NCJ Number
138644
Date Published
1991
Length
317 pages
Annotation
These are Paul Ragonese's personal recollections of his 17 years as a New York City police officer, the most highly decorated officer in New York City history.
Abstract
In his years with the New York City Police Department Paul Ragonese's assignments took him from foot patrol and plainclothes anticrime work to tours with elite units such as emergency services, bomb squad, and antiterrorism. He describes what it is like to be a rookie on the "graveyard" shift in the worst part of town, to rescue "jumpers" from atop the city's six highest bridges, and to defuse 15 sticks of dynamite with only 90 seconds left before it would explode. He became nationally known in 1985 when he was shown on network television in his role as an emergency- services officer by the side of a woman pinned beneath a 35- ton crane. These memoirs describe police work as a way of life, not just a job. Ragonese, who is retired from policing and acts as a law enforcement and security consultant, argues for a renewed effort in the New York City Police Department to give officers pride in their work through proper recognition and appreciation from police managers. He recommends that uniformed officers be given the authority to make drug arrests and the discretion to assume initiative in addressing the crime in their jurisdictions. Glossary and subject index