Lenny Levitt's Rant

Review

By Suzannah B. Troy
"artist/writer/youtube Mayor... (New York City, USA)

This is so far the most difficult book I have reviewed on the NYPD. Like Lenonard Levitt, I have an intense respect and admiration for the NYPD and I find corruption intolerable. But when it comes to some of his criticisms -- they don't fly. For instance, Commissioner Kelly dismissing some of his personal security guards. So what. Levitt wants to convey this time around Kelly is different but dismissing a personal guard that did not wake him up when he should have doesn't illustrate the point and the author has a list that might make you think Kelly is a Rudy in the making but I don't buy it.

Yes, policing has changed post 9-11 and how is still being defined. Levitt also makes a twisted little snipe about Jack Maple trimming his nasal hairs which for me is Levitt's Achilles heel but that being said, Levitt does gives us insights in to some of the failings of the police dept. Although again it is clear despite his criticisms, he has admiration for their bravery and Sept. 11 is just one example where he talks about their heroic losses in the line of duty. He also exposes corruption at City Hall, including Giuliani's terrible conflicts of interests. Rudy neatly deposited Christine Lategano as head of tourism with a $150,000 paying job, a promotion which makes me think at least Bill Clinton did not put Monica on the pay roll.

No wonder Giuliani was quiet when it came to Clinton's abuse of power with an intern. Lategano does not implement the use of a thong but rather would leap on to John Miller with her arms and legs wrapped around Miller at City Hall. Giuliani had a double standard and took issue with Bratton flying around doing public relations all over the globe but had no problem with Bernie Kerik doing the same. Ultimately, Levitt leads us all to wonder how Giuliani was supposedly clueless to the "real Bernie Kerik." My interpretation is Kerik appeared to take advantage of situations like a sex addict but money was his sex.

It just seemed he had a bottomless pit of bills, was living beyond his means and expected everyone around him to absorb his costs like a sponge. Kerik, a married man, simultaneously had two mistresses and abused the NYPD by having officers make late night visits to find his girl friend Judith Regan's necklace and cel phone. The story is utterly repulsive and surprise, after Fox employees, one married to a police officer got their inappropriate and intimidating visits -- Regan's necklace was found in her pocketbook and her phone in the garbage.

The stories go on and on and it is up to you to decide whether you want to read them or not. Safir comes off awfully even having NYPD officers assigned to him after his retirement, pick up his laundry and run errands for his family which is clearly an abuse; ditto for Ben Warde who can not be found when the Palm Sunday Massacre is discovered because Warde is away on a drunken binge with his mistress. The book lacks the depth, complexity and compassion of the Durk biography I read which delved in to corruption at City Hall as well.

Durk loves the NYPD so deeply and Levitt goes the way of Hollywood and honors the "myth of Serpico" by erasing Durk completely. Durk's bio had moving stories of other officers like one who, he and his wife had many of their own children, fostered and even adopted a child that so handicapped she would have been institutionalized. But Levitt does end with compassion and I did want to cry.

The compassion is for Lt. Michael Pigott and deservedly so. From what I read, Lt. Pigott was a very good man and he took a tragic mistake to heart, took full responsibility and heartbreakingly took his own life. There is so much I want to say but this will have to do.

Am I critical of Levitt? Yes. Do I think news reporters like him are important? Yes. I don't alway agree with Leviit; often not but it is a free society. What frightens me most is what the newspapers are not reporting, the news right here at City Hall from city council members robbing tax payers' money to pension fund scandals that come off like white collar crime.

As Levitt points out, we all carry video cameras and recording devices like MP3 players so as Clayton Patterson, famous for filming the Tompkins Square Riot said on Oprah, way back when, "Little brother is watching Big brother." Levitt eventually is banned from One Police Plaza but continues his work from the internet and will make waves I am sure with this book.

I remember sitting at the New School listening to Bratton talk to us and he was so winning. I have never met Commissioner Kelly face to face and despite Levitt's critique and I know some political activists that agree, I have great admiration for Kelly coming in after Sept. 11 with the greatest challenges of any police commissioner ever. He is solid, stable and has integrity and after the Kerik debacle, those qualities are essential.

Levitt touches on Bloomberg extending term limits; what I call the Bloomberg "deal ordeal" in a piece I wrote, "Bloomberg Newzzz". I don't delve in to how this impacted Kelly but Levitt does. Commish Kelly's popularity was higher than Bloomberg's at the time so in theory Kelly could have run for mayor. Levitt points out if Bloomberg wins and Kelly remains, he will be the longest serving Commissioner in NYC's history which in my opinion is a powerful statement post 9-11.

Post Script: As I fight to oust Mike Bloomberg, page 51 Leonard Levitt" NYPD Confidential", Giuliani forgives Mort Zuckerman's $38 million forfeiture fee for failing to close Coliseum deal was for me, foreshadowing of a Bloomberg I foolishly never imagined. A mayor that would sell out the people of NYC and the city's soul to developers, sadly you might note, most everyone who owns newspapers are real estate magnates.

I had to add one more point and maybe I misunderstood this but Leonard Levitt catches John Miller in a lie denying he had a conversation with news reporter Rotello. Rotello had taped the conversation and played it for Levitt. Miller apparently is so charismatic, Levitt forgives his misdeed. Levitt gossips about Lategano having a possible brief affair with Miller which had several goals including mentoring, getting the mayor to be jealous which apparently paid off from getting a series of raises, promotions and even traveling with Rudy to Jerusalem.