Port Authority Police Department: Honor, Leadership, America

As requested by the Port Authority Police Department, I delivered a leadership presentation titled “Port Authority Police Department: Honor, Leadership, Protecting America” on Wednesday, July 29, 2015.

The presentation was attended by their superintendent of police, assistant superintendent, commanding officers, inspectors, chiefs, captains, lieutenants, and executive staff. It was designed to express appreciation for their dedication to protect and serve and held at their police academy in Jersey City, New Jersey. It will be followed by ongoing leadership training for rank and file.

The Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) is one of the largest police departments in America with 1,700 members, and is vital to our nation.

Responsibilities of the PAPD include the following: Port Authority Bus Terminal, World Trade Center, PATH System, Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Port Authority Marine Terminal, Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, George Washington Bridge, The Bayonne, Goethals Bridges, and the Outerbridge Crossing.

The major airports alone: Newark Liberty International Airport, JFK International, and LaGuardia, handle more than 110 million air passengers, over 1.3 million aircraft moverments, and over 2.6 million tons of air cargo annually.

The PAPD provides a wide array of services in their dedication to protect and serve the millions of people that use Port Authority facilities and services with capabilities including the following: Emergency Services, K-9 Patrol, Motorcycle Unit, Aricraft Rescue and Firefighting, Commercial Vehicle Inspection, and Defibrillator Program.

During my presentation, I used my signature metaphor of a head-on train collision causing catastrophic chaos, painting the picture of America’s crisis of leadership and culture of violence. I emphasized that the PAPD is vital to our nation.

America's Crisis of Leadership

The crisis of leadership was depicted with examples including the following:

• Massive and pervasive arrests, indictments, convictions, and imprisonments of public officials on the federal, state, county, city, and local levels including recent cases of New York State Assembly Sheldon Silver and ex-Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife.
• Continuous corporate fraud cases including Enron, WorldCom, Purdue Pharma L.P., Schering Plough, the narcissistic arrogance of Lehman’s Brothers Richard Fuld, and the long tentacles of Bernard Madoff’s $50 billion swindle that wreaked havoc on so many lives
• Scandals within the world of sports including Major League Baseball, the National Football League, indictments of high-ranking officials and corporate executives associated with FIFA, and the fall from grace of Olympic champions
• Crimes in religious communities, including the sexual abuse of children in the Roman Catholic Church compounded by disgraceful cover-ups from bishops who failed to protect society from contemptuous crimes that screamed to heaven for justice
• Scandals against our veterans who have borne the battle yet suffer from deplorable healthcare deficiencies, unemployment, and homelessness
• The entertainment world’s crisis of stars involved with substance abuse, domestic violence, and shootings

America's Culture of Violence

The crisis of violence was depicted with events including the following:

• Sexual assaults of teenagers by their peers with reprehensible postings of the attacks posted online that led to heart-breaking suicides of numerous victims
• Horrific incidents of school and campus violence including Columbine, Virginia Tech, Newtown, and Yale University where a murdered student’s missing body was found on what would have been her wedding day
• Senseless workplace violence massacres the include the killing of 14 at a Binghamton, New York Immigration Office, the killing of 12 people during a Batman movie in Colorado, the beheading of a person in a Oklahoma food procession plant by a terminated employee, and the Navy Yard mass shooting that left 13 dead
• On-going violence at houses of worship, once considered sanctuary, that include people shot dead during worship services, the killing of pastors and priests, and the horrific killing of nine people at an historic Charleston, South Carolina church
• Senseless acts of terrorism including the Boston Marathon attack, 9/11, the lone wolf attack of NYPD officers, and the killing of 4 Marines and a Sailor in Chattanooga, Tennessee
• An uptick of police officer fatalities who died while faithfully protecting and serving our communities

Final Reflections

At 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001, a hijacked airliner struck One World Trade Center, igniting a blazing inferno in the side of the 110-story structure. Seventeen minutes later, another hijacked jet slammed into Two World Trade Center causing a second inferno.

PAPD members who were some of the first law enforcement personnel to respond to the terrorist attacks, quickly rushed into the burning buildings and heroically helped rescue thousands of employees. Some of these heroes climbed high up into the burning towers to assist those who were seriously injured or trapped.

Thirty-seven of these heroic men and women were killed on that fateful day and their heroism deserves to be eternally honored.

It was an honor to serve these men and women who protect and serve America as their sacrifices are essential to our liberty, freedom, and democracy.

Note Well:
Port Authority Police Department Testimonial
"I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for taking time out of our busy schedule to speak with the Port Authority Police Command Staff on July 29th.

"You are a true Patriot, and your presentation was well received and appreciated by all of the Staff in attendance..."
Commanding Officer Port Authority Police Academy

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Photos
1. Port Authority Police Department attendees at the Command and Staff event, July 29, 2015. (Vincent J. Bove)
2. Port Authority Police Department personnel at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC. (Photo Courtesy PAPD)
3. Port Authority Police Department providing security for the PATH. (Photo Courtesy PAPD)
4. Port Authority Police Department. (Photo Courtesy PAPD)

Warning Signs Are Critical to Violence Prevention

On July 23, 2015 a senseless shooting took place at the Grand 16 Theater in Lafayette, Louisiana.

A deranged gunman opened fire killing two people and injuring nine others before committing suicide.

Despite decades of mental health warning signs-including a judge’s order sending him to a psychiatric treatment center as a danger to himself and others-the killer was able to legally purchase his handgun because he was never involuntarily committed.

FBI Director’s Transparency

As a response to another tragedy with warning signs, FBI Director James B. Comey met with reporters at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC regarding the June 17, 2015 killings at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Comey honestly presented a mistake in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and stated the killer “should not have been able to legally buy the gun…”

The killers previous admission during an arrest for drug possession should have disqualified his gun purchase.

However, an agent for the FBI background check system who was performing the review failed to contact the Columbia, South Carolina police department, who was responsible for the arrest, because of a clerical records error listing the wrong police agency.

Workplace Violence: Warning Signs

Aside from incidents from outsiders, the U.S. Department of Labor addresses workplace violence warning signs from frequently encountered situations among co-workers as follows:

• Concealing or using a weapon
• Physical assault upon oneself or another person
• Actions which endanger, destroy, or sabotage property
• Intimidating or frightening others
• Harassing, stalking, or showing undue focus on another person
• Physically aggressive acts, such as shaking fists at another person, kicking, pounding on desks, punching a wall, angrily jumping up and down, screaming at others
• Verbal abuse including offensive, profane, or vulgar language
• Threats (direct or indirect) whether made in person or through letters, phone calls, or electronic mail

Warning Signs Failure: Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech tragedy provides lessons to be learned as American schools soon open for a new year.

On April 16, 2007, a student shot and killed two students on the fourth floor of the West Ambler Johnston residence hall at 7:15 a.m. Although police responded to this incident, the killings were treated as an isolated incident by the college president with no common sense precautions implemented that other shootings may occur.

It was more than two hours later, at approximately 9:26 a.m., when an email alert was sent to the entire campus without implementing any emergency actions or a lockdown. The email did not emphasize the killings of two students, nor that the shooter was at large.

At 9:45 a.m., there was a 911 call from Norris Hall on the other side of the campus. In this building, the shooter continued his rampage killing 30 more people—25 students and 5 faculty members, and injuring many others.

Approximately a year and a half prior to this rampage, an English professor, Nikki Giovanni, found the violence in the killer’s writings very disturbing. She wrote a letter to English Department Chair, Lucinda Roy, advising her of the problem.

During a nationally televised interview shortly after the tragedy, Roy expressed being so concerned with Cho’s writings, that she had him removed from the class so as to not disturb other students. During one-on-one tutoring sessions, Roy found Cho to be the most emotionally troubled and at-risk personality in her 22 years of teaching.

Roy had presented her concerns to university officials who did nothing, stating, among other things, that as a matter of free speech, Cho had the right to write whatever he wished and that his writings did not contain enough explicit information to do anything. In the interview Dr. Roy states:

“I think that they [concerns] should have been taken more seriously but I’m not someone who would give up easily so I went back repeatedly with my concerns and in the end I felt I was so uncomfortable that I could not leave him in the classroom because some of the other students seemed to be uncomfortable.”

The warning signs of a very dark and troubling persona of the future killer were clearly uncovered by Dr. Roy, but her requests for intervention continually fell upon deaf ears.

Also, although a judge declared the killer mentally ill a year before the massacre, he was permitted to purchase guns from a federally licensed dealer since Virginia failed to notify the federal database for gun background checks.

America must open its eyes to recognize warning signs and provide the intervention, training, healthcare, and security measures necessary to prevent additional tragedies.

Note Well:

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As authored for Vincent’s weekly column titled “Reawakening the Nation” for the Epoch Times, 35 countries, 21 languages and growing.


Photos
1. Charleston Shooting Memorial Service, June 18, 2015. (Public Domain by Nomader)
2. Virginia Tech candlelight vigil, April 17, 2007. (Public Domain, anonymous contributor)

America’s Violent Rampages: Time for Prevention

During a recent walk through Times Square to Penn Station in New York City, the heavily armed presence of the NYPD in the crossroads of the world, as well as the armed National Guard at the station, was a sobering reminder of violence throughout America.

The NYPD presence at the U.S Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square was a preventative measure influenced by the reprehensible shooting rampage on July 16 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This tragedy took the lives of four Marines and a Sailor.

Our flag flies at half-staff in the heart of every American patriot.

Aside from this incident, depraved rampages continue nationwide with headlines including the following:

• 9 Killed in Mass Shooting at Historic Black Church in South Carolina
• Five Family Members Murdered in Modesto, CA
• 12 Killed, 59 Wounded in Shooting at Colorado Theater
• 20 “Beautiful Little Kids” Shot Dead in Connecticut School
• Boston Marathon Attack Kills 3, Injures 264
• Washington Navy Yard Shooting Leaves 12 Dead

Preventing Violence: Practical Steps

During my violence prevention initiatives, I often ask attendees representing schools, colleges, houses of worship, and corporation’s questions including the following:

• Is there a violence prevention policy in place and is it continually updated and followed?
• Do you have an active threat assessment team that includes a law enforcement liaison?
• Have you conducted violence response training including table-top, partial scale, and full scale scenarios?
• Has your facility had a recent board certified security vulnerability assessment?
• Are your security personnel trained and certified according to state requirements with additional initiatives that exceed the status quo?
• What type of training have your implemented for those entrusted to your care on issues including domestic violence, warning signs, security protocols, terrorism, crisis management, harassment, bullying, and active shooter?

Active Shooter Tips

The FBI defines an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area, typically through the use of firearms.”

The quick reference guide of the agency highlights these points:

• Victims are selected at random
• Event is unpredictable and evolves quickly
• Knowing what to do can save lives

The guide also accentuates that when an active shooter in in your vicinity, you must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with the situation with three options of run, hide, or fight.

It is imperative that those responsible for security continually initiate assessments, training, and countermeasures that cover physical, personnel, procedural, and informational security.

Violence is Preventable

The continuous rampages throughout America must inspire action that prevents empowerment of those seeking to inflict harm.

The attack against military personnel in Tennessee demands military facility security enhancements including policy review of arming military personnel at recruitment centers and military sites.

The media also has an ethical responsibility. They must never expose information during an incident that can endanger the public and emergency responders. The media must also avoid empowering a shooter and copycat scenario’s by publishing propaganda and photo’s that immortalizes violent fantasies, ideologies, and actions.

As a spokesperson for a coalition of Virginia Tech families, I found it appalling that the shooter’s self-serving depravity was served by publishing photos and ramblings that served his ambition for the spotlight.

This irresponsible sensationalism, compounded by incompetent investigative reporting, lacked compassion, empathy, and sensitivity for the victims and their families.

My concerns were validated by Michael Welner, a renowned forensic psychiatrist who stated on national television that broadcasting the Virginia Tech killers “public relations tape” was a “social catastrophe.”

Final Reflections

Our First Amendment, upholding the sacrosanct principle of freedom of the press, is a heartbeat of American democracy.

But this freedom is not without responsibility.

Irresponsible media coverage can flame the fires of dysfunction for demented minds seeking the spotlight.

Just as responsible media would protect the privacy of minors involved with a crime, or sexual assault victims, glorifying violent incidents is also irresponsible.

America must establish a renewed moral compass that empowers prevention, compassion, and empathy rather than sensationalism, glorification, and insensitivity.

When moral principles are complemented by sound security measures, our nation is on the path to violence prevention and reawakening the nation.

Note Well:

Linkedin: Vincent J. Bove Consulting, Speaker Services, Publishing

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As authored for Vincent’s weekly column titled “Reawakening the Nation” for the Epoch Times, 35 countries, 21 languages and growing.

Photo
1. NYPD presence at U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Station, Times Square, January 31, 2015. (Vincent J. Bove)
2. FBI Active Shooter Guide (Courtesy FBI)
3. Officers with the NYPD anti-terrorism unit guard a military recruiting station in Times Square, New York, on July 17, 2015. Security at military recruiting and reserve centers will be reviewed in the aftermath of a deadly shooting in Tennessee. (Bebeto Matthews/AP)

Honoring American Immigrants: Family, Neighbors, Heroes

America is a land of immigrants who enrich our nation with their talents, sacrifices, and character.

Immigrants represent the ideals, principles, and freedom of our country and are represented by our families, neighbors, and heroes.

Prior to sharing these words, I held in my hands a document very sacred to me. It is a detailed copy of my family tree, complete with names, dates of birth as well as deaths where applicable, and a meticulous layout of the connections between each family member.

This family tree begins with Joseph, one of my great grandfathers, who was born in 1858 and died in 1941 at the age of 83.

Adjacent to his name is the name of his wife, my great grandmother Gaetiena, who was born in 1875 and who died from Spanish Influenza in 1918 at the age of 43.

Both of my great-grandparents were immigrants, representative of millions who came to America, beckoned by the words inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Joseph and Gaetiena had the fire of America’s greatness in their souls, inspired by our nation’s promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” memorialized as inalienable rights. This promise is the heart of our Declaration of Independence, one that demands protection by our government and respect for human dignity.

The Bronx: A Melting Pot

Although privileged to have outstanding educational credentials, I believe growing up in the Bronx with the richness of its diversity is one deserves notation on a curriculum vitae.

This experience allowed the world to be at my doorstep, expressed through countless encounters with classmates, friends, neighbors, and community.

My neighborhood was a melting pot with international representation. It was filled with people of every conceivable religion, culture, and language.

The goodness of these people, exemplified through their smiles, courtesy, and countless acts of charity is eternally etched in my memory.

Immigrants Securing America

During one of my career experiences, I managed security professionals for over 12 years at sites demanding extreme professionalism, vigilance, and commitment.

Before employment, these security professionals, many of whom were immigrants, went through a rigorous hiring procedure including meticulous review of government credentials, federal and state fingerprint checks, previous employment verification, an integrity exam, and drug testing.

I personally interviewed and conducted checks of these requirements for hundreds of security personnel and then assigned them to secure some of America’s most well-known clients. These clients represented corporate and residential properties, banks, hospitals, media, and retail enterprises.

A world map was proudly maintained in my office with pins representing these security professionals working for me who were from around the world.

These officers, many of whom were eventually promoted to supervisors and managers, protected property, people, and information. They provided leadership for emergencies including evacuations. Essentially, they protected our homeland, with many receiving commendations at award ceremonies for exemplary conduct, meritorious actions, and outstanding service.

Immigrant Medal of Honor Recipients

America must be forever grateful for the many heroes who died serving our nation, including those not born on our soil.

Over 20 percent (over 700) of Congressional Medal of Honor recipients in U.S. wars have been immigrants.

The official guide to this medal notes, “Those who have received the Medal of Honor since it was established in 1861 as the nation’s highest decoration are as different as the melting pot of our country.”

One recipient was Mercario Garcia from Mexico who after recovery from a D-Day wound, single-handedly took two enemy machine-gun nests on Nov. 27, 1944.

Only after protecting his unit from this danger, despite being shot in the shoulder and foot, did Mercario allow himself to be evacuated for medical care.

Final Reflections

Today, there is a frenzy of emotion on immigrants and the role America must play with this issue that involves the security of our borders.

Solving this issue is achievable and critical to reawakening the nation. But the fact remains that America is a great land because of the values, vision, and service of countless immigrants.

Immigrants are our families, neighbors, and heroes and we must be forever honor their contributions to America.

Note Well:

Linkedin: Vincent J. Bove Consulting, Speaker Services, Publishing

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As authored for Vincent’s weekly column titled “Reawakening the Nation” for the Epoch Times, 35 countries, 21 languages and growing.

Photos
1. Statue of Liberty, (William Warby)

2. My great grandparents Joseph with his second wife. His first wife was Gaetiena Cirrito (maiden name of Boscarelli). Joseph was born in 1858 and died in 1941 at the age of 83. Gaetiena was born in 1875 and died in 1918 at the age of 43 from Spanish Influena. Joseph and Gaetiena are the parents of my grandmother Catherine, who was married to my grandfather Vincent Rufino.

3. An illustration of immigrants on the steerage deck of an ocean steamer passing the Statue of Liberty from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, July 2, 1887. (National Park Service)

4. President Harry Truman awards the Congressional Medal of Honor to Mercario Garcia in 1945. (Photo Credit National Archives and Records Administration)

Chicago Gang Crisis: an Epicenter of Violence in America

The great American city of Chicago is making headlines once again but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons.

This past weekend, as America proudly celebrated Independence Day, Chicago was blistered with headlines depicting its crisis of violence including the following:

• 64 People Shot in Chicago Over July 4th Holiday, 10 Dead
• 7-Year-Old Chicago Boy Among 10 Killed in Bloody Weekend
• Violence Rises With the Heat of the Summer
• Deadly Weekend in Chicago Highlights City's Gang Warfare
• Chicago Violence: Top Cop Blames Justice System
• Chicago on Alert for All Manner of Violence
• Gangs and Gunfire: Surviving Chicago’s Season of Violence

A Mother’s Fear
These sobering violence issues can lose the impact to shake America’s soul-they are becoming all too common.

America, listen to the heart of a mother who loves her children and lives daily with fear for their safety.

Lula Hill is one of the countless Chicago mothers who crystallizes this fear.

She lives in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Roseland and uses both practical steps and spiritual interventions to keep her three sons alive.

The boys, Andre, 16, Fabian, 15 and Jaden, 8 have been trained by Lula to stay away from the windows of their home because of the fear of gunshots.

Lula also encourages their involvement with school, sports, and their church.

Aside from these practical steps, she anoints each of them with holy oil, while praying for divine protection, whenever any of them leave the home.

This is the heart-wrenching reality of life for one of many devoted American mothers.

Chicago’s Murdered Children

In September, 2013, a Chicago gang member killed a 9-year-old boy because he yelled after seeing a gun.

The child was shot dead from approximately 4-10 feet away because the killer believed he was warning rival gang members of his presence.

The tragedies of Chicago children being murdered are an ongoing reality of the city's violence.

Agonizing tragedies include the January 2013 murder of Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student who had just had the happiest day of her life one week earlier. Hadiya had performed for President Obama’s inauguration.

She was shot and killed while racing to a shelter during a rainstorm. Ironically, her flight for safety was just a mile away from Obama’s Chicago home.

On July 4, 2015, in Hadiya Pendleton Park, a park named in Hadiya’s honor, another Chicago mother wept.

“My baby’s gone, my baby’s gone…” she continually repeated while sobbing uncontrollably.

Latasha Banks Hall was mourning her son, Vonzell Banks, a 17-year-old shot in the back while playing basketball.

The teen was known as a young man who loved his Christian faith and used his musical talent at numerous church events.

In 2009 published reports, 508 Chicago children were shot during 16 months with 25 killed.

America: Stop the Carnage

On Oct. 6, 2009 I addressed the Chicago crisis with registered letters to President Obama, the U.S. Department of Justice, and numerous officials of Chicago and the State of Illinois.

I called upon the President and government leaders to establish a Stop the Violence initiative for Chicago as highlighted in this excerpt from my letter:

“I implore you to make the elimination of violence in the windy city a top priority of your administration. If we agree that it would have been a worthwhile investment to prepare the city to host the 2016 Olympics, how much more is the value of human life? We must work to find a way to save lives, reduce hostility, and create a national model for the "audacity of hope" in all our urban areas suffering the scourge of senseless brutality.”

Tragically, the culture of violence addressed continues with no end in sight.

The eyes of America are upon Chicago, not as a city that will hold Olympic Games, but with a clarion call to reawakening the nation from violence to hope through moral courage, determined leadership, and persevering collaboration.

Note Well:

Linkedin: Vincent J. Bove Consulting, Speaker Services, Publishing

Join Vincent’s Linkedin Group: The Sentinel: Reawakening the Nation

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As authored for Vincent’s weekly column titled “Reawakening the Nation” for the Epoch Times, 35 countries, 21 languages and growing.


Photos
1. Courtesy City of Chicago
2. Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton (L) holds a picture of her daughter Hadiya, 15, while standing with Shundra Robinson who is holding a picture of her son Deno Wooldridge, 18, on Dec. 14, 2013 in Chicago. Hadiya was shot and killed while hanging out with friends in a park after school on Jan. 29, 2013. Wooldridge was shot and killed while standing on his grandmother's porch on Oct. 18, 2010. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)