As requested by the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), I am conducting leadership initiatives titled Port Authority Police Department: Honor, Leadership, America.
Attendees first involved the superintendent of police, commanding officers, inspectors, chiefs, captains, lieutenants, and executive staff. The program is now being conducted for PAPD officers and sergeants being prepared for promotions.
The PAPD, one of the largest police departments in America with 1,700 members, is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with responsibilities including the following: Port Authority Bus Terminal, World Trade Center, PATH System, Newark Liberty International Airport, JFK International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Port Authority Marine Terminal, Holland and Lincoln tunnels, George Washington Bridge, The Bayonne and 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 movements, and over 2.6 million tons of air cargo annually.
The PAPD provides a wide array of services in its dedication to protect and serve the millions of people that use Port Authority facilities with capabilities including the following: Emergency Services, K-9 Patrol, Motorcycle Unit, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, Commercial Vehicle Inspection, and Defibrillator Program.
During my presentation, I used a metaphor of a head-on train collision causing catastrophic chaos, painting a picture of America’s leadership crisis and culture of violence. I emphasized that the PAPD is vital to our nation.
America’s Leadership Crisis
The crisis of leadership was depicted with examples including the following:
- Massive and pervasive arrests, indictments, convictions, and imprisonments of public officials throughout every level of government.
- Continuous corporate fraud cases including Enron, WorldCom, Purdue Pharma L.P., the narcissistic arrogance of Lehman Brothers’ Richard Fuld, and the long tentacles of Bernard Madoff’s $50 billion swindle that wreaked havoc on many lives.
- Scandals within the world of sports including Major League Baseball, the National Football League, FIFA, and Olympic champions.
- 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 health care deficiencies, unemployment, and homelessness.
- Entertainment 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 including the killing of 14 at a Binghamton, New York Immigration Office, the killing of 12 people during a Batman movie in Colorado, and the Navy Yard mass shooting that left 13 dead.
- On-going violence at houses of worship, once considered sanctuaries, including 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 four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- Continuous police officer fatalities who died while faithfully protecting and serving our communities.
Final Reflections
At 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 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 members of the PAPD 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.
Vincent J. Bove, CPP, is a national speaker and author on issues critical to America. Bove is a recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for combating crime and violence and is a former confidant of the New York Yankees. His newest book is “Listen To Their Cries.” For more information, see www.vincentbove.com
