A yellow taxi turn to me and smiled

Where police performance was born

I headed up the New York last weekend, home of the Yankees, The Ramones, where the line from the title was written about and of this chap...

He’s called Jack Maple.  Its unlikely, unless you’ve looked at the pictures already, you know who he is but for the cops who are reading this, he has had a profound effect on our lives - he was the architect of COMPSTAT.  Maple was the man who envisaged, then developed the practice of bringing local commanders together and holding them, to account in front of their peers.  This was not always a pleasant process for those under the spotlight.  The COPMSTAT room at the NYPD headquarters is large and at one end there is a podium for those under scrutiny to stand at in order to be questioned on their performance by more senior leaders.  Whilst I am told, it’s “not as bad now” (!), in the early days this was a brutal process.  Think about that for a moment, being required to stand to be interrogated by senior colleagues - mightn’t a seat have been a little more civilised?  How too might the thought of been brutalised by senior colleagues have affected those under the spotlight?  I always remember my old sergeant, Dick Whitson, who is still the yardstick I use in my own leadership; he was great!  Dick used to tell us that ‘one pat on the back was worth ten kicks in the backside’.   How soul destroying must it have been to know you were heading into a forum to get your backside kicked and, more interestingly for me, how far might one have gone to avoid that?

Whatever the why’s and wherefores, COMPSTAT is now a performance management system used across the world.  From a policing perspective, it was interesting to stand in the place it was created and hear from some of those who contributed to its creation as to how the process has evolved over the years.

I was also given an opportunity to see the new NYPD Police Academy - what a size of a place!  And it’s no wonder.  A small course for the NYPD is around 600 strong which can rise to just over 1000 at full capacity, with each course running for six months.  The grounding thing was seeing much of the same things in this new academy as we have at the Scottish Police College - lecture theatres, themed training suites and a gym, it was all just on a bigger scale.  One of the things that did make me scratch my head was the training that was done to stop vehicles.  This is undertaken using stationary vehicles, so the officers learn how to get out of their cars and approach a suspect vehicle in a safe manner.  Nothing strange about that, what was strange was that it was done using real police cars…on the 6th floor!  I have no idea how they got them up there or how they plan to get them down.  I just know its not going to be easy!!

Sometimes its good to walk out

One of the first things I was taken to was a walk out.  No, nothing to do with industrial action, but this was a celebration of retiring commander.  One of local chiefs retired last Friday after 41 years service.  To mark that, around 200 cops turned up at his precinct to watch him leave his office, sign out in the duty book then walk out of the station, all for the last time.  He did this with the pipe band playing and with a guard of honour in place, all wearing the old style NYPD uniform.  Streets round about the precinct were closed for a couple of hours to accommodate those attending and neither the local residents or business minded. This was, in my view, a pretty amazing sight.

It also happened on the same day that Robert Brown retired from the Met police with 47 years service.  Robert’s retirement was marked in a similar way, but made the news both because that length of service and that means of marking a retirement are uncommon in the UK.  In the NYPD this was a regular occurrence.  I think thats a good thing and a nice way to mark the end of significant part of the retirees life.

Having been around the NYPD and other police services here, I’m not surprised by the regularity of  these walk outs nor the numbers who attend them.  The relationships cops have with one another here is different to that in Scotland.  There is a closeness, a common bond, that, whilst it exists where I work, is not as deep as it is here.  Cops, across ranks call each other ‘brother’ and I got the feeling they they mean it in some deeper way than just a general term of endearment.  These are officers who have dealt with and continue to deal with some of the hardest policing situations on the planet - 9/11 being the most obvious example.  Perhaps it’s situations such as these that give these officers a deeper bond?  I don’t know, all I’m saying is that its different to that which I’ve found in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK.  Not better or worse, just different.

Little Ireland?

The other thing about NYPD that’s different is the ethnic mix of the service, which was described to me by one senior leader as being a ‘minority majority police department’.  Basically, when all the various groups of minority officers are added together they outnumber the cops who are white.  I discussed this with a black officer.  He recked that was a good thing, it is also something that’s reflective of the city, which, I think, makes that a good thing too.  He also thought that, given time, in another few years the number of BME officers might even outnumber the cops who claim Irish heritage.  I gave him a funny look and asked ‘eh, what do you mean’? He simply told me that there were so many Black, Italian and Hispanic officers that claimed to be Irish that Irish cops still outstripped the number of minority cops on the force!

One of the things that really did strike me about the cops in NYPD was that so many of them claimed to be Irish!  Now, I’ve already mentioned that I don’t go into either McDonalds or Starbucks if I can avoid them.  The other places I try to avoid are Irish bars.  Now, I do this for a couple of reasons.  First, wherever I travel I like to have an authentic experience and, for me, Irish pub chains on the High Street, wherever that High Street is unless of course it’s in Ireland, are simply not authentic, so I try to go to local bars.  The other reason is less well thought out(!)  Simply, I cannot believe, as a nation of beer makers, whisky distillers, story tellers and drinkers, we Scots, were beaten to internationalising our drinking culture and identities by the Irish!  We should have been quicker off the mark and had we been so, then there would be Scottish bars on every High Street in every part of the world undermining local culture!  This was, however, a difficult rule to follow in New York, as there are Irish bars simply everywhere.  

This is a city of huge diversity, a city where various immigrants have settled in specific areas, China Town, Little Italy and Little Brazil being obvious examples.  There is no ‘Little Ireland’, when I wondered why I came to the conclusion that it’s because there is nothing ‘little’ about the spread and influence of the Irish across this city. The Irish helped make this city and are at the heart of its police service, right down to their pipe band wearing Irish kilts.  You know what?  That’s no bad thing and is something many of those I spoke with genuinely value. The Irish comprise a significant part of what is New York culture!

Brand NYPD

Talking of New York culture, there can be fewer public sector brands in the world more recognisable than NYPD’s.  Stores sell NYPD hats, t-shirts, mugs and other branded things and people buy them in huge quantity.  The department are, unquestionably, in the spot light just now.  I am certain they will pul through because people have faith in them, they must or they would not want to wear their mark across their chests or drink from their mugs.  This is, in my view, a great organisation.  Like any organisation, it’s only as good as its people.  I was humbled by the time and effort the NYPD put into hosting me and hospitality they showed, making my whole trip not just enjoyable but rewarding too.

It was also great to see Ama, a fellow Fulbrighter and cop who is working in New York just now.  Pizza and wine on Sunday afternoon really helped warm up the weekend.

9/11 Memorial

The last time I was in this city I stood at the top of the World Trade Centre.  I was keen to go and see the memorial and reflect on that first experience of New York at the same time.  I liked the fountains which have inscribed on them the names of all those who died that day.  What struck me were the number of first responders who were named there.  These were people who ran into the the carnage to help others escape to safety; at the cost of their own lives.  I found it pretty moving to think about that and to hear from some of the cops who I met who were there, who told me about New York that day, the mark that day continues to leave on the city, the police and upon them individually.

As I went around the museum one of the things that struck me was a display case that held some of the things that were recovered from the site.  One in particular was the wallet of an Englishman who had died that day, and within the wallet was his Sainsbury’s reward card.  It’s funny how these little things remain intact.  Like many others, I spent a lot of time in Lockerbie just after PanAm 103 came down and it was the wee things there that really made an impression.  For me, it was miniature bottles of Smirnoff vodka…how can that have survived such an explosion and fall?  For colleagues, it was things like finding smoked salmon intact on the ground.  I still don’t like to handle miniature vodka bottles and my colleague won’t eat smoked salmon.  With that in mind, I found looking at this Sainsbury’s card the most moving part of what was in general a very moving experience.

Things not to do in the cold…wear a nappy and get married!

Have I mentioned how cold it was yet?  Man, Sunday was, without doubt, the coldest day I have ever been out in during my life.  With that in mind, it was a hoot to find this guy…the Time Square Baby.  Standing only in a nappy in -17 he danced all night for tips.  Brave or stupid?  I’m going for the stupid, and that why he got a couple of dollars from me!

Braveness in the face of the freezing weather was also apparent on the top of the Empire State Building on Saturday afternoon.  There was no view, it was snowing too hard, it was difficult to talk outside the viewing platform on the 85th floor as it was just too windy.  Neither of these factors, however, stopped the four intrepid, and clearly committed, couples who had turned up to get married outside that day.  Whilst their love for one another may well have been keeping them warm, my thoughts were with the poor, old celebrant.  She stood outside for the thick end of an hour officiating the nuptials for all the weddings.  Ah…the love of the job!

On Broadway

You can’t come to New York and not go see a show.  I went to a play on Friday night - Churchill.  It was quite good but I had guessed the ending before the play started!  However, on Saturday night, I went to see Avenue Q, if you’ve not been….GO!!!  Sesame Street for grownups, I laughed the night away till it hurt.  I’m not usually one for musicals but this was just a wee bit different.  Here’s one of the songs that I feel just about able to post on this blog, check out the rest for yourself - you won’t regret it.

What I’ve learned this week

Check the weather forecast before accepting an invite to a wedding in New York

It’s nice to mark the retirement of colleagues, in fact not just nice, it’s important too.

Somethings the most ordinary of things have the biggest impact.

Its never easy to park on the 6th floor.

You don’t have to be Irish to be proud you’re Irish.

Any thoughts or comments most welcome.

Very best

Richie