ACTIVELY RETIRED

ACTIVELY
RETIRED
By The Staff of Spring 3100
;,-;i;
LIEUTENANT
LOUIS
WEISER
I
n 1939, New York City was still reeling from the toughest economic
times in its history. Though this was
the tail-end of the Depression, thousands
continued to pound the pavement in
search of employment. For Louis Weiser
and others in his Brooklyn neighborhood, it was the lure of a steady job that
attracted them to the New York City
Police Department.
"To be honest, it wasn't a job that I, or
anyone I knew, had really considered
before," said Louis Weiser. "In my class
there were 206 men and women, many
belonging
to
the
Jewish faith.
Traditionally, the NYPD, hadn't attracted
that many Jewish applicants." Mter graduating in June 1941, the new recruits
worked six-daytours and faced a reduced
salary under the tight City budget, but it
beat the alternative.
Patrolman Weiser started his career °!1
patrol at the 72 Precinct. Once supervisors learned of his command of the
Yiddish language, he was reassigned f{)
the Detective Bureau's Brooklyn West
Youth Squad. Upon being promoted to
Detective, he was transferred to the 61
Detective Squad and remained at the
precinct after passing the exam for
sergeant. As a lieutenant, Louis Weiser
was assigned to the 112 Precinct and
later to the Department of Investigation
(DOl) where he placed his permanent
title on hold to serve as Assistant
Commissioner of DOl. Louis Weiser
retired from the NYPD in 1965.
Prior to joining the Department, Lou
Weiser admits taking a passive role when
it came to advocacy, but that changed
when the new recruit discovered the
importance of organizing and being represented. This awakening became the
catalyst for his lifelong involvement and
commitment to severalcauses.
Diving into the fraternal waters, he
quickly joined the NYPD Shomrim
Society where throughout his career, he
held every office. He is their current
Public Relations Chairman. Later in his
career, he became one of the founders of
two
organizations,
the
National
Conference of Shomrim Societies, created in 1958, where he served as president
and currently acts as executive vice president, and the Jewish Community
Relations Council of New York, where he
is Chairman of the Security Committee,
and also remains a board member. He is
also a past president of the Police
ReserveAssociation, as well as their current Chairman of the Board. For many
years, retired Lt. Weiser also wrote a
newspaper column at The Jewish Press.
These dayS';Louis Weiser can be found
at the headquarters of the Council of
Jewish Organizations in Civil Service
(CJOCS), where he serves as president.
The CJOCS is a nonprofit organization
established to protect the rights and privileges of civil servants and foster a better
understanding of their role amongst the
people they serve.
Interspersed throughout his retirement
are appointments to federal, state and
city government offices. In 1973, Lou
Weiser was appointed by then-NYPD
Police Commissioner Donald F. Cawley
as a consultant for the Department's
recruitment program. His was one of
many voices that successfully lobbied for
the establishment of a special exam for
Sabbath Observers. On its heels followed
an appointment by the late President
Ret. Lt. Louis Weisercirca
1950sand present
day.
Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2003, the Shomrim Society bestowed
him with the Asser Levy Award, a name
associated with the inspiration of Jewish
Richard M. Nixon, to the Assay police officers to this day. Asser Levy
Commission at the U.S. Mint in
fought government rules imposed on
Philadelphia, a group responsible for Jews in New Amsterdam, that forbid
assuring the Mint's compliance to qualithem to serve in the militia, and eventuty standards. He was also appointed by ally won the right to participate in the citformer Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to the izens' guards in November 1655.
Civil Service Screening Commission,
"Asser Levy and I were in the same police
and was later designated Special
academyclass," said Lou Weiser causing
Assistant to New York State Comptroller
an eruption of laughter throughout the
Alan G. Hevesi, acting as an advisor on audience, at a ceremony commemorating
retirement issues.
the NYPD Shomrim Society's 80th
One of the highlights of Louis Weiser's Anniversary and 350 Yearsof Jews in Law
career is his involvement in the success- Enforcement, held this year at One
ful passing of legislation to get full
Police Plaza. Humor seems as much a
Medicare "Part B" reimbursement for
part of him as his public-spirited nature.
city uniformed retirees, in parity with
On a personal note, retired Lt. Louis
state and county employees, as well as Weiser has been married to his wife,
increases for retirees in Cost of Living
Anita, his childhood sweetheart from
Adjustments (COLA). He keeps in touch
Coney Island, for 61 years. They are the
with many retiree associations and is on parents of two daughters, Roberta and
the Board of Directors at several retiree Ronnie and grandparents of Marc, an
groups: the Superior Officers Association NYPD sergeant, Jason, Jeffrey and
(Retired), Retired Lieutenants Associa- Marisa.
tiOh and the Broward 10-13 Organization.
"Of course, what I've accomplished
Retired Lt. Weiser has received his share since starting with the NYPD and after
of accolades. In 1998, the Bnai Zion
retiring, wouldn't be possible if not for
Foundation, one of the oldest Jewish the support of my family whom I'm very
humanitarian organizations in America,
grateful for. I'm very fortunate to still be
presented him with the Dr. Harris J. involved with all these great organizaLevine Award and in 1999, Brooklyn tions. It's truly been my life's work."
College honored him with their Alumni
C.A.S.
SPRING 3100
SEPT/DEC
2004
18
DETECTIVE
JOHNREILLY
T;
e history of the New York City Police Department is
written in the faces, names, and lives of the officers
who have served the people of the City of New York.
Their actions, both the extraordinary and the prosaic, have
shaped the institution and served as a paradigm for successive
generations. Each has his or her own story, but all are woven
together in the aggregate fabric of New York City's aegis, the
NYPD.
The Department carefully tends this history, but has a
monopoly neither on interest in the subject, nor on its procurement. Retired Detective John T. M. Reilly not only contributed his own footnote to the Department's story, he is also
one of its most ardent curators.
Born in 1929, in Manhattan, John Reilly spent the early years
of his life in Chelsea. At the age of seven, he moved to Great
Britain with his family, and as World War II descended upon
the Isles, the Reilly family stalwartly faced the dangers of the
war. It was not until he turned eighteen that Reilly returned
to New York City, where he took a job in the engine room of
a department store, though he had his eye on a very different
kind of department. He took the police exam soon after his
arrival in New York, but the continuing conflict on the Korean
Peninsula exhorted him to heed the call to service by his
country, arid he enlisted in the Army.
Guard, where he served for a number of years in the 71st
Infantry Regiment, later transferring to the US Army
Reserves from which he retired with over 30 years service and
the rank of Major.
He accepted appointment to the NYPD in May of 1955, and
swore an oath to serve and protect New York with the same
sense of dignity and courage that had colored his service to
his country. He started his career in Manhattan North, earning his first hash mark on patrol in the 30 Precinct. In 1960,
he was transferred to the Detective Division and began his
career as an investigator before he officially finished the
Criminal Investigation Course.
"On the weekends they had us out looking for the second
Mad Bomber. It was late in 1960 and this guy had detonated
a bomb on an A train at 125th street, he had killed a 15-yearold girl and injured many others. They had us out as plants all
over the city and we hadn't even finished the CIC," Reilly
recalled of his nascent detective career.
His first assignment was to Central Office Bureaus and
Squads where he got his investigative feet wet working gambling enforcement. He was later assigned to the Youth
Bureau, but it was his subsequent transfer to the Narcotics
Bureau that earned him his gold shield. Perhaps because that
is where he made grade, or because he spent the longest consecutive span of his career there (seven and a half years,) or
because it was while working in Narcotics that he met his
wife (a civilian chemist in the police lab), that he recalls his
day in Narcotics with the most fondness.
"It was a great place to work; it was the 60s and there was a
lot to do. I worked hard, did my job, had good bosses, and got
out what r put in."
Reilly was a dedicated detective and was rewarded for his diligent work with promotion to Second Grade in 1965 and then
to First Grade in 1968. As a First Grade Detective, he worked
in the 14th Detective Squad, the 1st Detective District
Robbery Squad, and 24th Precinct Investigations Unit.
"One of my last major cases in the Robbery Squad was a big
job in Gramercy Park. A doctor had been ripped off; they got
about a quarter of a million dollars in artwork, but the incident sort of pushed the doctor around the bend and we had
to work the case without his help."
Reilly amusingly recounted the incident that had all the components of a media circus. There were a half a dozen robbers
involved, some rare Picasso pieces were among the purloined
artwork, and the TV news covered the case with such alacrity
that the perpetrators got rattled.
He was whisked off to basic training and then guided missile
school, in Fort Bliss Texas. Though he was not deployed overseas, his assignment was of equal strategic importance and
would prove to be exceedingly more dangerous. While in service to the United States, Reilly was posted to the Yucca Flats,
Nuclear Test Site in Nevada. For a second time in his young
life, he had to confront the specter of bomb blasts, but this
time it was from a position in a narrow trench a scant 4,000
yards from the detonation point, and at the behest of his own
government. As he had in his formative years, John Reilly
faced the danger with fortitude and resolve, and continued
his service honorably until he was discharged in 1955.
After his discharge from the Regular Army, Reilly was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the New York Army National
SPRING 3100
"I guess the oddest part of the whole case was that I recovered one of the Picasso's in a brown paper shopping bag, in
the dusty attic for unclaimed property at Grand Central
Station. It just looked like a child's scribble, but was one of
the most valuable pieces."
Reilly's tenacity was the driving force behind his success in
the NYPD, and though he retired in 1974, it by no means signaled a waning in his career. Mter he left the Department, he
completed his B.A. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College
and proceeded to teach at New Rochelle High School for two
years. He then went on to earn his Master's degree and was
hired by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice
Services as a senior court researcher.
SEPT/DEC
2004
By the time he turned fifty, instead of slowing down and
enjoying retired life, he broadened his horizons further still
and accepted a position with the Federal Government. He
was appointed Chief of Security and Law Enforcement for
the New York District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
and worked in that capacity until he transferred to the
Defense Logistics Agency as Chief of New York Regions office
of Command Security.
In 1994, over forty years after he embarked on a life of service, he retired. It was at this point in his life that John Reilly
went from being a part of the NYPD story, to one of its chroniclers. His love of the Department and his interest in its history lead him to research 19th century station houses.
Delving deeply into their background and unearthing a treasure trove of information about the buildings that hou~ed the
earliest members of the Department, Reilly established a
fondness for the rich soil of the Department's past. He soon
embarked upon a second and equally ambitious task when he
took on the challenge of researching the highest
DETECTIVE
DAVEGOLDBERG
3
efore retiring in 1994, Detective
Dave Goldberg spent 26 years
working for the NYPD. Being a
police officer was just something he
always wanted to do. In fact, worried
that his career as a police officer might
be postponed or interrupted by the
Vietnam War, he simply pushed up his
draft instead, determined to put his two
years in before his appointment.
To some extent, those days and nights
spent halfway around the world prepped
him. And now, a quick look at his career
after the war in the NYPD, which
included a hip injury that steered him
into an administrative capacity despite
his tireless efforts to get back on the
..
Retired Detective Dave Goldberg's dedication to the Military
LiaisonUn~while worKingwith the NYPDearned him an honorary
appointmentto Senior Chief Petty Officer,a rare endowmentby
the United States Navy,and sowed the seeds for his founding of
City to the Sea, a Programfor our CityYouth.
Departmental awards and the evolution of, among others, the
Medal of Honor. He has put together a manuscript entitled
Medals of the Department, cataloging all of the data he has
compiled. In addition, Reilly has received accolades from the
Police Reserve Association and the Detectives Endowment
Association for the time and knowledge he has dedicated to
the extremely important task of researching line of duty
deaths of former members of service. He is one of a coterie
of current and former members of the service who has diligently tried to bring honor to the scores of fallen officers who
heretofore have not been recognized for paying the ultimate
price in service to this city. Reilly is never without a project,
and currently is utilizing the knowledge he had garnered
in his research, to accurately place and date old NYPD
photographs.
When asked about the contributing factors to his professional success, in retrospect, he ingenuously remarked, "I guess I
was a pretty good street cop."
H.B.P.
streets, makes it seem pretty obvious
that fate was grooming him for something else.
As frustrating as it was then, spending
the bulk of his career on the NYPD's
"injured reserve" list, working in various
liaison units and community affairs
help~d Dave hone the public speaking
and organizational skills he would need
later on. A big part of that would come
when Det. Goldberg saw a need for the
creation of a Military Service Liaison
Unit.
"With the Homeport on Staten Island, it
became obvious we needed to help service personnel and their families stationed in the area acclimate to living in
New York City. Suffice to say,after growing up in small towns and coming across
the country, they needed an introduction
to big city life."
Ultimately, with the closure of the
Homeport in the early nineties, Det.
Goldberg realized it was the right time to
move on. Yetjust one year into his retirement Dave was back in an ambassadorial role with the military, volunteering
for the United Service Organization
(U.S.O.) where he helped coordinate
various 'Welcome to New York" programs that included tours, crime prevention and quality of life seminars.
In 2000, all his experienceswould come
together in his founding of the City to
the Sea Program. "For me, what I was
doing before was just the thing to do, but
I could also seehow much better it could
be if it was organized privately. My experience with kids in community affairs
allowed me to realize that if they could
just see another uniform, they would
recognize it as a role model. All I had to
do was treat them as individuals, with
SPRING 3100
19
SEPT/DEC
2004
ExplorerPost5202 proudlydisplaysthe 1 st Annual Cityto the Sea
CommunityServiceAward,and after leadingall ExplorerPostswith
3329 hours of communityservice,were also treated to a tour of
the submarine base and school at Groton, CT.Joiningin the presentation are (back row, r-l) Assistant Chief Henry R. Cronin III,
C.O. TransitBureau,Ret. Det. Dave Gotdberg,PO Chico Carabello,
TD 2 and Explorer Post 5202 Coordinator,and Lt. Commander
Greg Hicks of the UnitedStatesNavy.
the respect they were craving and tell
them 'You can do it!' "
Thanks to his NYPD contacts, the City
to the Sea Program was able to launch
with a complement of Department
Explorer Troops and 1 social service;
exactly 25 kids. Just four years later, his
vision has grown into over 35 organizations and 65 facilities, among them are'
YMCAs, PAL Groups, Boys and Girls
Clubs, after school programs, community houses and a host of social services
agencies; a roll call that now exceeds
120,000 kids of various ages.
"Kids participating in the program get
VIP tours of visiting ships, not just
tourist stuff. They get their own admission to naval vessels and a chance to
speakwith the officers and enlisted men,
otherwise what would be the point?"
Making a difference in the lives of
children, and seeing the possibilities of
their own future in their faces is what
makes the City to the Sea Program all
worthwhile to David Goldberg. "This
gives them an opportunity to learn and
take home a new idea of what is available to them-by offering them this
chance to talk to service personnel
who are not much older than they are
it opens their eyes to better possibilities, points them in the right direction
and positively puts them in awe of
their own potential."
Despite all the unquantifiable success
of the City to the Sea Program, Dave
Goldberg still sees greater heights to
achieve. "I am always looking for more
organizations, especially with kids who
would never have a chance at these
opportunities. As the Program gets
larger, it affords me more opportunities to widen their horizons beyond
city streets. In the beginning I was
limited to arranging tours during
Fleet Week, now we've already made
five trips to visit the submarine base
and school stationed at Groton,
Connecticut. In the near future we'll
be looking to visit the Coast Guard
Academy, West Point, McGuire Air
Force Base and the Naval Base at
Norfolk, Virgina."
Successhas not put Dave in a position
to forget his roots. On June 9, City to
the Sea joined forces with the US
Navy to present a Community Service
Award to the NYPD's top Explorer
Troop, Post 5202 out of Transit
District 2. This Navy Sanctioned
Award comes along with its own tour
of the Submarine base at Groton and
will henceforth be awarded annually;
"One thing I'm always trying to do is
keep the program moving forward, and
sponsoring plaques and awards are
good ways to reach out to the kids. I'm
also hoping to start up Pen Pal and
Mentoring programs, Adopt-a-Ship,
arranging for guest speakers and of
course, as many tours as possible."
In an era when most people are content to wait for their own ship to come
in, Dave Goldberg has proven to be
one of those rare individuals who
would rather devote his time to helping others find the dock. He does this
by introducing them to good role models. And if you've met Dave Goldberg
you know the first one he introduces
them to, is himself.
Dave Goldberg lives in Brooklyn with
his wife Evella, to whom he has been
married for 27 years, he has three
children: Daniel, Allan and Kim. T.S.
DETECTIVE
THOMAS
DADES
w;
en Thomas Dades retired
from the NYPD as a first grade
detective in July 2004, he
was unsure if he could find the same
level of satisfaction i~ civilian life that he
did as a longtime organized crime investigator in the 68 Detective Squad and the
Intelligence Division. For the last seven
years of his police care~r, Dades and his
partner, retired Det. Mike Galletta, were
so effective in dismantling one major
organized crime family, their exploits
were chrpnicled in the book Mob Over
,'Wiamiby New York Daily News reporter
Michelle McPhee. AlthQugh Dades
worked as an investigator for the
Brooklyn District Attorney's office, he
was determined to also involve himself
in a charitable endeavor that was close
to his heart.
The 42-year-old Dades had a lifelong
affinity for boxing, and even participated
in about 35 amateur bouts, about a third
of which were for the NYPD's Fighting
Finest team. What he lacked in skill, he
more than made up for with heart, and
had many trainers tell him they wished
they could have started coaching him two
decades earlier.
After incurring serious knee and back
injuries, Dades gave up boxing in the
summer of 2003, but desperatelywanted
to stay immersed in the game he loved.
After much lobbying, he and a fellow
Staten Islander named Gary Stark Sr.,
whose son Gary Jr., is a top professional
prospect, were hired by the Police
Athletic League (PAL) to operate the
newly created Park Hill Boxing Club,
located in the Park Hill housing developments in Staten Island. The gym, which
opened amid much fanfare in early July,
is dedicated to undercover Detectives
Rodney Andrews and James Nemorin,
both of whom were murdered by gun
traffickers in March 2003.
TomDadesworksthepadswitha youngprospect.
Among
the
luminaries
in
were
family
members
tives,
Police
Commissioner
Kelly,
retired
PO
once
fought
for
title,
professional
Ortiz
and
Brooklyn
Russo,
the
boxing
programs
Jimmy
father
who
steadfast
more
engaged
PAL
in
"I
saw
said
to
"I love
or.
this
to
was
and
being
of the
rivals
the
Park
sign
trains
from
one
of them.
the
future,"
such
a great
is
from
Friday.
endeav-
up,
go
gym
from
to
had
The
other
fighters
for
growing
the
Hill
youngsters
my neighborhood
to.
gym's
of
members
Monday
of
and
sensation
in every
I was
and
Several
with
hours,
part
fruition,
registered
as a good
PAL
firefighter
as one
80
Pat
for
amateur
serves
and
Sgt.
instrumental
to
a retired
who
Pete
NYPD
dream
bouts
2000
When
wished
former
who
than
Dades,
1700
Carlos
Griffith,
coordinator
victorious
that
heavyw~ight
volunteers.
ce~ters,
emerged
light
16-year-old
Nicholas,
W.
who
champions
sensations
Dades'
of
detec-
Frazier,
retired
Degaeta,
gym's
the
statewide
in bringing
slain
Richard
amateur
Spanakos,
attendance
the
Raymond
Emile
Nikos
most
of
I
always
a place
a safe
the
like
haven
streets,
a
place where kids
have
a healthy
native
to
alter-
the
vio-
lence and temptations
they
every
encounter
day.
workout
Mter
a lot
a
of kids
thank me for my
time
and
The
way
I should
patience.
I
see
it,
be thanking
them for allowing
me
such
to
RetiredDet. Thomas Dades(secondfrom righi) celebratesthe openingof the Park Hill BoxingClub
rie~ce-for
with (standing,I-r): middieweightJaidon Codrington,trainer Gary Stark Sr., and former champion
us.
EmileGriffith. (Kneeling,H): professionalboxers Luis Collazoand PaulieMalignaggi.
SPRING 3100
SEPT/DEC 2004
be
a positive
part
of
expe-
both
of
RET.DET.ROBERTMLADINICH
~
78 PRECINCT
78 Precinctretirees,(I-r): John Griffin, Harry Greenfield,Larry Braum,
Brian Dunn,Bill Simonelli,John Young,Jerry Orlandoand Bill Dory,got
'together recentlyfor a trip to VintageWinesin NewJersey,and encourage anyone interested in getting in touch to visit their website:
[email protected].
84PRECINCT
..
Formermembersof the Department,who wereall assignedto the 84 Precinctduringthe
60s and 70s, recentlyreunitedto reminisceaboutthe time they spentat their former
command. Back row, (I-r): Robert McMahon, Bill Buckley,Joseph Taranto,James
Morgan, Patrick Mullee,AI Lazzarino,Ralph Romano,Patrick Devlin, Robert O'Neill
RichardBooth,and DennisHaug. Secondrow,(I-r): John Hoare,Chuck,Siriano,Lloyd
Henry,LarryKlein,andAnthonyLombardo.Seated,(I-r): MarioTesoriero,KennyReiman,
Maria Bullaro,Jane Deacy,Irma King,and CarolKranick-Wein~erger.
INAUGURAL POLICETRAINEE 40TH ANNIVERSARY
In 1964, the NYPDinstituteda new and forward-thinkingprogram
to help recruitment. Newly graduatedhigh school seniors were
hired and trained in all aspects of the job, save firearms. The
Traineesthen workedfull-time as administrativestaff in the various commandsuntil the age of 21, at which pointthey were sent
backto the PoliceAcademyfor firearmstraining.Uponcompletion
of this trainingthey were sworn in and sent outon patrol.The precursor to today's Cadet Program, it yielded some of the
Department'shighestrankingofficials. On September24, members of the inaugural class gathered to celebrate their 40th
reunionat The Pinesin the Bronx.
~8~~