Res. No. 672
Resolution commending the 20th Anniversary of the program, COP SHOT (Citizens Outraged at Police Being Shot).
By Council Members Nelson, Vallone Jr., Avella, Comrie, Fidler, Gennaro, Gentile, Liu, Monserrate, Rivera, Seabrook, Sears, Weprin, Clarke, Jackson, Recchia Jr., Gonzalez, Jennings, Gerson, Lanza and Oddo
Whereas, Unfortunately, incidents continue to headline our newspapers of police officers being shot; the most recent tragedy unfolded in Brooklyn, where two detectives were killed by an individual involved in a domestic dispute; and
Whereas, In this most recent incident, the police easily tracked down the killer, however, in situations where locating the shooter is more difficult, the NYPD has made use of the successful and growing program known as COP SHOT; and
Whereas, The creation of the program was motivated by the rising number of police officers shot in the 1980s; the founder of the program, Edward Arrigoni, was compelled to take action when, in 1984, four officers were killed and 20 wounded; and
Whereas, One of the key figures behind the success of COP SHOT is John S. Provetto, the program’s Director of Operations; once a case of a cop being shot is reported, Mr. Provetto is notified and he is in clear communication with the PBA and the NYPD’s Office of Chief of Detectives; and
Whereas, Mr. Provetto, in cooperation with the NYPD’s Office of Chief of Detectives, dispatches the COP SHOT informational vehicle to the scene of the shooting; and
Whereas, The informational vehicle is equipped with a public-address system to convey the message that a standard reward will be issued for any piece of information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect; and
Whereas, As part of the program, PBA officials and on-and off-duty officers join in to distribute and post leaflets throughout the community; and
Whereas, COP SHOT was a vital tool in identifying two suspects in the sniper shooting of Police Officer John Reilly in May 1986; Officer Reilly had been shot while on foot patrol in the 40th Precinct, and COP SHOT helped bring the suspects to justice; in addition, ten years ago, Officer Sean McDonald was gunned down in the 44th Precinct and COP SHOT was the mechanism which gave the incentive for two witnesses to come forward; and
Whereas, COP SHOT has proven to be a success, and it has paid its standard $10,000 reward 20 times, to date; and
Whereas, This program is unique in several ways; COP SHOT issues the reward regardless of whether the officer involved in the shooting was fatally injured or even wounded, all that is required is that the information lead to an arrest and conviction; and
Whereas, COP SHOT is a program solely funding itself, and its funds are gathered through annual contributions made by its own members; these funds go directly to the rewards paid out and for printed material used for advertising purposes and any remaining administrative expenses are given generously without cost to the program; and
Whereas, COP SHOT has its own toll-free hotline, 1-800-COP-SHOT, which is 24 hours a day managed and surveyed by detectives directly from the Crime-Stoppers Unit of the Chief of Detectives Office; any individual calling this toll-free hotline is never asked to provide any form of identification and they are issued an identification number so has to monitor any progress gained based on the information provided; and
Whereas, COP SHOT’s members are vital to its existence, for example, Viacom is a member who provides a net worth of $3-5 million of advertising space solely for the advertisement of COP SHOT; and
Whereas, The founder of COP-SHOT, Edward Arrigoni, has a mission statement for this program: “If there is a breakdown in respect for the men and women in blue who are sworn to protect and serve us, then what chance does the average citizen have?”; and
Whereas, In light of the important contributions this program has made to protecting our police officers, it is only fitting that the program’s anniversary be recognized; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the city of New York commends the 20th Anniversary of Citizens Outraged at Police Being Shot (COP SHOT).
TB
LS# 1878
10/29/04