NYPD TICKET FIX SCANDAL--The SHADOW: 2011

[Wednesday, April 20, 2011] The recent ticket fixing scandal in the Bronx brings to mind
one of the main reasons that I wrote my book NYPD Blue Lies. The fixing of a ticket is
what ultimately cost me my seventeen and a half year career in the NYPD.

In my book, I wrote extensively about police corruption and cover-ups. I wrote about
police corruption that ranged anywhere from police officers taking a free cup of coffee
to brutality, sex crimes, police officers urinating on people, stealing, committing robberies,
and even killing innocent people. I also wrote about ticket fixing.

In my opinion, it was the fixing of a New York State Senator's ticket that cost the lives of
Bliss Verdon and Rodney Dilbert -- two individuals who you get to know in my book. It
also cost three members of the police department their jobs of which I was one. None of
the three people dismissed had anything to do with the ticket fixing. The fact is that the
three of us were scapegoats for the corruption committed by the top brass of the NYPD.

In June of 1997, estranged boyfriend and transit police officer Rodney Dilbert killed Bliss
Verdon. Rodney Dilbert gunned her down like an animal on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson
Heights, Queens. Interestingly enough, Bliss Verdon had notified the police about the
harassment and the threats that Officer Dilbert was dishing out against her on numerous
occasions. Unfortunately, a summons issued to then New York State Senator Manny
Gold took precedence over her complaint against Officer Rodney Dilbert.

According to Duty Captain Ronald Wegweiser's testimony under oath, Chief Kenneth
Donohue instructed him to put the complaint against Bliss Verdon aside and to handle
the summons situation involving State Senator Manny Gold. We can all speculate as to
what Captain Ronald Wegweiser meant when he said that Chief Kenneth Donohue told
him to "take care of the summons situation" involving Senator Gold.

However, as a former member of the NYPD I know that those words have a very specific
meaning. "Take care of this summons situation" -- what else could that possibly mean but
to fix this ticket? As it turned out, Chief Donohue denied making such a request and
basically called Captain Wegweiser a liar. Yet neither of the two high-ranking officials
were ever questioned any further about the Senator Gold summons incident. No one
asked any questions about the conflicting statements between Wegweiser and Donohue.
Not surprisingly, there was no further investigation into the summons issued to Senator
Gold whatsoever. The fact remains that the Senator was indeed issued a summons.

Furthermore, Captain Wegweiser stated under oath that his failure to address Bliss
Verdon's complaint was due to his dealing with the summons issued to the Senator as
he was ordered. Normally, the fixing of a ticket is no big deal; no one gets hurt by it.
However, in the case of Bliss Verdon, a ticket fix cost the young woman her life.

Unfortunately, those who are being accused of having any involvement in the fixing of
any tickets will be as always, the white shield cop. Just as in any major police scandal
the lowly police officer will bear the brunt of the scandal, hence William Phillips – Knapp Commission, Michael Dowd – Mollen Commission. While so many higher-ups were involved
in the corruption during the days of Serpico, only one lowly police officer was sent to
prison. As for the Mollen Commission, it surprises me that the NYPD was not charged
with the RICO Act, as they were well aware of the crimes being committed by Dowd and
company, and allowed them to continue their criminal acts. They chose to allow corrupt
cops to continue their acts of corruption rather than to face the public embarrassment of
another scandal.

When the time comes for the Bronx cops to be grilled, they should specifically remember
every chief, inspector, captain, and lieutenant who in the past has ordered them to fix
tickets. Apparently, ticket fixing is only corrupt when it involves only police officers,
because, as we saw in the case of Bliss Verdon, the NYPD did not give a crap when the
subjects were a State Senator, a Chief, and a Captain.

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