Second Chance

By Joe Hawk

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665575775

Joe Hawk

The author was raised in The Bronx, New York along with his six {6} siblings. At the age of nineteen {19} he left home, and he finished his high school education. At twenty {20} years of age, he was driving tractor trailers across country to California. He married the “Love of His life” in 1964, and they raised five children. He entered the New York City Transit Police Academy in 1967, and while employed as a police officer, he completed his education by achieving his “Associate Degree “with Orange County Community College, New York, his” Bachelor of Arts Degree,” from New York City College, and his” Master’s in Public Administration”, from John Jay College in New York City. He retired in 1989 as a sergeant after completing twenty-two {22} years. In 1989 he joined the Palm Beach Police Department and retired as a sergeant in 2009, after completing twenty {20} years. Looking back over his forty-two {42 } years in law enforcement, he wanted to give back to the community so, he volunteered his services for four {4} years with the West Palm Beach Police Department performing one year {1} conducting investigative duties with the detectives for” Credit Card Fraud”, and “Identity Theft”; and the next three {3} years conducting “Background Investigations” whereby, numerous Police Officers were hired as well as Dispatches, Crime Scene Analysts, and Records 289 Personnel. For his services he received the “Volunteer of the Quarter Award “, and” Volunteer of the Year Award.” He wanted to share his law enforcement career with others, so he wrote his first book “It’s What We Do” (his 22 years with New York City Transit Police Department}. He authored, “Second Chance” (20 years in Palm Beach P.D.}, and lastly, “Manhunt In Palm Beach”, about an elusive Burglar credited which stealing twenty-five {25} million dollars in jewelry. He has never forgotten the officer’s that gave their all. Ten percent {10} of all sales go to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in Washington D.C.

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Second Chance

JOE HAWK

AuthorHouse™

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© 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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expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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, 4th 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 12th. 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 31st. 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 together on occasion. Robert and I hunted together a lot, over the years. Robert was five years older than me, so I knew Robert had a rough time in the Academy against those much younger guys than him. So now, he was a Broward Correctional Officer. Small world running into people from your past and in the darndest of places.

So, on my first day working with Palm Beach, I pulled into the town, going across Royal Palm Way. I was awed by all the Royal Palms that line the street, and how meticulous they trimmed all the shrubbery. I had my windows open in my car. I could smell the sea breezes coming in from the ocean. It was much different than what I was used to up in New York City. There were no good smelling sea breezes, just the smell of smog and fumes from trucks and buses. It was quite a culture shock for me. I couldn’t believe how clean the town was. The streets, the sidewalks, no graffiti. Nothing broken. So, upon arriving at the police station, I met up, with my Field Training Officer, {F.T.O. I’ll change his name to protect the innocent. I’ll call him Toby}. Toby wasn’t a great trainer. We drove around making house checks and business checks, to satisfy his quotas, so to speak. We never stopped a vehicle, never issued a summons or citation. I couldn’t even listen to my portable police radio because it would feed over to Toby’s radio and besides, listening to his car radio talk show was more important to him. But he did know where to get a free lunch and coffee. Two weeks with Toby was just plain boredom.

Week number three and four proved more interesting. I was hooked up with an F.T.O. that was also a motorcycle officer, and he was cool. He said, What do you want to do? I said, I haven’t stopped a vehicle, I haven’t driven a car, nor issued any citations. He pulled to the side of the roadway and said, OK. You drive. He said, If you see a violation, conduct a traffic stop". Later that day, I made three traffic stops, issued one citation and two written warnings for equipment violations. Things were looking up. For the next two weeks, I learned the zones and hot spots. I got a good handle on the makeup of the town. Jim was a pleasure to ride with. We exchanged stories and talked about our families. He was a seasoned officer and an adept Field Training Officer.

Two weeks later, I was assigned a female F.T.O. Gale, she was the best, really.! She tested me on my radio codes, paperwork, streets, hotels, and restaurants. She gave me helpful hints on streets, that sounded like similar names; for example, Seaview, Seaspray, Seabreeze. To remember their order, Gale would say, see the view, feel the spray, and the breeze. We worked the midnight shift.

One early morning before getting off from work, a call came in of a landing of Haitians, 1800 block South Ocean Blvd. We responded and saw Haitians running everywhere. A couple of cars responded as well. Gale and I grabbed three females and three males. I said, Put the three females in our vehicle, and the three males in the other vehicle, so, we don’t have to run after them. She said, Good idea. We rounded up four more and a perimeter was set up to capture two more that ran southbound on South Ocean Blvd. They kept a perimeter for a few hours and the two males were caught at the Lake Worth Bridge. Border Patrol responded and took custody of all the illegals totaling twelve.

I enjoyed working with Gale. She seemed to know everyone in town, including the store clerks. She told me she was a patrol officer that patrolled Worth Ave. That’s how she knew all these store workers. The department finally let her become a police officer after about six years employment with the town. At the time, there was another female officer, who left on maternity leave but never returned. They said, I was her replacement for the midnight shift.

Since I had prior law enforcement experience, I only had to be in the training program for six weeks. Another officer, Mary, who was in the academy, got released from the F.T.O. program, about the same time as I did. So, she had one seniority over me. I stayed on midnights; she went to 4:00 to 12:00 p.m. I said, I must admit there was a lot of activity on mids, if you wanted it; and I did.

I was assigned mostly zone 1, The south end, or zone 5, the north end. Not too much in the middle, Oh well. I liked the activity. I felt like I was doing something to earn a paycheck. From October to December 31st, I was involved in a few noteworthy police actions. One outstanding police action that comes to mind, was on November 3rd, 1989, about 6:00 a.m., I was checking my zone, before going for coffee. I was driving southbound on South Ocean Blvd., and I noticed a vehicle pulled over on the shoulder in the 1700 block. The driver, later I’d. as Mr. Evans was slumped over the steering wheel and was having difficulty breathing. I opened Mr. Evans airway and called for the paramedics to respond. According to subsequent reports from Mr. Evan’s doctor, he had suffered a massive heart attack and had he not been located and given first aid quickly, the heart attack would have been fatal.

For that action, the Palm Beach police Department awarded me with a life -saving ribbon and designated me as Officer of the Month for December 1989.The F.O.P. gave me a check for $100 at their monthly meeting, in January 1990, and a plaque. The chief of the department gave me a very nice congratulatory letter for my performance and saving a man’s life. I felt like I was given a Second Chance to work in a profession that I so loved. In the Northern states police departments did not want to hire you over the age of thirty-five {35}. I guess they felt that you weren’t as good as someone much younger. I figured what they didn’t realize was education and experience come with age as well as wisdom. {The Feds also have a policy in by 35 out by 55}. So, coming to South Florida, I had the opportunity to do what I loved doing for the previous twenty-two years, a law enforcement police officer. So, in my opinion, that was a Second Chance, to do it over again.

Course of study

J. Edgar. Hoover, FBI. Director, stated., Learn more about law enforcement professions, acquiring knowledge, is a never-ending process. So, I will list the course of studies for each year that I attended extra training and knowledge.

1.Basic recruit certificate., Certificate of compliance for law enforcement officers -120. hours. -September 1, 1989.

2.Semi- Automatic pistol familiarization course. -December. 1989.

CHAPTER TWO

1990

After I received my first commendation and officer of the month, I was highly motivated to perform to the best of my abilities. I was additionally motivated because I was considerably older than my fellow officers, and I wanted to show that age and experience can be assets in police work.

January, I along with the other six officers on shift one, received a shift level commendation from my Lieutenant Dan Kelly. As a team, we made a total of fifty-three felony and misdemeanor arrests, seizing marijuana and cocaine with a street value of $700 and recovering stolen property valued at $77,000. In addition, through our innovative teamwork, we seized five motor vehicles for forfeiture purposes. We had made 32 arrests for criminal traffic violations, as well. The commendation credited our shift for generating and corroborating criminal intelligence information, targeting, and establishing surveillances and subsequently, making the arrests for burglaries, grand theft, and narcotic sales; by our work, the P.B.P.D.and OCVAN agents obtained the basis of probable cause for the execution of narcotic search warrants.

From February 1st through February 28th, we also made a total of fourty-one adult and eight juvenile arrests, which was an increase of 1,950 percent and 300 percent respectively, over the same, period before, I, Joe Hawk started in September of 1989 and led all the other Palm Beach P.D. units and patrol shifts by a four to one margin. We were accredited by Lieutenant Kelly, Sergeant Bill, and Sergeant Hutchins, to exhibit ingenuity proactive patrol and aggressive professionalism and esprit de corps and dedication to the team approach, rarely observed in any of their experiences among officers working the mentally and physically fatiguing hours between midnight and sunrise. I credit ourselves to be able to accomplish the above works by drinking lots and lots of coffee.

In between busy nights, I patrolled my zone with diligence. I made some traffic stops and subsequently that led to some narcotics arrests, mostly marijuana. Some weeks I would be assigned to Zone 5, which was the north end of town, there weren’t any stores or coffee shops, strictly homes. Some were mansions, most of the calls were alarm calls; people forgot to turn off their alarms when they came home. Two officers would respond. Sometimes, you had to wait awhile until your backup officer arrived. There were set procedures how to identify exactly where you were according to the make-up of the structure.They would say I’m on side two, corner three. The responding backup officer would know exactly where you were. Zone five officers would check the Inlet Dock which was the northern most end of Palm Beach. They would check to see if there were illegal parking or people fishing on the dock, in violation of town ordinances re: close at 9:00 p.m.. Some people would fish on the property of a closed house and when challenged, they would say the homeowner gave them permission.

When asked what the homeowner’s name was and they couldn’t answer that question, they were booted off the property with a trespass warning citation. We also checked the beach area for illegal boat landings of immigrants coming from the Bahamas. There were many landings over the years. The first landings were by Cubans. They would come by raft or tire tubes, tied, or fastened together. I must say, there were many who didn’t make it. The government had a policy, dry foot, wet foot. If a Cuban made landfall, he could stay, if he was captured in the water, he was returned to Cuba. The Cubans had to have been desperate to attempt the ninety--mile trip from Cuba to the U.S.A. via an inner tube. I guess they were looking for a Second Chance in life, to live in freedom instead of oppression. My hat goes off to them.

I was issued a shift level commendation, along with police officer, Ira, for a very interesting investigation that led to the arrest of three males. It all began on April 23rd, around 2:00 a.m. The victim claimed on or about that time, he was robbed of his valuables that contained his wallet and wrist bracelet, by three armed white males. He was unable to provide a description of the suspects’ vehicle, only that they exited, a small vehicle before they robbed him.

Upon my arriving in the area, I was given limited information. I recalled a vehicle I had seen around the time of the robbery and provided some partial registration information to the communications unit for computer checks. Officer Ira began getting additional information from the victim. I began and area search in the general vicinity of the robbery. When I completed the canvas of the area, I responded to the station to meet with Officer Ira. Upon viewing the victim, I advised officer Ira that I observed the victim in a small red Buick in the alleged robbery, with three male subjects, at approximately 2:00 a.m. and I could only recall the vehicles’ tag contained the letter{z}. I also advised officer Ira, I had spoken to the driver of the vehicle and that, I could identify him. I remembered the driver stated he was looking for a friend by the name of George. Officer Ira told me that the victim told him that they were looking for a friend at the time of the robbery. After I described the vehicle in greater detail. I looked at Ira’s report. Officer Ira checked his daily notebook and advised me that he too had observed the same vehicle in the robbery prior to 2:00 a.m. Ira was able to provide the correct vehicle tag to the communications unit as a possible suspect vehicle. When the vehicle registration matched that of the vehicle, and the victim had been observed in by me; the vehicle became the only lead in the case. When Detective Morris came on duty, before I went off duty, I filled him in on the details of the case. I said, I could identify the driver of the vehicle. Detective Morris asked me if I wanted to work the case with him. I readily complied.

We were able to track the subjects, to a hotel in West Palm Beach by the mall, from the use of the victim’s credit card. We set up in the hotel’s first floor. We were advised the suspects were in a room on the second floor of the hotel and I observed the driver of the vehicle enter the hotel and go up to the second floor. We followed the suspect and went into the room behind him. We arrested the driver and the second male suspect in the room. We were informed that the third male was shopping in the mall for sundries. We handcuffed the two suspects and waited for the third male, who arrived within 1/2 hour. We recovered the victim’s wallet, credit card, wrist bracelet, and knife. All three suspects were transported to Palm Beach Police Department for arrest processing of armed robbery. Officer Ira and I were commended, for our part in the investigation. Within twelve hours {12} hours of the initial report, all three suspects were arrested, and all the property of the victim was recovered, including the knife used in the robbery. The Lieutenant wrote that, through teamwork, cooperation, and excellent patrol techniques by all those involved, this case was brought to a timely and successful conclusion, and without the cooperation and teamwork of those involved, he believed that this case would not have been brought to a successful conclusion.

One evening, in July, at approximately 5:00 p.m. I was patrolling the Southern Blvd. Causeway. I was observing vehicles entering and leaving Palm Beach. I could see some fisherman, fishing off a small bridge just east of the main bridge. I also observed a male, on a two wheeled bike riding eastbound toward the ocean. A few hours later, as it was getting dark, I observed the same male on the bike riding westbound on the Causeway. He did not have a light on his bike. As he passed, I put my blue lights on, to conduct a vehicle stop. {a bicycle in Florida is considered a vehicle under Florida State Statutes). He failed to pull over, I engaged my siren and loudspeaker. He still refused. I pulled alongside of him. He eluded by riding his bicycle toward the Intracoastal Waterway. I thought he was going to jump in. I exited my vehicle, ran down the small hill to the water’s edge and stopped him. I asked him why he didn’t stop. He said, I didn’t do anything wrong; I was just talking to the fisherman. I said, No, you weren’t, I saw you ride right past them. I asked him his name and address. He hesitated and gave a fictitious name, verified later at the station. I noticed that the suspect had only nine fingers. I observed a burlap bag tied to the bike support bar. There were small, puffy perforations, with an egg like shape. My backup officer arrived, and she said, they are turtle eggs. The burlap bag had sand all over it. The suspect also had sand on his forearms, as though he was digging in the sand. I further noticed a liquid oozing from the burlap bag as if it was a broken egg or two. I asked the male what he had in the bag, and he wouldn’t say. Probable cause existed, to where I could examine the bag. It contained turtle eggs. I placed the male under arrest and confiscated his bike. He was transported to the police station, where he was fingerprinted and photographed. When his prints came back, he was I’d as Alvin Meel. The prints noted he had nine fingers.

Mr. Meel was charged with possession of three hundred fourty-two {342} marine protected turtle eggs, no light on his bicycle, resisting arrest, fleeing, and eluding a police officer. An officer from Wildlife, Fish and Game responded and noted that the eggs contained both green turtles and leatherback turtle eggs, which were