the 2015 NJ State PBA Main Convention
Perspectives on law enforcement
Law enforcement’s most outspoken commentator stood up
HBO to come to Vegas to address State PBA members. President
Colligan invited Bo Dietl – the Bo Dietl – to cap the convention with
a positive message.
So Detective Robert “Bo” Dietl, NYPD retired, regaled the membership with his One Tough Cop persona that filled his best-selling
book of the same title.
“The producer from
HBO is pissed off
because we were supposed to be filming
today,” Dietl began. “But
I told him I have 600
brothers and sisters
who are expecting me in
Vegas. I told him that I
get paid a lot of frigging
money to talk to groups
but not this one
because once you’re a cop, you’re always a cop. Once you leave the
police department, it’s not about what you make. It’s about what
you repay.”
Most of the rest of what he said was not fit to print in a family
magazine, or even this magazine. He elicited cheers and applause
when providing his analysis of political correctness. Again, it’s not
something that can be printed, but suffice to say, it rhymes with
“trucks.”
Dietl did elaborate on what it takes to be one tough cop. He
The Peer
Team
The fact that the Peer Support/Clinical
Services team has grown to six people presenting at the convention is really a testament to
how much work goes into the effort of providing mental health services for members dealing with addiction and stress-related issues.
New Peer Liaison Committee Chairman
Mike Pellegrino led the team report by
announcing two additionsto the committee’s
services: the advent of clergy throughout the
state to provide support, and expanding the
network of doctors to respond to calls from
members. (For more information, see the
story on page 83.)
Pellegrino then deferred to the team, which
included a guest appearance by Ken Burkert,
the committee’s founding chair who retired in
June and now works as the law enforcement
liaison for Princeton House Behavioral Health.
State PBA Director of Clinical Services Dr.
Eugene Stefanelli provided some information
to underline the impact of the program.
“Within the past nine months, I’ve had 625
face-to-face sessions in my office at the PBA,
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NEW JERSEY COPS
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OCTOBER 2015
detailed how he was hospitalized more than 30 times while on the
job, including once with a fractured skull. He added that he was
mugged more than 500 times on the job. And he mentioned another number that appropriately explained a style of law enforcement
he called “necessary force.”
“A lot of people know I have a lot of medals, something like 80,”
he continued. “I’m not proud of them. But I had 40 civilian complaints filed against me. I’m proud of them.”
Dietl did say that one of the best parts of being a retired cop is
that you can say what you feel. And that is what has made him a
popular talking head on many of the cable news shows. His popularity among law enforcement officers is because he says what they
feel, and he did so in Vegas.
Dietl railed against public and media bashing of cops and
decried the President for not speaking up in the wake of the killings
of NYPD Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.
“I need America to be the way we always were with that nationalism that made us proud and they weren’t laughing at us,” he
explained. “When you take this job, you take it for, one, security
and, two, to help people. What’s missing is respect for the uniform.
That’s what is really lacking.”
To say Dietl made his presence felt could be easily seen in the
number of members who lined up to take selfies with him. But not
before he left the membership with a message of motivation as
only he could.
“I stand her as one tough cop who respects each and every one
of you in this room.” d
Peer Liaison Committee Chairman Mike Pellegrino with, from left, Dr. Eugene Stefanelli, Ken Burkert, Dr.
Michael Bizzarro, Jerry Hartman and Moe Farallo.
more than 600 phone calls and more than 275
phone sessions,” Dr. Stef explained. “That’s
just me. Dr. Bizzarro has probably close to the
same numbers. It’s happening because it’s
needed, because tough cops ask for help.”
Dr. Michael Bizzarro accentuated the news
from his colleague by reminding that Princeton House, where he serves as the Director of
Clinical Services for First Responders, has an
emergency room that is open 24-7 for first
responders to provide priority service.
Jerry Hartman, who works for Transitions,
the rehab facility in Florida that serves first
responders and works closely with the NJ
State PBA, reminded members not to hesitate to call somebody if they had a colleague
who needed help. And Peer Liaison committee member Moe Farallo provided some
insight to just how much this effort makes a
difference.
“I’m a recovered alcoholic with more than
eight years of sobriety,” he began. “Thanks to
(former PBA President) Tony Wieners and
Marc Kovar who sent me to get help eight
years ago, we’re all here together. It’s all
about survival. Let’s stick together and continue to be progressive with what we have
going forward.” d