that the Democratic majoritywanted to act on before the next Congress wassworn in January 5, 2011. These included theDefense Authorization Bill, the START Treaty withRussia, immigration-related measures, and the annual appropriations bills which fund the Federalgovernment.

Not dissuaded by this laundry list of items, the SBA,in coordination with its law enforcement allies andthe committed efforts of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) pressed on theSenate leadership to take up H.R. 847 at the earliestpossible opportunity.

These efforts included the SBA coordinating a lawenforcement “fly-in” to Washington on November16th so that law enforcement labor leaders couldpersonally appeal to nearly two dozen Senators andtheir staffs. This SBA-led coalition included thePatrolmen’s Benevolent Association, DetectivesEndowment Association, Lieutenants BenevolentAssociation, Captains Endowment Association, PortAuthority Police Benevolent Association, Federal

Zadroga Health and Compensation Act Passes as 111th Congress Comes to a Close

CAPITOLHILLWATCHBy Chris Granberg, Legislative Representative, Siff & Lake, LLP

The SBA-led law enforcement coalition was relentless in its efforts to get theZadroga Act passed. Fourth from left is SBA Vice President Bob Ganley.

SBA board officers Anthony Augello, Cosmo Lubrano and Anthony Borellilobbied tirelessly in Washington to see the Zadroga Act come to fruition.


Law Enforcement Officers Association, NationalAssociation of Police Organizations, and theNational Troopers Coalition. These visits were fol-lowed by almost daily contacts with additionalSenate offices by the SBA’s Washington representa-tives.

On December 9th, these efforts yielded a procedur-al vote for the Senate to begin debate on theZadroga Act. Unfortunately, the bill was one of manythat became an early December casualty of the par-tisan debate between Republicans and Democratsover the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts and thepassage of annual spending measures, which pre-vented the Senate from taking up other bills foralmost two weeks.

Faced with this setback, the SBA and its Washingtonrepresentatives, along with allied law enforcementlabor organizations and the New York Congressionaldelegation, redoubled its efforts to get the Senateto vote on the Zadroga Act once the issues of taxcuts and spending were resolved. With time runningout, New York’s senators faced stiff opposition froma handful of Republican senators who threatened touse a range of delaying tactics to prevent a final voteon the bill before the senators left Washington forChristmas.

With no time to spare, the SBA’s Washington teamcajoled Republicans to accept a revised bill. Finally,on the very last day that Congress was in session, theopponents of the Zadroga Act who objected to thecost of the bill finally reached an accord with its mostrelentless and tireless champions, SenatorsGillibrand and Schumer of New York.

Under the agreement, which ensured a quick voteon final passage of a revised Zadroga Act, the over-all cost of the bill was reduced from $6.2 billion to$4.2 billion. Of this amount, $1.5 billion will go tohealth benefits, while $2.7 billion will go towards theVictims Compensation Fund (VCF). The VCF will bere-opened by the bill to handle the claims of thosewho became sick or died after the original VCFclosed in 2003.

The opponents of the bill also insisted on additionallimits on the attorneys fees that can be collected onawards granted to claimants under the VCF. Therevised bill promotes the use of health informationtechnology and also provides for claims-level datareporting so there is increased accountability overhow treatment dollars are spent.

Within hours of the final details of the compromisebeing agreed to, the revised bill was taken up andpassed by the Senate by voice vote. A few hourslater, this new version of the Zadroga Act passed theHouse of Representatives by a vote of 206-60, andwas sent to the President to be signed into law.

The passage of the Zadroga Act before the end ofthe 111th Congress was, in the words of SenatorGillibrand, “a Christmas miracle.” It was also a testa-ment to the determination of the SBA, its allies inthe law enforcement community, and the commit-ment and skills of the New York Congressional dele-gation, particularly Senators Gillibrand and Schumerand Representatives Carolyn Maloney, JerroldNadler, Peter King, Anthony Weiner, and MichaelMcMahon, who led the fight in the House ofRepresentatives.

These legislators went above and beyond the call ofduty right until the last moments of the Congressbecause they understood the importance of theZadroga Act to the brave men and women who sac-rificed so much on September 11th and in its after-math. The SBA is truly grateful for their unwaveringsupport.

Although the bill has been signed into law, the workis far from over. The important task of implementingthe true nationwide 9/11 Health Monitoring andTreatment Program that Congress has passed is justbeginning. In the New Year, the SBA and itsWashington representatives will continue its work onthis issue to ensure that the regulations implement-ing the new law reflect the intent of Congress tomeet the needs of our members and others whoresponded on 9/11 or who took part in later rescueand recovery efforts.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s commitment to the Zadroga Act

has been unwavering.

SBA Vice President Bob Ganleyon the Senate floor.


An Ongoing Tradition of Excellence

It is not unusual for children to follow their parents into lawenforcement careers, especially in an organization like theNYPD where the lines of succession run deep. There are countless multi-generational stories, all of which are veryunique. Here are just a few of them:

The Holmes/Galvin Family

Police Officer Tricia Holmes Galvin is an 18-yearveteran assigned to the 17 Precinct. Her husband, Matthew, is a captain assigned to the

Emergency Service Unit. Both of Tricia’s parents werealso members of the NYPD.

Fred Holmes was a sergeant and longtime SBA dele-gate who served the department from 1964 to 1997.His wife, Pat, joined the department in 1962, a timewhen the notion of women on the job was still alien tomany of her friends and colleagues.

All women were assigned to the Policewomen’sBureau, with some working in the Youth Division,

Detective Divisionand the MissingPersons Squad. Thereality is that fordecades women hadbeen performing com-plex and dangerouspolice work, but mostof it was under theradar.

Several women haddistinguished them-selves greatly inundercover capacities,during eras of great

SBA Families

Sgt. Pat Holmes (left) on duty in the1960s.


social upheaval, including Prohibition, World War IIand the Cold War of the 1950s.

When Pat was appointed, Theresa M. Melchionne, aformer detective first grade, was the Director of thePolicewomen’s Bureau.

“Theresa Melchionne held policewomen to a highstandard—and we rose to it,” said Pat.

For several years Pat and various female partnersworked in what would be akin to a citywide anti-crimeunit today. With little direction from their superiors,they went to troubled areas and made arrests. Pat andone of her female partners were the first women toever make a robbery collar inside the Port AuthorityBus Terminal.

Another time she and her partner made a felony arrestat a big theater in Brooklyn. They took the prisoner tothe local precinct for processing, where it was madeclear that they were not welcome.

“A lot of people didn’t want us on the job back then,”said Pat, who was one of only three women in herPolice Academy graduation class. “That included manymale colleagues and supervisors, as well as the depart-ment itself.”

While Pat was glad to see her original rank designationof “policewoman” changed to “police officer” in 1973,at the time she believed it was too little, too late.

Pat had always been a member of the Policewomen’sEndowment Association, and eventually served as theorganization’s Vice President and President in the early1970s. She and the board became a very critical voicefor change, and they filed several lawsuits that broughtabout enough transition to enable Pat’s daughter tojoin the ranks of the NYPD a lot more seamlessly twodecades later.

“People suggest I was a trailblazer, but I was no trail-blazer,” said Pat. “I was just angry, and I was deter-mined to do something about it.”

Fred Holmes said there was never anything conven-tional about his wife, whom he has known since bothwere teenagers.

“Pat always wanted to be in law enforcement, longbefore people even thought of women being in thosepositions,” he said. “She went on the job two yearsbefore I did. I took a lot of flak from my colleaguesover the fact that my wife was a cop. It was a differentworld back then.”

As a youngster Tricia had no specific aspirations to fol-low the lead of her parents, but she took advantage ofthe Police Cadet Corps program while attending St.John’s University where she studied criminal justice.When the opportunity for appointment came up in1993, she jumped at it and has never looked back.

Not long after completing her training, Tricia wasassigned to the Manhattan South Scooter Task Force.

“I never wanted any preferential treatment, and I don’tthink I ever got any,” said Tricia. “My father needed toknow that I had to do things on my own. He’s beenretired now for a long time, but he still loves to tell sto-ries about how things used to be. Even back then, whenI first came on, he talked about the old days.”

“Tricia’s always been a well-rounded girl who was goodin all situations,” said her father, “But when I saw herfor the first time in uniform, I couldn’t have been moreproud of her.”

“Tricia has all of the qualities needed to be a goodcop,” added her mother. “She’s very perceptive, detail-oriented and dedicated, all of which are necessary toget the job done as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Sgt. Fred Holmes cut adashing figure in his day.

PO Tricia HolmesGalvin and her husband, Capt.Matthew Galvin.


The Mulcahy Family

Retired Detective FirstGrade Denis Mulcahycame to the United States

from County Cork in Ireland atthe age of 17 in 1962. His long-time ambition of joining theNYPD came true when he wasappointed in 1969.

Over the next few decadesMulcahy fulfilled many of thedreams he had cultivated as ayoungster back in his homeland.While in the National Guard, alogistical snafu resulted in himbeing mistakenly trained in muni-tions and demolition at FortKnox, Kentucky. He was not par-ticularly interested in those fieldsat the time, but they would laterplay a major role in his lawenforcement career.

After spending several years in the 30 Precinct, as wellas in the Tactical Patrol Force and the Street CrimeUnit, Mulcahy was assigned to the Bomb Squad inJanuary 1983, just one week after Dets. RichardPastorella and Tony Senft were seriously injured in aNew Year’s Eve blast at One Police Plaza. Over thenext 20 years Mulcahy developed a worldwide reputa-tion for being calm, even under the direst of circum-stances.

As stress-inducing as bomb work would be for mostpeople, Mulcahy says that because he was so well-trained by both the military and the NYPD, he stillconsiders car stops to be much more dangerous.

“With explosives you always have some idea whatyou’re dealing with,” said Mulcahy, still eternallyyouthful at the age of 66. “When you do a car stop atnight, you have no idea what you are going toencounter.”

Mulcahy is as well known for his Bomb Squad experi-ences as he is for founding Project Children in 1975.

Realizing how serious the “Troubles” werewithin Ireland at the time, and never beingone to sit on the sidelines, he chose to dosomething about it.

He began by bringing six children frombeleaguered Northern Island to theUnited States, so they could spend a fewweeks of the summer being kids ratherthan trying to avoid the seemingly end-less violence at home. The organizationis still flourishing today, and is respon-sible for bringing over a total of 22,000children since its inception.

(For more information on Project Children logonto: projectchidren.org).

“Over there they were learning to throw Molotovcocktails, but over here they were able to remain chil-

dren, at least for a few weeks a year,” said Mulcahy. “Iam extremely proud of what that organization has beenable to do over the past 35 years. It has changed a lotof lives, mine included.”

Mulcahy is also immensely proud of his four children.Maureen and Sean are NYPD members, while Tara isa court officer and his namesake, Denis, resides inJapan where he works in the financial industry.

Maureen is a sergeant assigned to the 34 PrecinctDomestic Violence Unit. Sean is a detective workingout of ESS 1. Both have been on jobs that their fatherresponded to, an experience that has left fond and last-ing impressions on them.

Maureen was working a detail at Yankee Stadium whena suspicious package was observed on top of an ambu-lance. Her father and his partner, Det. TomO’Riordan, responded. The elder Mulcahy climbed ontop of the vehicle and dismantled the device beforedetermining that it was a hoax.

Maureen’s colleagues were surprised that her father, bythen a seasoned veteran, didn’t direct the “rookie” toinspect the package. When she asked her father aboutit, his response should not have surprised her, but forsome inexplicable reason it did.

“He said, ‘Tommy has kids,’ and I reminded my fatherthat he also had children, four of them to be exact,”said Maureen, who joined the NYPD in 1998. “Hisresponse to that was, ‘Yes, but you’re all grown up.’”

After attending an upstate college where he studiedbusiness, Sean Mulcahy, now 36, soon realized he didnot want to sit behind a desk all day. All of the goodthings he had heard his father say about the policedepartment suddenly began to resonate with him. Hecame on the job December 1997, and still calls it thebest decision of his life.

While training at the Police Academy, all he thoughtabout was becoming part of the elite Emergency

The Mulcahy family was honored by the Irish Echo in October 2010 for their altruistic endeavorsand commitment to public service. (L–R): Denis, Tara, Miriam, Maureen & Sean.


Service Unit. He knew it would be hard to get there, but his dreamdid come true four years later. Sean’s first year in ESU was also his father’s last year on the job.They encounte red each other at a scene in Lower Manhattan,where Sean watched in awe as his father checked out a suspiciouspackage. “To be a cop at a job with my father, to work side by side with some-one who had such a good reputation, and who I was so proud of,that was a great feeling,” said Sean, who in 2010 responded to U.S.Airways Flight 1549, better known as the Miracle on the Hudson.Along with other ESU personnel, he also traveled to Haiti to assistin rescue and recovery efforts following the devastating earthquakethat shook that country to its core. “I wouldn’t tell this to my father’s face, but he is my idol. He was agreat cop and he’s a great father, who gave all of his kids a kick inthe butt and put us in the right direction.”

The Kerrigan Family

The day Sgt. Kevin Kerrigan of the Highway District pinned his old shield on his son Michael’s uniform shirt was one of the happiest

and proudest of his life. Kevin had proudly worn shieldNo. 20706 for seven years as a patrol officer assigned tothe 103 Precinct. One of his favorite family photos is ofhim and Michael, who is no more than three or fouryears old, sitting on his lap in an RMP in the 1980s.

On the day that Michael was sworn into the NYPD inJuly 2006, his normally restrained father remembersbecoming overcome with sentimentality.

“At first I had mixed emotions about Michael becom-ing a cop,” said Kevin, who joined the NYPD in 1985and is now the SBA Director for Patrol BoroughQueen South. “He is very intelligent and always hadvery high test scores, so he could have done anythinghe wanted with his life. The fact that he chose thiscareer made me really proud.”

Irish eyes are always smilingin the Mulcahy family.

In the early days of Michael’s career Kevin sometimesdrove to the 109 Precinct, where Michael is stillassigned, and monitored the frequency on which hisson was working. “I wasn’t trying to be intrusive or over-protective,” heexplained. “It just meant so much to me to hear himhandling jobs with such competence and confidence. Itwas obvious that he took great pride in the job that hewas doing.”

“Like most kids, I wanted to be abaseball or a football player,” saidMichael, who is now the father oftwo young children of his own. “ButI am very happy with the decision Imade to be a cop. I believe the 109Precinct is the most culturallydiverse command in the city. Everyday is a challenge, and you arealways learning. It’s a good job.”Kevin Kerrigan is equally proud ofboth of his sons. The other, John, isin the restaurant business. “I think he makes more money thanboth of us,” said Kevin. “But mostimportantly, both of my sons followedtheir own callings. As a father youcan’t ask for more than that.”

Sgt. Kevin Kerrigan proudly pins his old shieldon his son Michael's chest.

Then PO Kevin Kerrigan gives sonMichael a ride back in the 1980s.


Widows, Children &Military Families’ Holiday Party

The SBA continued its tradition of hosting an annualholiday party for the widows and children of its members who have passed away while either on or offduty, as well as the families of SBA members who arecurrently serving in the military. Once again, John Dorst, the SBA's Sergeant-at-Arms,donned his Santa Claus outfit to dispense gifts to thosein attendance.“This event is a small way of letting these familiesknow how much we appreciate all that they have beenthrough,” said SBA President Ed Mullins. “They arealways in our thoughts and prayers, on this day, as wellas every day throughout the year.”


S B AD E L E G AT E / M E M B E R S H I PL U N C H E O N

The SBA’s annual Delegate/Membership luncheon and holiday party was held onThursday, December 16, 2010. More than 1,000 active and retired members were inattendance for the festivities, which included the Car Raffle, the highly successfulfundraiser for the Widows & Children's Fund. Also in attendance to meet and greetthe guests were former football greats Harry Carson and George Martin of the NewYork Giants.

The raffle winners were:

1st Prize: 2010 BMW 328i was won by retired Sgt. Kevin O'Connor of PBQS. 2nd Prize: 2010 Harley-Davidson Dyna Motorcycle was won by retired Sgt. David Imperato, OCCB. 3rd Prize: MacBook Pro Laptop was won by active Sgt. Eugene Tapia of the Police Academy.4th Prize: Bose Home Theater System was won by Paul Grego. 5th Prize: 50 inch Plasma TV System was won by Tim O’Hagan.


As hard as it is to believe, another year has come andgone. New York City police sergeants, who we willalways maintain have the toughest job in the world,continued to distinguish themselves on many fronts.

The SBA hosted its Sergeants of the Year luncheon onSeptember 27th, where 16 members were honoredfor their exemplary police duties. They were laudedfor an array of activities, including lifesaving actionsduring the attempted terrorist attack on TimesSquare, being engaged in shootouts, apprehendingviolent felons, and daring fire and water rescues.

Thousands of sergeants also helped keep the peaceat large scale events, such as the New Year’s Evedetail and a multitude of parades. It was during thethree-day Labor Day weekend, which traditionally sig-nifies the end of summer, that we caught up with ourFaces of the SBA for this edition of Frontline.

On Sunday, September 5th, scores of sergeantsassembled at the 67 Precinct for J’Ouvert (Juve), thecelebratory activities that precede the West IndianDay Parade. The following day sergeants could beseen all along the parade route, doing what they dobest with subtle pride, determination and efficiency,and showing why they are universally regarded as thefinest frontline supervisors in the world.

Sgt. Robert Riviello, 61 Pct

Sgt. Simone Safford, 110 Sqd

Sgt. Anthony Badillo, 67 Pct

Sgt. Nick Giarrantano, 5 Pct

FACES SBAof the

Sgts. Roger Jasmin & Monya Coats, 63 Pct

Sgts. Nick Fiore & Michael Galletta, 76 Pct


Sgt. Jaikaran Singh, Personnel Bureau

Sgt. Nicole Tirado, 30 Pct

Sgt. Wojciech Niebrzydowski, PBSI Sgt. Yvette Puentes, Support Services Bureau

Sgt. Tom Mooney, PBSI Sgt. Cynthia Lagares, 70 PctSgt. Marc Richardson, BXTF

Sgt. Catherine Felipe,Personnel Bureau Sgt. Steve Cuomo, PSA 9

Sgt. Joe Manfredi,Transit Robbery

Sgt. Timothy Coleto, PSA 3Sgt. Nelson Fernandez, Transit District 4

Sgt. Francis Clough, 115 PctSgt. Kimberly Motto, 52 PctSgt. James Murphy,

110 PctSgt. Sonia Poorin, Personnel Bureau

Sgt. Robert Gibson,112 Pct., U.S. Navy veteran Sgt. Jim Phelan, TARUSgt. Mauro Sciancalepore, 122 PctSgt. Andy Martinez, MTN Pct


DRUG FIRMS HIRE ATHLETES TO LURE DOCTORS TO PLAY BALL

In the past I have written about how the drug compa-nies recruited former college cheerleaders to work as“pharmaceutical representatives,” which is really just aeuphemism for salesperson. They took these womenfrom the sidelines and put them into the front lines ofpharmaceutical promotions. A recent article in theWashington Times described how drug companies arenow moving active and retired professional athletes offthe field and designating them as emissaries to getdoctors to “play ball.”

These athletes were paid anywhere from $8,000 to$35,000 to meet and greet, answer questions, and posefor photos with the 50-100 doctors in attendance at aseries of extravagant dinners or events. The names ofsuch current and past ballplayers as Eli Manning, BobGibson and Johnny Bench have been used to enticemedical providers to attend these marketing events,which allow manufacturers to promote their products.

The article notes that doctors take personal photoswith these stars, which are then hand-delivered by salesrepresentative to the offices of the physicians. Thisenables sales reps to get another bite of the medicalapple, while allowing doctors to fill their sample closetsand “treating” their staff to lunch on the drug manufac-turer’s dime. The is all done under the premise that themore interaction drug marketers have with doctors, themore likely doctors are to write prescriptions for theirexpensive brand name products.

In my opinion athletic icons are more qualified to pro-mote sports equipment than pharmaceutical drugs.This is part of what Senator Charles E. Grassley(Republican-Iowa) estimates was the $19 billion spentannually on marketing to physicians through gifts,lunches, drug samples, and the sponsorship of educa-tional programs.

Drug makers see benefits in GOP gain

When it began to appear that the prevailing wind wasblowing in the direction of Republicans during therecent midterm elections, the Pharmaceutical Researchand Manufacturers of America (PRMA), the primarydrug industry lobby, made major contributions to keyRepublicans to purchase future influence.

Just prior to that they had intensely lobbied Democratsto insure passing of the Obama Health Care Bill. By doingthis they increased the number of government subsidizeddrug product users and avoided the implementation ofany of the cost-cutting steps typically pursued by theDemocratic agenda. These include the importation ofcheaper drugs from Canada and the direct negotiationof Medicare pricing with manufacturers.

The PRMA did offer savings by subsidizing seniors whofell in the Medicare gap or “donut hole.” This was to insure that their delivery of costly “me too” drugs, highly promoted combination medications and

re-created generics, continue to flow without restric-tion. This all but guarantees enormous revenues fromexpensive brands in lieu of equally effective alternativegeneric medications. It also makes it politically impos-sible to consider rescinding or amending the subsidy inthe donut hole.

After all, the argument goes that paying 50% of drugcosts is better than 100%. These “fictional” savings giveusers the misguided belief that they are saving money,when in reality they are just embarking on a road thatwill end at the donut hole—and beyond. The primarygoal should be that as few Medicare qualified partici-pants reach this plateau as possible. If there was moreincentive to use equally effective first-line agents(generics) and medical providers were held account-able to ensure that this occurred, the system would notbe on the verge of perpetual collapse.

A coverage gap is something that typically does notaffect SBA Medicare eligible participants, but itbecomes a crucial concern in the conventional world ofMedicare Part D. By working closely with their partners,the doctors, drug companies encourage and rewardthe prescribing of expensive brand drugs to seniors onfixed incomes or with limited resources. As a result,they make reaching the donut hole a harsh reality formore seniors than necessary.

It should be noted the only effective way to lowerMedicare Part D drug costs is to use equally effectivegeneric alternatives, whenever possible. However, thedrug manufacturer lobbying is now geared towardsreauthorizing the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. Thisbill creates a mechanism for drug manufacturers tofund a significant portion of the FDA annual budget.How, you might wonder, can the FDA effectively“police” an industry that is paying billions in fees andtaxes to effectively push its own agenda, which isexploiting the users of drugs (ordinary people and theirhealth and welfare plans) to the tune of billions a year.As ludicrous as it sounds, it is like the fox is watchingthe hen house.

The belief is that with what should be considered addi-tional funding for the agency, new blockbuster drugswould get to market faster. The truth is, if the drug man-ufacturer’s contributions to the FDA’s budget were usedas a supplement rather than as governmental savings,genuine breakthrough discoveries would be expedited.As things are now, what is most often expedited are rou-tine patent extenders, such as extended release formu-las, mirror compounds or re-created generics, all ofwhich are derived from existing medications.

All that these deceptions serve to do is increase costswith marginal effects on health outcomes. With thedrug manufacturers controlling the budget strings ofthe FDA and the perpetual relocation of its FDAemployees over to the drug manufacturers, it is no sur-prise that billions of dollars in criminal and civil fines arepaid annually by drug manufacturers for their improperbusiness practices.

Health & WelfareBy Vincent Vallelong, SBA Health & Welfare Secretary & Errol Ogman, SBA Fund Administrator


RADIATION WORRIES FOR OUR CHILDRENA November 22, 2010, New York Times article entitledRadiation Worries for Children in Dentist Chairsdescribed excessive radiation exposures experiencedby our children while in dental offices. After readingthis article I reached out to Dr. Stephen Cuchel, theChairman of Healthplex Inc., which is the SBA’s dentalprovider, and a professor of dentistry at New YorkUniversity for 26 years. He also expressed strong con-cerns related to X-rays and orthodontic care.

There are 3 key inter-related problems that are current-ly at the forefront:

• Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerableto long-term effects of radiation.

• Many dentists have out-dated equipment thatrequire higher than necessary amounts of radiation.Some dentists claim that it is too cost prohibitive tomodernize their equipment.

• The refusal of dentists to invest in faster film, whichwould minimize a patient’s exposure to radiation.

The Film

In response to the above issues, the article noted that“There is no excuse for not switching (to the fasterfilm), the Food and Drug Administration said, becausefaster films offer the same quality for only penniesmore.” Also, the article said, “the slower film [requires]up to 60% more radiation, according to dental expertsand government records.”

The Equipment

Being a layman I could only guess this can be com-pared to having an old inefficient power guzzlingrefrigerator or air conditioner versus a new “energy starrated” model. These older units need more energy toreach required cooling levels, just like the older X-rayequipment needs to release more radiation to carryout its task.

The Industry

Another critical problem was the use of an apparatuscalled a Cone Beam CT Scan. This device produces a3-D image of teeth, roots or the jaw. A dilemma arisesin determining at what point the benefit of its use out-weighs its risks of increased radiation. Of most concernwas how the article described the abundant amount ofhypocrisy and duplicity occurring in the dental industryover its potential overuse.

We know that when a provider invests in a medicaldevice, such as an X-ray machine, the necessity for itsuse seems to increase considerably. This can beaccounted for based on a few things. First, manufactur-ers provide dentists with a revenue model thatdescribes how their dental income can increase bymaking this purchase. This includes alternative uses, aswell as providing practitioners with a useful fiscalmodel that outlines the number of daily uses necessaryto generate profits. This creates an environment whichcan challenge the objectivity of the dental provider andlead to indiscriminate use.

The Loss of Objectivity

As we have reported in the past, medical journals areused by doctors to keep up to date on advances intheir profession. We reported how academic periodi-cals such as Journal of the American Medical

Association or the New England Journal of Medicinegave manufacturers “carte blanche” in using these as aforum for promoting their products for both FDA andNon-FDA approved uses.

According to the article the American DentalAssociation allowed one of the leading Cone Beammanufacturers to underwrite a whole issue devotedentirely to Cone Beam technology. Does this soundsimilar?

A variety of dentists were solicited for their profession-al opinions in the article to discuss the virtues in con-trast to the shortcomings of increased use of thesedevices. Not surprisingly the major proponents for itsexpanded use, all of whom downplayed the safetyissues, were found to be directly on the payroll of themanufacturers.

On the other hand, while nearly all of those not on thepayroll found the devices to be legitimate and of value,they also reported concerns about safety and overuse.

As in the pharmaceutical business, those providerswho are looking to earn some extra money are paid offto mentor and indoctrinate colleagues into using theiremployer’s product. They will say whatever is necessaryto earn their salaries.

The objectivity concerns were captured in the follow-ing quote from a noted provider and educator who wastalking about orthodontic patients. “The parents ofthese children have no idea about the amount of radi-ation used in these CAT Scans, and even more fright-ening, neither do the dentists,” said Dr. Nicholas DelloRusso, a Boston periodontist who teaches at HarvardDental School,

If my hypothesis about the similarities between thedental and pharmaceutical industries holds true, weshould see an adjustments to the acceptable levels ofradiological exposure to accommodate these newdevices in the near future. This will be supported bythese same providers or educators on the payroll,reflected by them in professional journals, and pro-fessed at dental conferences and at annual continuingdental education (CDE) courses.

Advice from Dr. Cuchel

“Please ask questions. Seek out a second opinion ifyou have doubts. Investigate the matter on theInternet, and never feel embarrassed to ask for moreinformation from your dentist or physician. If you donot receive an informative and respectful response,change doctors.”

Below is from the preamble of the American DentalAssociation Principles of Ethics and Code of ProfessionalConduct:

The American Dental Association calls upon dentists tofollow high ethical standards which have the benefit ofthe patient as their primary goal. In recognition of thisgoal, the education and training of a dentist has result-ed in society affording to the profession the privilegeand obligation of self-government. To fulfill this privi-lege, these high ethical standards should be adoptedand practiced throughout the dental school education-al process and subsequent professional career.”

To this, I say Primum no Nocere—First, do no harm.


T he following article appeared in the November 17, 2010 edition of Law 360, the news wire for business lawyers. It relates to the Fair Labor

Standards Act lawsuit initiated by the SBA.

http://www.law360.com/articles/209720

Law360, New York (November 17, 2010)—A federalappeals court has upheld a preliminary injunction bar-ring the New York City Police Department from investi-gating or disciplining officers based on their participa-tion in a Fair Labor Standards Act suit.

In an opinion issued Tuesday, the U.S. Court ofAppeals for the Second Circuit found that a lower courtdid not abuse its discretion in granting the injunctionbased in part on hearsay testimony from officers whofeared retaliation after the department’s Internal AffairsBureau began investigating depositions in the case.

The three-judge panel also rejected arguments by theNYPD that the allegations of perjury stemming fromthe depositions are time-sensitive and significantenough to warrant immediate investigations.

About 4,300 current and former police sergeants filedsuit against the city and the NYPD in 2004 in the U.S.District Court for the Southern District of New York,claiming systematic overtime violations. Depositionswere eventually limited to test plaintiffs based on 17job categories and split into three groups.

The day after the NYPD received deposition transcriptsfrom certain test plaintiffs, the IAB was dispatched tocollect logs, activity reports and other documents fromall of the test plaintiffs, an indication for some that theywere under investigation, according to the opinion.

About seven weeks later, an IAB officer showed up forthe deposition of an officer, who was informed monthslater that his retirement was being upheld because ofwhat turned out to be an investigation into his deposi-tion testimony, the opinion said.

The district court granted partial summary judgment tothe city and the NYPD in November 2007, decidingthat under U.S. Department of Labor rules in effectbefore Aug. 23, 2004, certain sergeants were “bonafide executives” under the FLSA and exempt fromovertime, the opinion said. A trial was ordered todecide other overtime exemption questions for certainsergeants.

Three months after the court issued the summary judg-ment order, the NYPD ordered one of the first testplaintiffs to submit to a GO-15 interview—which areconnected with allegations of serious misconduct orcorruption and carry the threat of termination—at the

unusual location of the IAB chief’s office, according tothe opinion.

The court in March 2008 granted the officers a tempo-rary restraining order, later converted into an injunc-tion, barring investigations and discipline based ontestimony in the suit, the opinion said. The city andNYPD challenged that order with the Second Circuit,which remanded the matter to district court for morefact finding and analysis.

In again deciding to impose the injunction in 2009, thedistrict court accepted hearsay statements from sergeantrepresentatives indicating fears of retaliation among officers for participating in the suit, with some reticent tosubmit depositions and other considering dropping out of the suit entirely, according to the opinion.

The Second Circuit this time decided that the courtacted appropriately in finding that the officers werelikely to succeed on the merits of their FLSA retaliationclaims and that irreparable harm would occur withoutinjunctive relief.

Writing for the panel, Circuit Judge Rosemary S.Pooler noted a causal, self-evident connectionbetween the officers’ participation in the lawsuit andthe NYPD actions against them, adding that the courtwas unmoved by the NYPD’s arguments about thetime-sensitive perjury allegations.

The judge said it was clear the injunction minimizedthe harm to the plaintiffs and remains necessary.

Stephen P. Younger, an attorney for the sergeants, saidWednesday that an appeal of the 2007 summary judg-ment order is still before the Second Circuit.

“On behalf of the 4,300 New York City police sergeantswho are plaintiffs in this case, we are quite pleased thatthe Second Circuit found a likelihood of success on ourretaliation case,” Younger said. “We are looking for-ward to arguing the balance of the case in the SecondCircuit next week.”

A city spokeswoman could not immediately commentWednesday.

Circuit Judges Rosemary S. Pooler, Robert A.Katzmann and Peter W. Hall served on the appealscourt panel.

The sergeants are represented by Patterson BelknapWebb & Tyler LLP, Woodley & McGillivary and Quinn &Mellea LLP.

The case is Mullins v. City of New York, case number08-cv-01839, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for theSecond Circuit.

FLSALAWSUITPROTECTING OVERTIME RIGHTS2nd Circuit Backs Injunction in NYPD Sergeants’ OT Suit


REVOLUTION IN MOTIONDr. Edythe Heus is an innovative chiropractor whospecializes in optimizing body movement, aware-ness, performance and injury-recovery. Her uniqueunderstanding of how the human body works is whatled her to create a training regimen calledRevolution in Motion. While working with clientsearly in her career, she realized that most discomfortand pain came from the body being out of balance.

Revolution in Motion puts the body into optimalfunction, syncing the upper and lower body to worktogether and the smaller and deeper muscles toassist the larger and grosser muscles to perform pre-cision movements with greater power and efficiency.It involves nervous system training that creates astronger bond between the mind and the muscles,thus delivering neural messages at a faster and morepowerful rate.

The benefits from this type of training program areincredible. An activation of deep muscles on thespine and in the core allows a person to move androtate with tremendous power and grace. A strongernervous system allows for faster reaction andstronger contraction. Having the body built evenlyand working in unison plays a huge part in injury pre-vention. All of the little tweaks and aches dissipatewithin a few workouts as the body begins to move inthe way it was meant to move.

Injury is always a risk, especially for high perform-ance athletes, but with Revolution in Motion therecovery rate from even the most debilitatinginjuries is accelerated because the body is in such balance there is limited compensation.Compensations complicate injury recovery with neu-rological confusion, resulting in further compensa-tion and inefficient healing.

For these reasons, and more, Dr. Heus was recruitedto train the cast of “Spiderman: Turn off the Dark,”which is the first Broadway show to ever incorporateRevolution in Motion in its preparations.

The demands on the performers include flying com-pletely suspended over the crowd at more than 30miles-per-hour, bouncing off walls and occasionalmid-air brawls, all of which seem to occur in an ordi-nary day for the fictional superhero.

The results were astounding, as the entire cast wastransformed into solid and functional, and in somecases elite athletes, in a matter of weeks. After justthree weeks of training, Reeve Carney, who playsPeter Parker/Spiderman, proclaimed excitedly, “Ihave a 6-pack for the first time in my life.”

That seemed to be the universal response to howvital this training was for the entire cast, both in per-formance and aesthetics. Nearly all were amazed athow quickly even the most challenging dance movesbecame fluid and second-nature.

Collin Baja, who plays the Green Goblin, said, “I amdoing some intense flying in the show.” Regardingall of the acrobatics and dancing he is also perform-ing with relative ease, he added, “Through thissmart and fun program, my body is still not onlyintact, but stronger, toned and centered.”

I was fortunate enough to berecruited to help train the castmembers, all of whom I proudlyhelped perform tremendous ath-letic feats. To watch their bodiesand minds change so quicklywas nothing short of amazing tome. This type of training canalso work for you.

Beyond that, the changes inmy own physique and healthhave blown me away. Withoutlifting a weight over 10pounds, I have been able toincrease my strength, flexi-bility, posture and balance.In a matter of weeks I wasable to do 26 more push-ups, 7 more pull-ups, anda 4-inch increase in thevertical leap.

Although it seems like an unbelievable amount ofbenefits, the only way to maximize your body’s abili-ty is to try it out yourself. We look forward to seeingyou at one of the only two gyms that offer thisunique nervous system training:

Revolution in Motion, Inc. 555 8th Avenue, Room 902 (between West 37th to 38th Streets)New York, NY 10018Phone: 212 564-0500 Web site: www.revolution-in-motion.com

The Junction Fitness Group475 Port Washington BlvdPort Washington, NY 11050Phone 516-305-4651Web site: www.junctionfitnessgroup.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jimmy Mac is the co-owner of Junction FitnessGroup in Port Washington, New York, and providesregular fitness columns to the SBA.

ONTHEJOBFITNESS

BY JIMMY MACFIFTH IN A SERIES


3RD IN A SERIESBy Jeff Glowatz

EATING RIGHT: With a newyear upon us, we get an exciting new sense of hopeand excitement. It is the time of year that we getanother chance at “getting it right,” whatever “it”may be. Whatever “it” means to you from a nutri-tional perspective, this is a great time to make posi-tive changes. Stick with some simple but soundadvice, and I promise that you will be successful inyour endeavors.

I have years of experience in the health and nutri-tional fields, so I assure you that if you follow somesimple tried and true methods positive changes willcome. It won’t take long for you to look, feel andsleep better. You will alleviate the inordinate amountof stress that you’ve been carrying around, which willmake you feel years younger.

This is your chance to implement the changes thatwill make you feel better and live longer. The time tostart making those changes is NOW. This is yourchance. Please listen up and take advantage of whatI have to offer you.

I love what I do, and I want to help you become allthat you can be. But there is just one catch. In orderfor me to help you, you have to be willing to take thefirst step. You have to say enough is enough; I wantto change my bad eating habits, and I want to be allthat I can be.

If the answer is yes, let’s get started by making therubber hit the road. What is it that you most want to

change? Your weight? Your energy level? How youfeel on a daily basis? Your physical and emotional

well-being?

Even if you have multiple answers, let’s justfocus on one at a time for now. The reality is,if you change one thing, the others will fol-low. Write down your major goal on a pieceof paper. Keep it somewhere easily accessi-ble so that you can refer to it often. Put it onthe door of your refrigerator or on the cover

of your date book. Carry it on an index cardin your wallet or set it as a daily reminder onyour cell phone. Post it on the dash of bothyour RMP and your personal car. Keep itwhere you will always be reminded of it untilyour lofty dreams come to fruition. If you fol-low the plan, that will happen a lot soonerthan you think.

The next part sounds hard, but it is actuallyvery easy to do. E-mail me your goals and letme know what obstacles stand in your way.Perhaps you work too many hours or have nodiscipline when it comes to eating? Maybe you

never feel full unless you fill up on carbs? Areyou under so much stress that eating is your only

comfort? Do you spend too much time in a seden-tary position? If any or all of these are true, it does-n’t matter. We can work with them.

You don’t have to give your name. Anonymity is wel-come, but I need to know what you perceive as theobstacles to your success. Even if you think your“obstacles” are silly or embarrassing, I guaranteethat there are scores of others with the samethoughts. So you won’t just be helping yourself bybeing honest and forthcoming, you will be helpingothers as well.

My promise to you is this: I will address each andevery one of your needs personally and specifically,either in future SBA publications or by personal e-mail or contact. Please send me your letters now.Not tomorrow, but now.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Write your top goal for the year that relates tonutritional health and fitness on an index card.Write it in a positive, excited format that makesyou feel as if you’ve already attained the goal.Example: If you want to get to 210 pounds but arenow 250, your statement could read somethinglike this: I enjoy how lively I feel at my new weight.I love how I look and feel, and I enjoy all the com-pliments I get. Write this on a few index cards soyou can post them in various places where you willsee them throughout your day. Recite this goaloften, and you’ll be amazed at the strength itgives to your subconscious mind.

• Begin on your own, in the best way you know, tomove towards your goal. Don’t worry about mak-ing mistakes, they can be rectified soon enough.

NEW YEAR,NEW GOALS, NEW APPROACHES


Consider yourself a plane, and me the air trafficcontroller. It is so much easier to get the plane towhere it’s going once it is already in the air.

• Immediately begin doing more physical activity.Do this in any way you can. Go outside for a walk.Play more with your kids. Park your car furtheraway from a store entrance. Get off at a differentsubway stop and walk a little further to your des-tination.

• Whenever possible, wear tight clothes or a beltwhile eating. It will be a physical reminder for younot to overeat. If you do, the tight belt or clothingwill make things uncomfortable. After a few times,your brain will get the message that eating lessequates with feeling better. It is an old trick, butso simple and practical and it works. Try it and seefor yourself.

QUESTIONS FOR JEFF?

Please e-mail any health-related questions for JeffGlowatz to Bob Mladinich, the SBA CommunicationsDirector, at: [email protected]. You don’t haveto give your name. Any questions will be personallyanswered or presented in upcoming issues of theFrontline magazine and newsletter.

Jeff Glowatz has been in the preventative healthfield for two decades. Besides having worked as apersonal trainer and a cardiac rehabilitation physiol-ogist, he has been an NYPD fitness instructor forover 15 years. He earned a master’s degree inExercise Science from Queens College. He also hasan extensive master’s level nutritional background,and his many certifications include the AmericanCollege of Sports Medicine. You can access Jeff’sother nutrition articles on the SBA web site:www.sbanyc.org. Go to Extras/Health & Fitness.

1 . Eat salad greens daily or at least every other day.This will help keep your belly full and your fiberhigh, while also supplying your body with con-siderable vitamins and minerals. For dressing,consider balsamic vinegar with garlic, whichadds a ton of taste without the calories.

2. Pack fruit for lunch daily. This is easy, delicious,and provides natural vitamins.

3. Stop using the salt shaker. After a short time, youwon’t miss it and your taste buds will becomemore sensitive to the taste of the actual food.Your body will even retain less water, so youwon’t feel bloated and will lose weight.

4. Spice it up. After stopping the salt habit, startusing spices like pepper, garlic and dill. You’lladd huge zing (taste), plus hidden nutritionalbenefits such as an increase in metabolism fromcayenne pepper. The benefits vary according tothe spice, but they are all a lot tastier and health-ier than salt.

5. Switch to smaller plates, bowls and glasses, andyou will effortlessly shed calories and weightwithout even realizing it. Somewhere alongthe way, huge dishes have become thenorm. We eat more because we putmore on our huge plates, but the oppo-site can also be true.

6. Make a conscious effort to always eatmore slowly. Chew more times beforeswallowing. You will be surprised athow much less you will consumebecause you’ll feel full hundreds of calo-ries earlier than when you were eating asif you were going to the chair.

7. Move away from the frying pan andtowards baking or roasting in the oven.You will cut so much fat and so many

calories out of your diet. Heart health and weightloss will be sure to follow.

8. Always have healthier snack choices at hand.Various nuts and carrot sticks are just two exam-ples of the many refreshing and nourishingsnacks you can choose from. This approachincreases the quality of your overall nutritionwhile decreasing the temptations associated withcolleagues bringing cookies, candies and pas-tries to work.

9. Over a month or so, gradually step down fromwhole milk to 2 % to 1 % and then to skim milk.Do the same with ice cream and frozen low fatyogurt or sorbet. If you try to immediately gofrom whole milk to skim, you won’t like it one bit.If you step down gradually you will barely notice,but your heart and your waist line will feel the dif-ference right away.

10. Get educated by committing to regular readingon nutrition. It is easily accessible and can helpyou immensely in your battle. Since knowledge istruly potential power, you can make yourselfpotentially very powerful.

10 EASY WAYS TO IMPROVE EATING HABITS FOR THE NEW YEAR


Proud to Bean SBA Member & Friend

Woman of the YearThe Policewomen’s Endowment Association of the NYPD honored SBA

Recording Secretary Maureen Murphy as their Woman of the Year at its 88thAnnual Awards & Scholarship Dinner Dance on November 18th. The daugh-ter of Irish immigrant parents, Murphy is the first woman ever elected to anNYPD police union.

Murphy joined the NYPD in 1986 and was promoted to sergeant in 1994.She was first elected to the SBA board in 2002, and was re-elected to that posi-tion in 2006 and 2010. She is also a 2007 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal ofHonor. Her father, Joseph Firth, was a decorated NYPD detective assigned tothe Safe, Loft and Truck Squad, the precursor to today’s Major Case Squad.

“Maureen’s commitment to public service and dedication to her family isawe-inspiring,” said Lina P. Santamaria, the President of the PEA, who isshown presenting Murphy with a beautiful plaque. “This honor was hard-earned, well-deserved and long overdue.”

Plaque DedicationThe 6 Precinct held a plaque dedication in honor

of Sgt. Edward “Ned” Thompson on December29th. The beloved sergeant was 39 when he passedaway on March 9, 2008, as a direct result of workrelated to his 9/11 rescue and recovery efforts.Among other things, the plaque reads, “The loss ofthis gentle giant can never be truly measured. One thing is true: TheSixth Precinct is a better place because of him. He will be missed.”

Liberty MedalSgt. Christopher Newsom of the MTS Precinct (seated on right)

was a 2010 New York Post Liberty Medal recipient for his “on the jobperformance [that] reflects the department’s honor and selflessness.”On December 10, 2009, he mortally wounded a gunman who hadopened fire on him with a semi-automatic machine gun in the heart of Times Square. Despite the crowded location, Sgt. Newsom’s quickand definitive actions resulted in no injuries being incurred by anyinnocent passersby.

Theodore Roosevelt AwardAmong the six NYPD officers honored at the department’s annual

Theodore Roosevelt Awards Dinner in October was Sgt. NicoleDean. Recipients are lauded for returning to work after battling a seri-ous illness. Sgt. Dean, a 23-year veteran assigned to the LeadershipDevelopment Section, resumed her duties just seven months afterreceiving a kidney transplant from one of her three sons. Her spiritand enthusiasm continues to serve as an inspiration to all.

SBA Vice President Bob Ganley is shown here with Sgt. Thompson’s wifeJustine and daughters Jacqueline, twins Emily and Madison, and Abigail.

Photos: D

avid Bases/ 6 P

ct


Sergeants of the YearThe following members were honored as Sergeants of the Year at the annual luncheon, which was held on September 30th at Giandoon the Water in Brooklyn. With their loved ones in attendance, they were presented with plaques and praised for their gallantry, hero-ism and exemplary public service. All of the recipients had been presented with Certificates of Honor throughout the year:

• Sgts. Pasquale Amatulle of the MTS Precinct, John Ryan of the Bomb Squad and Jonathan Schwartz of the Auto Crime Divisionfor their efforts in thwarting a terrorist attack in Times Square.

• Sgt. William Balunas of the 6 Precinct for his professional manner in handling a particularly challenging EDP case on a busy down-town Manhattan street.

• Sgts. Robert Castro and Frank Garcia of the Bronx Warrant Squad for their arrest and disarming of two men who tried to rob them.

• Sgt. Monya Coats of the 63 Precinct for her role in a burglary investigation that led to shots being fired.

• Sgt. Grevirlene Kersellius of Transit District 3 for responding to a dangerous call despite being in excruciating pain from a seriousmedical condition. Her operator, PO James Atkins, was also honored for ignoring her order to return to their command. Realizingshe was in great physical danger, he rushed her to the nearest hospital and quite possibly saved her life.

• Sgt. Edward Kraemer of the 70 Precinct for his role in the rescue of a woman and a child from a fire.

• Sgt. Seth Lynch of the 40 Precinct for his role in a shooting incident in which he and another officer were fired upon by a man witha semi-automatic weapon.

• Sgt. Ross Nasierowski of the 110 Precinct for his role in a gang-related shooting incident that resulted in several arrests and therecovery of a loaded gun.

• Sgt. Bruno Pierre of the 67 Precinct for his role in the shooting of a crazed man who attacked him and other officers with a machete.

• Sgt. Wakisha Roman of the Transit Bureau Manhattan Task Force for her role in saving the life of a commuter who suffered a mas-sive heart attack on the subway.

• Sgt. David Salmon of the 62 Precinct for his role in the rescue of three people from a residential fire.

• Sgt. Guadalupe Sarracino of the MTN Precinct for her role in an investigation that led to the execution of a search warrant and therecovery of scores of weapons.

• Lt. Javier Valentin of Housing Borough Queens for his role while still a sergeant in the apprehension of an armed man who wascharged with two shootings, one of which was fatal.

SBA ScholarshipsThe SBA is excited to award annual scholarships to the children and dependents of active and Lifetime members with the high-

est SAT scores, plus ties, among all applications submitted. In addition, several non-competitive scholarships are also awarded todeserving students. For scholarship information contact Citywide Secretary Paul Capotosto at 212-226-2180. This year’s recipientsare:

RECIPIENT/COLLEGE PARENT

Boardman, Gary/Stevens Inst of Tech. Gary BoardmanBrody, Oliver/Cornell Stephen BrodyCarney, Philip/Boston College Robert CarneyCimmino, John/Rutgers Frank CimminoClune, Matthew/Davidson College James CluneDaly, Bryan/Marymount Gerald DalyD’Antonio, Peter/Macaulay Peter D’AntonioFagan, Brian/St. Johns John FaganHaran, Kayla/American Univ. Michael HaranHinton, Daniel/NYU Gerard HintonKash, Timothy/Loyola Gerard KashKatz, Eric/Binghamton Richard KatzLeap, Kelly/Providence Edward LeapLettieri, James/Univ. of Pittsburgh James LettieriMcDermott, Kelly/Fordham Joanne McDermottMoy, Sarah/SUNY Stony Brook Jack Moy

RECIPIENT/COLLEGE PARENT

Reed, Matthew/Univ. of Florida Kenith ReedStambuk, Samantha/Univ. of Chicago Andrea Herzberg Wojciechowski, Thomas/Northeastern Santo Staffa Zanata, Nicholas/SUNY Stony Brook Thomas Zanata

Recipient of the annual non-competitiveBo-Mat Creations Scholarship

Shaughnessy, Kerri/Michigan State Brian Shaughnessy

Recipient of the annual non-competitiveSgt. Doreen Scrimenti Scholarship

DiMaria, Philip Jr./Univ. of Florida Philip DiMariaUmanzor, Natalie/Univ. of Miami Oscar Umanzor

Recipient of the annual non-competitiveSgt. Frances Haimeck-Mladinich Scholarship

Senese, Kristin/St. John’s John Senese

Among this year's scholarship winners was Daniel Hinton, who will attend NYU. He is shown here with SBA President Ed Mullins, grandmother

Mary Hinton, father retired Sgt. Gerard Hinton of the 75 Precinct, and mother Valerie. Mary Hinton is an FDNY widow, whose husband,

Fire Lt. Henry J. Hinton, was killed in the line of duty in 1974.


SBA Art Calendar Contest The winners of the 2010 Art Calendar Contest were selected by

renowned artist Robert S. Greenberg, who is best known for his daily lifedepictions of average people as cartoon crocodiles. His work can be viewedat his web site: www.robertsgreenberg.com. The 13 winners of this year’scontest received an Apple iPad donated by the Federal Drug AgentsFoundation. The 13 runner-ups received a $500 U.S. Savings Bond, cour-tesy of our scholarship sponsors, all of whom are listed on page 32 of thismagazine.

WINNERSKindergarten: Shannon Phelan, daughter of Sgt. Kevin Phelan, 115 Precinct.

1st Grade: Logan D’Aoust, son of Sgt. Richard D’Aoust, OCID.2nd Grade: Samantha Barbera, daughter of retired Sgt. Jack Barbera.3rd Grade: Jack Kid, son of Sgt. Thomas Kid, OCCB. 4th Grade: Danielle Berrios, son of Sgt. Dennis Berrios, 90 Squad.5th Grade: Melanie Moore, daughter of Sgt. William Moore Jr., DC CTR. 6th Grade: Brittany DiFede, daughter of retired Sgt. Anthony DiFede.7th Grade: Joseph Guzzardo, son of retired Sgt. Joseph Guzzardo.8th Grade: William Planeta Jr., son of Sgt. William Planeta, Detective Bureau.9th Grade: Cassandra Rodriguez, daughter of Sgt. Felipe Rodriguez, OCID.

10th Grade: Gabrielle Logrono, daughter of retired Sgt. James Logrono.11th Grade: Siera Evans, daughter of Sgt. Alexander Perez, 48 Precinct.12th Grade: Shannon South, daughter of retired Sgt. Thomas South.

RUNNER-UPSKindergarten: Maggie Coyle, daughter of Sgt. Gerald Coyle, FTS.

1st Grade: Anthony Limeri, son of retired Sgt. Anthony Limeri2nd Grade: Colleen Sheridan, daughter of Sgt. Edmund Sheridan, 104 Precinct.3rd Grade: Gianna Cucci, daughter of Sgt. Jack Cucci, INT CIS.4th Grade: Brian Massoni, son of Sgt. Scott Massoni, IAB. 5th Grade: Nicole Miller, daughter of Sgt. Greg Miller, 24 Precinct.6th Grade: Eric Wall, son of retired Sgt. Brian Wall.7th Grade: Casey Kenny, daughter of Sgt. Michael Kenny, ESS 3.8th Grade: Claudia Lamberty, daughter of Sgt. Noel Lamberty, Detective Bureau.9th Grade: Melissa Zubizarreta, daughter of retired Sgt. Leonel Zubizarreta.

10th Grade: Richard Tarr Jr., son of retired Sgt. Richard Tarr.11th Grade: Victoria Mozatto, daughter of retired Sgt. Ralph Mozatto. 12th Grade: Courtney Rivera, daughter of Sgt. Robert Rivera, INT OAS.


Never Forgotten Active Sgt. Brian Ploss, a 22-year veteran assigned to Transit Bureau HQ, Rail Control Center, passed away on

June 6th, just weeks before his son Brendan and daughter Kathleen graduated from high school and middle schoolrespectively. In an effort to share in the joy of those momentous occasions, several of the late sergeant’s colleaguesjoined his children, as well as his wife Jacqueline, at both ceremonies.

They included Capt. Patrick Kerins, Sgts. Nick Badolato, Edward Forsyth, Patrick Lyons, Gerald Wendelkerand Jennifer Sherman, and PO Cathy Maniscalco.

“Brian was as committed to police work as he was to his family,” said Sgt. Badolato, the SBA delegate. It wasimportant for us to support his wonderful family during these very important events.”

Congressional Medal of HonorWhen U.S. Navy Lt. William J. Creelman received the

Congressional Medal of Honor for saving a life at sea whileserving on the Battleship Maine in 1897, he began a legacy ofexemplary public service that lasts to this day. His son,William M. Creelman Sr., served the NYPD from 1937-57,where he attained the rank of sergeant and “acting lieutenant.”

A grandson, William T. Creelman Jr., also honorably servedthe NYPD as a police officer from 1964-79, while anothergrandson, Thomas, is an active supervising investigator withthe NYS Attorney General’s Office and an adjunct associateprofessor of criminal justice at St. John’s University.

While researching his family history, Thomas (pictured)was struck by several ironies. When his father was sworn intothe NYPD as a patrolman in 1937, he was issued shield No.3446. As of August 30, 2010, there were 3,446 recipients of theCongressional Medal of Honor.

His grandfather’s Medal was issued by the Secretary ofNavy, a position then held by Theodore Roosevelt, who hadpreviously served as the Superintendent of the NYPD, whichwas the precursor to today’s police commissioner.

“My grandfather was such a modest man, so receiving theCongressional Medal of Honor never seemed like a big deal tohim,” said Thomas Creelman. “But I still get chills when I

touch the Medal and think about what he had to do to earn it. As I get older, the significance of that Medal beingpart of my family history means more and more to me with each passing day.”

SBA Gold Shields Softball TeamThe SBA Gold Shields softball team took two games from the

34 Precinct by the cumulative score of 18-1 to win the ManhattanSoftball Championship in July. Despite such sterling performanc-es, they were subsequently defeated in the finals of the tourna-ment by the Palace Guard at Red Hook Park in Brooklyn. TheGold Shields practice and play home games in the Bronx. Anyoneinterested in playing next season can contact Sgt. DennisRodriguez at 646-529-4353.

Pictured (l–r) are: Sgts. Andrei Giglevitch, Warrant Division;Samuel Ravelo, the SBA delegate in the Warrant Division; NoelLamberty of the Hate Crimes Task Force; Dennis Rodriguez,DETF; Michael Addeo, MN IRT; and Allan Hoehl, DETF.


NYPD Blues Softball TeamThe NYPD Blues softball team, whose members

include active Sgt. Brad Beamer of the 100 Precinct andretired Sgt. Christopher Kunz, traveled to Las Vegas inOctober and took the Police World Series by storm. Afterdefeating teams from Los Angeles, Minnesota and NewJersey, they were matched with the Ohio Lawmen, whichwas recognized as the top law enforcement team in thecountry. In the seventh inning Butch Crozier, an upstatecorrections officer and the East Coast Player of the Year,smashed a base hit to bring in a run and give the Blues a17–16 win and their first ever World Series championship.

The Blues were led by Crozier and manager Rick Tirelli, as well as tournament honorees Det. Brian Wallace,PO Gary Villacres, the centerfielder and team MVP who batted .788 in the tournament; and PO Kevin Wahlig,whose exemplary fielding earned him Gold Glove honors.

For more information log onto: nypdbluessoftball.com.

Happy Retirement Scores of colleagues turned out on July 22nd for

the retirement party for Sgt. Sean Gelfand (fifth fromleft) of the Intelligence Division. Among the activeand retired sergeants in attendance, some of whomoffered touching testimonials, were (l–r): PhilSansone, Frank Armenia, Christopher Strom, MikeO’Neill, Hector Vega, the SBA delegate, Jack Cucci,Andrea Dinko and Pete McGovern.

Life is Good Retired Sgt. Jerry Williams of the Medical Division,

who served the NYPD from 1969 to 1995, recentlyenjoyed good times with friends during a vacation in PuntaCana, Dominican Republic. The group included (l–r):retired PO Willis Linder, Jerry Williams and his wifeCynthia, retired Deputy Chief Ruth Hargrove of the NewYork State Mental Health Department, retired AssistantCommissioner James Hargrove, and retired PO MyrilLinder.

What a CatchRetired Sgt. Pete Baglio of the Auto Crime Division, who is now an

SBA member services representative, proudly displays the 10-pound, 29-inch fluke that he caught in Long Island’s Shinnecock Inlet this summer.The “doormat” was big enough to feed Pete and his large extended fam-ily for several days.

Reunion Anyone? Retired Deputy Chief Donald Moss is hoping to plan a reunion forthe Police Academy Class of February 1961. Anyone interested inassisting and/or attending should contact him at 845-359-7878 or

by e-mail at: [email protected].

Jersey Shore 10-13 Association The Jersey Shore 10-13 Association is seeking new members.

Active and retired NYPD members residing or summering at theshore are welcome. Meetings are held on the second Thursday ofthe month at the Manasquan Elks Club. Anyone interested can

contact Bill Rath by e-mail at: [email protected].


BOOK REVIEWSRETIRED SGT. MICHAEL CODELLA

Retired Sgt. Michael Codella, who served the NYPD from 1983 to 2003 andretired from the Special Frauds Squad, published his first book, which he co-authored with Bruce Bennett, in November.

“Alphaville: 1988, Crime, Punishment, and the Battle for New York City’s LowerEast Side” has received rave reviews from many notable sources.

Describing it as “raw, bloody and very real,” Publishers Weekly said the book was“a historical snapshot of what was one of Gotham’s most dangerous neighborhoodsand the men [and women] who brought order to its frightening mayhem.”

“Alphaville” can be purchased at all book stores, as well as on Amazon.com.

SGT. CLARISE BRADLEY

Active Sgt. Clarise Bradley, a 20-year veteran assigned to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Training,is a former pre-school teacher and college counselor, as well as the founder and CEO of CMB Enterprises, a com-

pany devoted to helping children learn valuable lessons through literature.

Her book series, “Complaining Chris and Sensible Shaun and the Fly TopsSneakers” is targeted for readers aged 7–11 and centers around two young boys.Formatted with colored typography, a technique not often seen in other chil-dren’s books, the series teaches children not to take specific aspects of their livesfor granted.

The series has received excellent testimonials from educators, many of whichcan be read on Sgt. Bradley’s web site: ccandss.org. The book can be purchasedon the web site, as well as at the Christian Cultural Center CornerstoneBookstore, 12020 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn, NY.

CYNTHIA BROWN

Cynthia Brown, the publisher of American Police Beat and a longtime friend of the SBA, has published anevocative book called “Brave Hearts: Extraordinary Stories of Pride, Pain and Courage.” It takes you inside thehearts and minds of 15 NYPD police officers of all ranks as they go about the difficult tasks policing the city thatis universally regarded as the Capitol of the World.

Among those profiled are retired Sgts. Bobby Johnson of the Organized Crime DrugEnforcement Strike Force and Stefanie Hirschhorn of the Mounted Unit.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who wrote the foreword, said Brown “has superblycaptured the commitment, courage and self-sacrifice of the extraordinary people you areabout to meet in the pages of Brave Hearts.”

Former Police Commissioner William Bratton called the book “a seminal work aboutthe complexities of law enforcement work.” He added that readers “are sure to be inspiredby their remarkable acts of courage and will come away with a better understanding of thecomplicated challenges inherent in enforcing the law and protecting people from harm.”

“Brave Hearts” can be purchased online at www.braveheartsbook.com or by calling 1-800-270-5317. It is also available on Amazon.com.

LT. DAVE SIEV

Lt. Dave Siev, a 19-year veteran assigned to the 83 Precinct, recently published abook called “Operation: Blue Christmas,” which he co-wrote with his wife Victoria. Itchronicles Siev’s days working as a patrol sergeant in the 67 Precinct.

He relates a story of encountering a young girl who had been horrifically burned byscalding water in a household accident shortly before Christmas. That led to Siev andother big-hearted officers pooling their resources to buy gifts for some of the precinct’spoor residents. Within a few years, the program was purchasing over 1,000 gifts a yearfor needy families.

“When inspired cops put their heads together, there is little they cannot accomplish,”said Siev, who is also the longtime head coach of the Fighting Finest boxing team anda recipient of the Police Combat Cross who was the lead supervisor in the largest guntrafficking case in department history.

His delightfully whimsical book can be ordered online at Amazon.com or atcreatespace.com/3455671.

Member Child Date of BirthAkhter, Waheed Aaminah 6/16/10Ariola, Raysa Joshua 5/23/10Aviles, Robert Jr. Khloe 5/10/10

Bannon, Christopher Christopher 10/15/10Barajas, Mark Mark 6/23/10Bardazzi, John Gianna 7/13/10Benfante, Anthony Matthew 6/9/10Bertuccio, Louis Jack 7/6/10Blake, Paul Joseph 7/16/10Brenner, Randy Colin 5/23/10Butler, Gregory Graden 7/10/10

Campisi, Charles Charles 8/8/10Carrera, George Lily 5/6/10Castle, Christopher Finn 8/26/10Catapano, Joseph Michael 4/8/10Celiba, Gaby Andrew 7/21/10Chae, Joong-Sik Vivienne 5/4/10Chang, Tik Kaylee 8/29/10Chowdhury, Samad Shayaan 6/17/10Coan, Richard Brian 8/28/10Cooper, Nancy Caylin 7/18/10Correia, Anthony Ciara 4/7/10Cortez, Faishe Ethan 9/14/10Crawford, Tiffany Justice 6/11/10Creighton, Douglas Emily 8/17/10Cuebas, Delia Mia 8/10/10

Deshazo, Efrem Aiden 10/19/10Desimone, Andrew Andrew 10/2/10Desposito, Lee Anthony 6/23/10Devine, Eugene Jack 6/20/10Diemer, Raymond Raymond 9/5/10Dombrovschi, Edward Emelia 10/26/10Donnelly, Kevin Julie 7/2/10

Eralte-Merejo, Jennifer Juliet 9/1/10

Fackler, Edward Benjamin 7/20/10Federico, Joseph Matthew 6/27/10Feldman, Daniel Melanie 5/28/10Flynn, Robert James 7/24/10Forgione, Jason Gianna 10/25/10Fullam, Michael Oliver 8/21/10

Gallo, Daniel Lily Anna 7/16/10Galvin, James Emily 6/8/10Giangregorio, Sebastiano Marco 8/3/10Glemaud, Fritz Abigail 7/31/10Goss, Brian Thalia 10/10/10Greiner, Gregory Inez 8/4/10Grizzard, Michael Dylan 6/14/10Guidice, Suzanne Charles 8/8/10Gulinello, Brian Cole 9/8/10Gulinello, Margarette Peyton 9/29/10Gulinello, Michael Amelia 10/1/10Gulinello, Michael Jayden 10/1/10

Habermehl, Ryan Aidan 6/19/10Hatzoglou, Peter Vasilios 7/27/10Hines, James James 9/26/10Huntley, Ebony Ebony 4/19/10Hurtle, Richard Veronica 4/8/10

Irizarry, Raul Alexis 4/2/10

Jablonski, Mark Abigail 6/29/10Jamet, David Christopher 8/21/10Johnson, Raymond Leah 5/17/10Johnson, David Isabella 5/3/10

Karuschkat, Brian Charlotte 5/27/10Katinas, Michael Olivia 5/6/10Kelly, Christopher Shawn 11/9/10Kenny, Ryan Charles 5/13/10Kenny, Ryan Liam 5/13/10Kenny, Ryan Alice 5/13/10King, James Grace 8/9/10

Lago, Alexander Samantha 8/21/10Lennihan, Michael Jake 10/7/10Leo, James Daniel 8/10/10

Malesky, Paul Noah 9/3/10Mallo, Daniel Tristan 4/19/10Mantellino, Richard Nicholas 6/5/10Marcaida, Eugene Gabriel 8/5/10Marenstein, Lawrence Shira 5/13/10Marines, Luis Dean 4/1/10Marte, Miguel Olivia 10/30/10McCcormack, Mark Makenzie 10/6/10McGovern, Matthew Madison 5/28/10McKenney, Teesha Brandon 4/9/10

Member Child Date of BirthMcKenney, Carlton Paige 5/30/10McLaughlin, Thomas Clare 10/12/10McQueen-Whitley, Kynda Iantha 9/2/10Miller, Peter Christian 4/1/10Miller, William William 5/18/10Miranda, Edwin Caelyn 4/28/10Moakley, Michael Olivia 10/16/10Morales, Desmond Derek 9/7/10Mufaddi, Daniel Amanda 5/21/10Mularadelis, Jason Nicholas 12/8/10Mundo, Reymundo Nathaniel 9/28/10Munoz, Francisco Melania 4/19/10

Nasierowski, Ross Erica 7/5/10Neff, Michael Patrick 6/14/10Nicastro, Carmine Sophia 9/17/10Nielsen, Christopher Christopher 9/16/10Nolan, Brendan Joseph 8/5/10Nonnon, James Dillon 6/14/10

Odland, John Edward 10/29/10Orenstein, Jeremy Lilly 5/31/10Ortiz, Jorge Jacob 4/11/10Osbourne, David Victoria 5/7/10O’Sullivan, John Margret 8/26/10O’Sullivan, Michael Kayla 5/24/10Otto, William Aidan 4/26/10

Pagano, Luigi Vincenzo 7/5/10Palermo, John Jennifer 7/30/10Palmiotto, Joseph Vincent 7/20/10Pasquale, Christopher Gianluca 11/4/10Pasqualone, Peter Katerina 6/23/10Pavelchak, Daniel Claire 7/10/10Pellati, Dante Owen 4/30/10Peralta, Denise Devan 4/2/10Perez, Laura Tatiana 5/16/10Perez, Laura Mckenzie 5/16/10Pizzo, Anthony Gianna 11/6/10Polanco, Cesar Misael 6/13/10Postel, Todd Tyler 4/4/10Primiano, John John 6/19/10

Radoncic, Adnan Dzamna 6/7/10Rana, Adeel Adil 4/30/10Rendon, John John 7/7/10Resseque, Michael Emily 5/13/10Rosal, Carlos Christopher 6/5/10Ruggieri, John Emily 6/10/10Rusielewicz, Raymond Jr. Isabella 9/18/10

Saccone, Michael Olivia 6/25/10Sala, Robert Christopher 10/26/10Santana, Felix Bear 4/30/10Santos, Erlyn Megan 7/8/10Schlein, Adam Samantha 10/22/10Schlein, Adam Riley 10/22/10Schmidt, Thomas Julie 6/11/10Scocca, Paul Thomas 6/4/10Sheahan, Richard Emma 6/18/10Sheppard, Tarik Tyler 10/26/10Singh, Jagdeep Amiyah 7/2/10Solcany, Stephen Stephen 10/22/10Summa, Montgomery Scarlett 9/30/10Sutherland, Bruce Cole 7/26/10Swicicki, Thomas Jr. Lucas 5/4/10Sykes, Reginald Shaye 9/28/10

Tamburello, Salvatore Matthew 9/16/10Tavarez, Jorge Lauren 9/6/10Termine, Glenn Dylan 4/4/10

Uruci, Arber Aleksander 6/16/10

Vasquez, Stephanie Samantha 7/11/10Vasquez, Stephanie Sophia 7/11/10Vazquez, Deborah Brandon 4/16/10Vazquez, Perry Brandon 4/16/10Vega, Eddie Amanda 9/2/10Vetell, Thomas Thomas 6/21/10Vitale, Benedict Megan 4/13/10

Wall, David Isabella 7/22/10Whiteman, George Elijah 8/26/10Wynne, Edward Elizabeth 9/22/10

Xenakis, Stanley John 4/18/10

Zheng, Sam Benjamin 7/27/10Ziberov, Alex Roman 7/15/10Zunich, Mark Dominic 8/14/10

Birth Announcements

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Z30 WEAR YOUR VEST FRONTLINE: A Publication of the NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association

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In MemoriamThe SBA pays respects to the following members who have recently passed away. Notifications were received between May 2010 and December 2010 . Any omissions will be published in the next issue.

ACTIVE MEMBERS

Name Passed Away Command

Johnson, Anthony 11/28/10 114 Pct

Ploss, Brian 06/06/10 Transit Bur.

Vega, Carlos 10/15/10 115 Pct

RETIRED MEMBERS

Name Passed Away Retired

Agelire, Anthony 06/25/10 11/08/85

Andron, Stanley 07/11/10 02/15/86

Autera, Joseph 09/03/10 07/05/89

Bahlert, Norman 08/23/10 05/30/69

Baratto, Salvatore 09/09/10 02/23/74

Bardo, Harold 08/12/10 05/27/87

Bauer, Jacob 06/27/10 07/06/71

Berry, Edgar 10/10/10 02/11/85

Breen, George 07/05/10 11/25/80

Brown, Daniel 07/06/10 07/17/73

Brunhuber, Frederick 05/08/10 10/31/86

Cahill, Edward 07/31/10 07/31/87

Campbell, Michael 10/21/10 07/03/85

Cardona, William 07/09/10 06/10/90

Clifford, John 10/07/10 01/31/08

Diaz, Antonio 07/22/10 08/23/02

Duval, Charles 07/24/10 11/01/76

Ferguson, Patrick 10/18/10 10/28/88

Fitzgerald, James 07/24/10 08/21/82

Foley, James 08/01/10 02/01/86

Ford, Thomas 08/31/10 02/11/92

Gasparino, Anthony 10/13/10 09/13/94

Gebhard, Edward 07/22/10 07/14/85

Gibbons, John 05/25/10 07/02/86

Gibbons, James 07/02/10 07/31/81

Groll, Raymond 07/04/10 10/15/74

RETIRED MEMBERS

Name Passed Away Retired

Hart, Ronald 08/27/10 02/22/80

Horhota, Michael 08/15/10 12/15/75

Horsham, Robert 12/02/10 12/24/86

Jackman, Gregory 07/19/10 05/18/90

Kenney, Wilson 10/31/10 07/03/77

Krauss, Leon 09/23/10 10/02/80

Legare, Troy 05/02/10 02/09/87

Lynch, Stephen 09/19/10 04/22/77

Maher, Stephen 10/21/10 07/31/07

Marazita, Philip 10/09/10 07/31/83

Medress, Sidney 11/29/10 07/01/85

Milton, Edward 06/09/10 08/15/78

Murray, John 09/25/10 08/05/89

Nappo, Michael 11/05/10 08/04/74

O’brien, John 08/06/10 05/10/72

Picarella, Felix 07/29/10 08/01/77

Popple, Roy 06/04/10 12/31/93

Prince, Gilbert 06/12/10 10/22/80

Quigley, Michael 09/10/10 07/04/86

Romano, Joseph 09/25/10 04/22/85

Rosenberg, Abraham 08/08/10 06/11/72

Sanders, Edward 05/22/10 07/02/84

Santise, Thomas 06/18/10 07/10/80

Slagus, Adolf 08/27/10 08/25/75

Sullivan, Terence 05/06/10 07/31/01

Sweeney, Peter 05/30/10 11/27/92

Tiernan, James 12/19/10 10/01/94

Tilelli, Frank 12/21/10 01/04/74

Trotter, Luther 07/08/10 01/01/78

Upton, James 08/05/10 07/27/85

Walters, James 08/11/10 11/26/90

Westby, Richard 0 5/11/10 09/03/79


Sergeants Benevolent Association35 Worth StreetNew York, NY 10013

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage

PAIDNewark, NJPermit #30

Edward D. Mullins, President

Robert Ganley, Vice President

Robert W. Johnson, Esq., Treasurer

Maureen Murphy, Recording Secretary

Gary DeRosa, Financial Secretary

Vincent Vallelong, Health & Welfare Secretary

Paul A. Capotosto, Citywide Secretary

Cosmo Lubrano, Marshal

John Dorst, Sergeant-at-Arms

Michael Peruggia, E.M.D./Headquarters

Arthur Smarsch, PBMS/Manhattan South

Cliff Thieleke, PBMN/Manhattan North

Anthony Augello, TD-33/Transit Bureau

Stephen O’Hagan, SOD/Housing Bureau

Anthony Borelli, MN Narc otics/OCCB

Edward Conroy, Citi Field/Queens North

Kevin Kerrigan, Highway District/Queens South

Raymond Brickley, 42 Precinct/Bronx

Peter McCormack, 44 Sqd/Detective Bureau

Patrick Logan, 67 Precinct/Brooklyn South

Vincent Guida, SITF/Staten Island

DIRECTORS

SERGEANTS BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION

A NYC Police Sergeant—The Toughest Job in the World

Sgt. Gregory Clifford, 123 Pct Sgt. Patrick Quigley, 76 PctSgt. Levern Dukes, Bronx Warrants

olume viii/ issue ii · 2017. 5. 30. · frontline a publication of the nyc sergeants benevolent...

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