Keep killer in jail, beg slain cop's family  
(1973 Homicide of Hero ESU P.O. Stephen Gilroy)

By Melissa Grace - Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 ‘The New York Daily News’ 

Keep him locked up. That was the message relatives of a murdered city cop and two of his fellow officers Friday gave the state Parole Board – which has already decided to release the killer. "They brought the room to tears," Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said of slain Officer Stephen Gilroy's seven nieces and nephews and the two retired cops who testified before the board.

The panel voted Nov. 13 to release the convict, Shuaib Raheem, 58, in January without first hearing from the victims. Raheem has been behind bars since 1974. He was found guilty of killing Gilroy, 29, during a 47-hour siege at John and Al's Sporting Goods Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 1973.

The board may reconsider its decision to parole Raheem as a result of the testimony.

 

 

 

Sunday, December 9th, 2007 The New York Daily News’ Editorial

No parole for cop killers

It is indeed possible that a man can change for the better while spending 35 years in prison, but it is inescapable that, strive as he might, a murderer will never balance the scales of justice. 

Shuaib Raheem would like to convince the world otherwise. He seeks to be freed from further punishment for the death by gunshot to the head of 29-year-old NYPD Officer Stephen Gilroy. And he has managed to talk an inexcusably lax Parole Board panel into agreeing that he deserves to be released from behind bars.  

The vote by Thomas Grant and Debra Loomis to free Raheem over the objection of fellow board member Henry Lemons was an outrage that must not stand. Grant and Loomis cast their ballots without hearing from Gilroy's widow or any of the many additional victims of Raheem's crime, an episode that traumatized New York.  

At 5:33 p.m. on Jan. 19, 1973, Raheem and three cohorts entered John and Al's Sporting Goods Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Raheem led the determined group. They were Sunni Muslims, and their ostensible purpose was to rob an arsenal of weapons for protection from a sect of black Muslims who had killed seven Sunnis in Washington.  

But the robbery went bad. They took 12 hostages and began what became a 47-hour siege punctuated by gunfire. One shot killed Gilroy, and a second cop was wounded when he went to Gilroy's aid. As the ordeal progressed, the men sent out a captive with the message, "We will kill all the hostages unless we are allowed to escape." Police were forced to use an armored personnel carrier to rescue six cops and 15 civilians who were pinned down by gunfire.

 The gang holed up for an hour short of two days before surrendering. At trial, Raheem testified that his men had never specifically shot at any of the 700 cops ringing the store, but a hostage told the jury that one of the men was gunning for "the guy who keeps sticking his head out." That "guy" was Officer Gilroy.

 Raheem also testified: "When people's rights, life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are trampled upon and no one is there to enforce these rights, people have a God-given right to take the law into their own hands." The four were sentenced to 25 to life for kidnapping and 25 to life for murder, the terms to run concurrently. Today, they would have gotten a proper sentence - life without parole.  

In 2005, another Parole Board panel curtly rejected Raheem's application for release: "Due to the extremely serious nature of these offenses, the panel concludes that your release would not be in the best interests of the community at this time."

 

'THOSE GUYS SHOULD HAVE BEEN FRIED'
 (Retired ESU Man Al Sheppard Reflects on the Murder of  ESU Hero Steven Gilroy and Parole for His Killer) 
EX-ESU OFFICER RELIVES 73 B'KLYN HOSTAGE SIEGE THAT LEFT COP DEADBy PHILIP MESSING and DAN MANGAN - Monday, December 10th, 2007 ‘The New York Post’

The young cop was on night patrol in Brooklyn's 81st Precinct when he heard the call about gunshots at John and Al's Sporting Goods on Broadway.

Officer Al Sheppard pulled up to the chaotic scene, where at least one officer already had been shot and was lying in the street and several nearby patrol cars were riddled with bullets fired by the robbers. Within an hour, another cop would be fatally shot in the head.

It was Jan. 19, 1973 - but Sheppard remembers it like was yesterday.

If he has his way, the horror of that night - as well as the lasting effect the death of his comrade has had on himself and others today - soon will be seriously weighed again by a state parole panel.

The board recently voted to release Shuaib Raheem, one of the killers in one of the most sensational NYPD hostage showdowns in city history. But after an outcry from the widow of slain cop Stephen Gilroy and the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the panel has agreed to reconsider the move. Gilroy's bitter widow has said she will testify before the board.

"Those guys should have been fried," seethed Sheppard about convicted killer and kidnapper Raheem, who is set to be freed in January, and his three accomplices, who kept police at bay for 47 hours while holding hostages in the store. "They were trying to kill people."

Now retired, Sheppard describes the events of that night in the opening chapter of his book, "E-Man: Life in the NYPD Emergency Service," which he co-wrote with ex-Post assignment editor Jerry Schmetterer, and which is being reissued next year by Rooftop Publishing.

Nearly 35 years ago, Sheppard was an NYPD patrolman with two years on the job when he got a call of a robbery and shooting in the neighborhood.

He rushed to the already-bloody scene, where four Sunni Muslims had barged into the Williamsburg store to rob it of rifles and ammo. The robbers hoped to arm themselves against a perceived threat from Nation of Islam members, who the day before had butchered a house full of orthodox Muslims in Washington, DC.

Sheppard got out of his car and took cover. "I was squatting in front of a pole across the street from the front entrance of the store," he told The Post. "I was in front of the Oasis Lounge, where they filmed [a scene for] 'The French Connection.'

"We were pinned down. They were constantly firing. There were dozens of shots. It was continuous for a while.

"They were shooting underneath the police cars," said Sheppard, countering Raheem's later claim at trial that the robbers intentionally fired over the cops' heads.

As the shooting continued, civilians kept wandering into the scene from the nearby subway station, where authorities initially had failed to stop trains from running.

"A sergeant at the scene asked us to shoot out the streetlights," whose glow was silhouetting the cops and giving the robbers targets, Sheppard said.

Sheppard was just 10 feet from one wounded cop lying on the ground, but hesitated dragging him from the street because of the constant gunfire.

"I asked an older cop, I can't remember the guy's name. I said, 'I think I can get to that guy and pull him back,' " Sheppard recalled. "He grabbed me and said, 'Listen, kid, a hero is nothing but a sandwich. ESU is on the way.' "

About 20 minutes after he had arrived, Sheppard saw the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit trucks race up.

ESU cops got out, "taking up a position. They had heavy weapons and heavy vests," Sheppard said.

One of those ESU cops was Gilroy, 29, whom Sheppard saw take cover behind a subway trestle girder.

"Then, a couple of minutes later, I hear, 'Boom!' He got hit. I saw him take the shot," Sheppard said.

Gilroy had been hit - fatally - in the head.

"Eventually, they brought in the 'tank' " - an armored ESU rescue ambulance - to the scene, Sheppard said.

"They pulled in front of the place, and they retrieved Gilroy's body," he said.

The siege ended two days later with the surrender of the robbers, who were convicted of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Sheppard said the siege, and Gilroy's killing, "was my motivation to join ESU" a year later.

He first was assigned to Truck 4 in The Bronx; then in 1985, was transferred to ESU Truck 8 in Brooklyn's 90th Precinct. It was the same precinct where Gilroy had been assigned at the time of his death 12 years before.

Every day when he went to work, Sheppard saw the plaque at the 90th Precinct that commemorates Gilroy.

Last week, when he learned that Raheem had been granted parole after more than three decades in prison, memories of Gilroy's death came flooding back to Sheppard, whose strong feelings about the men convicted of murdering his fellow officer have not changed over the years.

"They should never get out," Sheppard said. "If they shoot a cop, what would they do to a civilian?"

Sheppard might get his wish.

In addition to Gilroy's widow, Patricia, several wounded cops who survived the siege are expected to give testimony to the parole panel, which has taken the unusual step of reconsidering its decision to free Raheem. Other potential witnesses at that planned hearing include former hostages and more relatives of Gilroy.

The parole panel had earlier agreed to release Raheem because of his clean disciplinary record since 1999.

Patricia Gilroy and the other victims were not notified of the initial hearing to release Raheem because they had not previously told the board they wanted to be told when he came up for parole.

In an interview in Shawangunk Correctional Facility last week, Raheem told The Post he deserved to be freed and he prays "for the chance to redeem myself."

 

 

 

Christmas Eve Tour

In 1974 when I first joined the police department, I knew there would be
special occasions my family would spend without me. Knowing that fact didn't
make the task any easier. The celebrations I missed those first years
depressed me and sometimes made me feel bitter. Working on Christmas Eve was
always the worst.

On Christmas Eve in 1977, I learned that blessing can come disguised as
misfortune, and honor is more than just a word. I was riding a one man
patrol on the 4 to 12 shift. The night was cold. Everywhere I looked I saw
reminders of the holiday: families packing their cars with presents,
beautifully decorated trees in living room windows and roofs adorned with
tiny sleighs. It all added to my holiday loneliness. The evening had been
relatively quiet; there were the usual calls for barking dogs and a
residential false burglar alarm. There was nothing to make the night pass
any quicker. I thought of my own family and it saddened me further.

Shortly after 2200 hours, I got a radio call to the home of an elderly,
terminally ill man. I parked my patrol car in front of a simple Cape Cod
style home. First aid kit in hand, I walked up the short path to the front
door. As I approached, a woman who seemed to be about 80 years old opened
the door. "He's in here," she said, leading me to a back bedroom.

We passed through a living room that was furnished in a style I had come to
associate with older people. The sofa has an afghan blanket draped over its
back and a dark solid Queen Anne chair sat next to an unused fireplace. The
mantle was cluttered with an eccentric mix of several photos, some ceramic
figurines and an antique clock. A floor lamp provided soft lighting.

We entered a small bedroom where a frail looking man lay in bed with a
blanket pulled up to his chin. He wore a blank stare on his ashen, skeletal
face. His breathing was shallow and labored. He was barely alive The
trappings of illness were all around his bed. The nightstand was littered
with a large number of pill vials. An oxygen bottle stood nearby Its
plastic hose, with facemask attached rested on the blanket.

I asked the old woman why she called the police. She simply shrugged and
nodded sadly toward her husband, indicating it was his request. I looked at
him and he stared intently into my eyes. He seemed relaxed now. I didn't
understand the suddenly calm expression on his face.

I looked around the room again. A dresser stood along the wall to the left
of the bed. On it was the usual memorabilia: ornate perfume bottles, white
porcelain pin case, and a wooden jewelry case. There were also several
photos in simple frames. One caught my eye and I walked closer to the
dresser for a closer look. The picture showed a young man dressed in a
police uniform. It was unmistakably a photo of the man in bed. I knew then
why I was there.

I looked at the old man and he motioned with his hand toward the side of the
bed. I walked over and stood beside him. He slid a thin arm from under the
covers and took my hand. Soon I felt his hand go limp, I looked at his face.
There was no fear there. I saw only peace. He knew he was dying; he was
aware his time was very near. I know now that he was afraid of what was
about to happen and he wanted the protection of a fellow cop on his journey.
A caring God had seen to it that his child would be delivered safely to him.
The honor of being his escort fell to me.

When I left at the end of my tour that night, the temperature had seemed to
rise considerably, and all the holiday displays I saw on the way home made
me smile.

I no longer feel sorry for myself for having to work on Christmas Eve. I
have chosen an honorable profession. I pray that when it's my turn to leave
this world, there will be a cop there to hold my hand and remind me that I
have nothing to fear.

I wish all my brother's and sister's who have to work this Christmas Eve all
the Joy and Warmth of the Season.

Author Unknown - Just a Cop
 

 

 

 

Dolans have nerve making cops pay for graduation at Madison Square Garden

Sunday, December 30th 2007, 4:00 AM

The proprietors of Madison Square Garden should consider it only an honor to host a Police Academy graduation, especially when the cops have cut crime to record levels and remain our front line defense in a war where the next big attack will almost certainly come in our streets.

Instead, Chuck Dolan and his son, Jim, continue to charge the NYPD $110,000 to use their hall for the two-hour ceremony held mid-day during a weekday.

The latest graduation was on Thursday, and the six-figure bill from the Dolans is all the more outrageous for coming just as the city is preparing the Garden's property tax statement.

The statement lists the annual tax that should be due:

"Tax Before Exemptions and Abatements: $10,886,054."

Directly below that number is the amount actually due thanks to a tax break the Garden has enjoyed since 1982:

"Annual Property Tax Payable: $0"

This perpetual exemption has been worth some $250 million over the past 25 years. About half has gone to the Dolans since they acquired the Garden in 1994, which means they have pocketed $125 million in tax breaks while billing the city for a small fortune every time a new class comes out of the Police Academy.

During this same 13-year period, the NYPD has knocked down crime by more than 70% in Midtown South, the precinct where the Garden is located.

No wonder the Dolans don't fire Isiah Thomas. Everybody is so busy ranting about Thomas that they almost forget about the Dolans. The sign people should be holding up at all Garden events is "Pay Up, Dolans!"

The tax deal was originally negotiated by the city and then-Mayor Koch, but actually enacted by the state Legislature. The owners of the Garden then were threatening to leave town and take the Knicks and Rangers with them.

Even one of its backers described the abatement as a mugging.

"When someone has a gun to your head and says, 'Your money or your life,' sometimes you have to give your money," state Sen. Franz Leichter (D-Manhattan) was quoted as saying in reluctant support.

A quarter-billion dollars later, the abatement can only be nixed by the Legislature, and the Dolans are cozy with Sheldon Silver, Rangers fan and Speaker of the Assembly. Never mind that both our present mayor and the City Council Speaker have repeatedly called for the Dolans to pay up.

The Dolans have spent some of their abatement bucks on lobbyists and appear to feel in little need of political and public goodwill. On Thursday, they once more charged the NYPD as if it were promoting a $100-a-ticket rock concert rather than a graduation for rookie cops with a starting salary that computes to about $100 a day.

After their $110,000 graduation, these $100-a-day rookies were immediately fielded in neighborhoods where crime has spiked despite the overall decline. That does not include the Garden's home precinct, where cops have continued to be the neighborhood's only championship team, knocking crime down another 5% over last year.

The Garden is at the center of the safest big city in America, but that also places it in the bull's-eye for terrorists who spend each and every day scheming a way to top 9/11. This time of historic safety also is a time of unprecedented danger.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto may or may not be the work of Al Qaeda, but you can be certain that Osama Bin Laden is hoping the resulting chaos will enable his sympathizers in the Pakistani intelligence services to get his hands on a nuclear device. You can be just as certain that Al Qaeda is not about to expend such a device on Newark.

The war goes on. And the Dolans' idea of supporting our front line defense is to charge $110,000 for a ceremony they would be only honored to host if they had much honor at all.

mdaly@nydailynews.com