Second Chance

Joe Hawk

Description

Upon retiring from the New York City Transit Police Department after 22 years, I was given a second chance to start over, in a new police department and to be able to continue doing what I loved, being a police officer. What I didn't know at the time, the town of Palm Beach P.D. wasn't all that I thought it would be instead, the department revolved on favoritism; and if you questioned their decisions, they retaliated against you. This was obvious from the time I took my first promotion test for the rank of sergeant. I was passed over for the next three promotions, even though I was higher up on the list. They employed the” Peter Principle”, promote the man to his next level of incompetence.
I had the moral courage to speak up, and the rank and file stood idly by. Then the retaliation started, lower yearly evaluations, refusal to sign off on off duty police courses, to further my law enforcement career, avoid rewarding me Officer of the Month for outstanding arrests; it went to officers with mediocre arrests, eleven {11} years to fully reach top out pay whereby other officers reached the top after four to five years, assigned to least desirable patrol zones for long periods of time.
After working for the two past chiefs, the department turned around. I never gave up, and I maintained my moral courage to stand up for what was right. Finally, after eleven {11} years, I was recognized for who I was and what I stood for. The next nine years were most rewarding.
10% of all sales of this book will go to the fallen law enforcement officers memorial funds, Washington, DC, so that they won’t be forgotten.

Sujets

• Law Enforcement
• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 02 décembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665575775
• Langue: English

Extrait

Second Chance











JOE HAWK







AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]






© 2022 Joe Hawk. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/28/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7575-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7576-8 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7577-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022921026





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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 1989
Chapter 2 1990
Chapter 3 1991
Chapter 4 1992
Chapter 5 1993
Chapter 6 1994
Chapter 7 1995
Chapter 8 1996
Chapter 9 1997
Chapter 10 1998
Chapter 11 1999
Chapter 12 2000
Chapter 13 2001
Chapter 14 2002
Chapter 15 2003
Chapter 16 2004
Chapter 17 2005
Chapter 18 2006
Chapter 19 2007
Chapter 20 2008
Chapter 21 2009

Book Inspiration
About The Author



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Mick Keehan, for all the days and evenings on the police boat, especially under” Blue Lightning”. Also, for all the years in the Palm Beach Honor Guard, whether it be training, or the funerals and special events including funerals, for our falling brothers and sisters, 4 th of July, kickoff, Red Cross Ball, Policeman’s Ball at Mar- a-lago, Citizens Academy, Town Memorial and Police Week, Washington, D.C., for several years. And the friendships we made with other police officers across the country.
To Mike Bates and Lori Minot, for their unselfish dedication to the Burglary Strike Force. For the numerous hours of stakeouts and surveillance and the take down of a drug mule and drug dealers, the arrest of many suspects for drugs, stolen vehicles, guns, and other property, and for keeping each other safe.
Lastly, for all the officers I worked with on patrol, on a daily or nightly tour of duty. Too many to mention, but thank you for having my back, and keeping all of us safe so we could all go home safely after our tour of duty.



CHAPTER ONE
1989
After submitting my resume to the Town of Palm Beach, Florida for the position of police officer, I received a call from Palm Beach P.D. I was informed there was a police class starting up near the end of July, Broward Community College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I was told if I was still interested in the position, to come to the station and receive all the necessary paperwork.
Upon arriving at the station, I was met by Sergeant Klein. He gave me all the necessary paperwork and a S&W model 60 .38 caliber revolver, a holster and ammo. I thought that was unusual, because in New York, I had to purchase all my own equipment. This was a necessary academy course to be certified as a Florida police officer. Only one hundred- twenty {120} hours was required, instead of the normal fourteen weeks {14} for recruit police officers.
I learned that there was another officer, Dave, who also was accepted to the police academy. He was currently a security guard at the Gardens Mall, Palm Beach Gardens FL.
At the time, I was staying with a former, New York City Transit Police Captain, Charles Deibel. He was a friend and an extended family member, who over the years, of my employment, with the New York City Transit Police Department, was his protege. So, around the end of July, I traveled to Broward Community College, Monday through Saturday. I was able to hook up with David, from time to time, and we commuted together. We had a few things in common. David, a former Ohio police officer, with six years’ experience and I had twenty-two {22} years with the New York City Transit Police Department. He had a set of twin boys; I had a set of twin girls. We got along just fine. The ride to FT. Lauderdale was about seventy {70} miles; so, sharing the ride was very helpful, since we weren’t getting a salary. The course of study was radio codes and signals, citations, and accidents, driving and firearms, very different from New York. Intense studying and memorization were necessary. Florida state statutes varied in verbiage and money amounts crimes. Funny, assault in New York was a physical offense, whereas in Florida assault was verbal. Battery in Florida was physical. We didn’t have battery in New York.
One of our instructors, a traffic accident specialist, must have thought we were having an art class. He drew trees, curbs, signs, buildings, etc.to perfection. In New York, we drew a box for a car. We didn’t use the “zzz” marks to show skids. The course content was different, but interesting. Arrest forms were standard, as were the traffic citations throughout Florida. Next came my favorite, firearms qualifications. I shot a near perfect score but, was the only one who shot a perfect score on the shoot /don’t shoot course. I was the only recruit able to do so. Saturdays were dedicated to driver training. They used skid pads, cones for backing up, pursuit driving, {a lot of that goes on In Florida, everyone seems to run from the police.}. So, two weeks into training, I decided to check on my house under construction in Jupiter, Fl. I was alone in my Honda Civic driving northbound on the Florida Turnpike. My speed was between seventy {70} and seventy-five {75} mph. I was behind a white pickup truck, who was behind a North American Van Lines moving van. We were all in the right lane. Suddenly, I observed the rear wheels of the tractor trailer jump as if it ran over something. I immediately hit my brakes, pulled to the left lane, avoiding hitting a car with Alaska plates. The white pickup truck narrowly missed the Alaska vehicle. {I used vehicle instead of car, that’s a Southern term.} The tractor trailer struck a parked car that was on the shoulder, pulling it approximately twenty {20} feet sideways. That vehicle exploded. The truck Jack knifed, and the driver was thrown from the cab of his truck. The hit vehicle had a second explosion and was engulfed in flames. The male and I from the white pickup truck ran to the burning vehicle and extracted the woman from the vehicle through the windshield. I brought her back to the crowd, which was formed from the stalled traffic. I said,” Hold on to her”. The woman screamed and said,” My family, and she ran back to her vehicle”. I once again grabbed her and brought her back to the crowd of onlookers. The vehicle was engulfed in flames. I asked a motorist if he had a radio or c.b. radio? I said,” Tell the state police to shut down the southbound turnpike at the Jupiter exit, and to bring the emergency vehicles down on the northbound side.”
A little while later, I observed the southbound turnpike shut down. I administered first aid to the truck driver, who said,” They must have pulled out from the shoulder.” He also had a rider in his truck with him, who said,” Nothing”. A State Trooper came to me and said he needed me to write a report of what happened. I sat in the trooper’s vehicle and wrote the report, but first, I said, “We need to take out a section of this divider, there are small kids and people who don’t have water or food and the traffic is backed up for miles, and it’s at least ninety-five {95} degrees out.”
As I finished the report, I observed vehicles turning south on the turnpike; a section of guardrail was removed; I didn’t see that happen. I was only officially retired from New York City for six weeks. It felt like I never retired.
A Sheriff’s helicopter landed on the roadway and said to the troopers that he would take pictures of the accident scene. After the woman was removed to Jupiter Hospital; they removed her husband from the vehicle. He was crushed behind the wheel. Three children were removed from the rear seat. That was a horrific day of my life. Later that evening I met with the Traffic Homicide Investigator {T.H.I.} from the state police. He asked me what I observed and what actions I took and recommendations I made. When I told the trooper the vehicle was pushed sideways for twenty feet, {20} the trooper said,” That’s great, it was nineteen feet {19}.” This statement was recorded. I left and drove home. I could not sleep for three days, thinking about what had happened. I never did get to see the house under construction. That accident happened on August 12 th . Going forward, a few years later, I gave a ninety-three {93} page deposition to the lawyers representing the victims of the crash. I also gave depos to the rental car company and the trucking company. The following day, after the accident, the Palm Beach Post had a front page spread all about the accident. I didn’t report my actions to the Palm Beach P.D., after all, I wasn’t on their payroll. I graduated from the Academy on Thursday, August 31 st . My first day of employment with the Palm Beach P.D. was Friday, September 1, no days off.
My wife eventually sold our New York house in November, and we moved into our new Florida home three days later. While I was at the Academy, I ran into a recruit for the Broward Corrections Department. Robert was a detective with the Transit P.D. Robert, and I were very good friends plus our wives got togethe