Irish Americans in The New York Police Department, 1995

New York Police Department chief, Dublin man John Timoney and Catholic chaplain Monsignor John McCullagh on the challenges and pressures facing police officers.
This year the New York Police Department (NYPD) celebrates its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. Until recent times the majority of its members were Irish and even today more than thirty per cent of the force claim Irish heritage.
New York’s Chief of Police is John Timoney. Born in Dublin he emigrated to New York with his family in 1961. Sworn in as a police officer in 1969, he rose through the ranks and two years ago became Chief of Department, the youngest person ever to fill this role.
Among the priorities for John Timoney are stamping out corruption and improving the public image of the NYPD.
Catholic chaplain Monsignor John McCullagh, whose parents came from County Tyrone, is a regular at police roll calls. Criminals often try to bribe their way out of an arrest, he says, especially when they are apprehended by a narcotics team.
John Timoney knows how easy it would be to give into temptation, having once found himself in a situation during a police raid where he could have easily have taken cash from a drug dealer’s apartment, but he did not,
You don’t do that. Good cops don’t do it.
Monsignor John McCullagh believes it is vital that police officers are as honest as possible. People place their trust in priests and police officers, and when that trust is broken there are lasting effects,
It’s a trust that’s given to us, and people are disappointed when we don’t practice what we preach.
The chaplaincy team, made up of men and women from many faiths, is very much part of daily operations in the New York Police Department. In addition to the moral support they provide to officers whose work is high risk and frequently dangerous, they are also counsellors and pastors who are there in difficult times for the families.
They’re a great comfort...to the officers, to the officers’ families, as only priests can.
Burnout is another major issue facing the NYPD. A long-term effect of the physical and emotional stresses which officers experience as part of their work; many pay a price for placing themselves in dangerous situations as part of their working day.
There’s always the realisation that every time you go out, you may not come back.
‘Radharc In Irish America : NYPD Green’ was broadcast on 14 May 1995. The narrator is Barry McGovern.

[@Phil-wn7zz]

I'm an Irish American who has been living in Ireland for the last six years. Having grown up in the states in an Irish-Catholic community I really don't think that most people in modern Ireland have any inkling of what Irish-American culture is. Granted, it's probably because most of their experience is shaped by loud tourists in Kerry and Temple Bar, but this really stirs me in my soul, because these are the kinds of guys I grew up around as my role models in my community. And I say my community, because it is just that, and the statistic at the start says it all, 85% of the force was Catholic then, despite the fact we are a minority in America, and were discriminated against for generations, we found our niche, like all ethnic groups do, and I think Irish people living here just aren't aware of how close-knit our tribe became as a result of these inter-generational niches that we carved out in the mad and crazy ecosystem which is the American Experiment. This hits me in all the feels.

[@herculesv1.247]

My Irish/Scisillian/Scottish American, all catholic cousin is NYPD. Back the blue 💙

[@faded_ink3545]

I’m from Dublin and only encountered the Irish-American culture when I studied in the US, and you’re right it’s nothing like the loud tourist schtick that gives some Americans a bad name. It’s also not quite Irish, but it’s own unique identity. I’m moving back to the US in a few months for work and hope to integrate into the Irish-American culture. Hopefully it’s still open for first generation Irish immigrants.

[@MisterMet74]

@@faded_ink3545 my parents were Dubs and I was “on the job” for 22 years. Still in NY for the foreseeable future. Rare to find many Dubs in NYC these days. Best of luck to ya!

[@tomasotreasaigh111]

I am glad you feel at home here in Ireland Phil, respect to you mo chara x.

[@Phil-wn7zz]

@faded_ink, thank you man, and very good point. I think when I say I'm Irish American some people get offended thinking I'm saying something I'm not, I've never claimed to be Irish but Irish American, which is sort of a bit of both. What part of America are you heading to? Good luck and I hope I can reccomend some good spots 😀

[@tytipton6346]

I will always appreciate three Irish brothers who protected my mother on a subway there when someone tried to attack. God bless y’all from a Texas Irish guy

[@Paddyman8869]

0:45 he kinda looks like Martin Frasiers dad

[@COIcultist]

The thing I find odd about this video is that it is 1995 and the police are all carrying revolvers. There are three notable police shooting incidents that affected police firearms carry in America. These are: The Newhall Incident 1970 The Miami-Dade FBI Shootout 1986 and The North Hollywood Shootout 1997. KZbin doesn't seem good with non YT links these days, so you are going to have to search the incidents yourselves. Roughly, the Newhall Incident was the death of 4 policemen who were carrying revolvers and started police forces looking at semi-automatic pistols for patrol officers. The Miami-Dade incident caused the FBI to look critically at the performance of the 9 mm round. Looking first to 10 mm then 40 S&W before finally reverting to 9 mm. I'm assuming there was a limited choice of carry firearms. Currently, three different 9 mm semi automatics can be carried, with 124 grain Gold Dot being the force's choice for ammunition. An illustration of how many rounds can need to be fired to incapacitate someone if things go wrong is given in Massad Ayoob's interview of Bob Stasch kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5WWp5KcqNiUmKs Let me think, which well known fictional New York cop was carrying a semi-automatic in 1988?

[@victorslaw5945]

I seen the three cops with 9mm semi-automatics getting out of the 1991-1994 chevy caprice.

[@SonofthePhantom]

I'd say closer to 1991/1992

[@MooMoo-sj2zg]

@SonofthePhantom the movie speed is referenced and that came out in 1994 so this is 1995

[@richmichael5866]

Greatest time and job in my life

[@a72boozer]

Amen brother ! I got on in 1990. I think I caught the tail end of the good times until compstat and CCRB ruined the job.

[@doughertybob2803]

May God bless you sir for all you did to make a real difference in your community and this nation by serving and protecting and standing in the gap.

[@Katwoman4318]

Thank you for your service. 💙🙏💙

[@liamkeane9159]

Is john still alive is hard to get into the cops in NYC

[@owenmcgee8496]

I've never been to America but I believe I hear a New Yok accent in this video. There's a Bugs Bunny cartoon from 1940 ('Racketeer Rabbit') where Bugs scares "Rocky" (obviously Edward G. Robinson) into thinking he's a policeman by putting on an Irish brogue. Didn't do that in an "untouchables" (Bugs) cartoon, but there was that "untouchables" film where Sean Connery was supposedly....

[@steelydanlover1972]

John Timoney was actually born in Dublin in 1948. He moved with his family to New York in 1961. That would explain why his voice has an Irish brogue to it. Interestingly enough though, you know that there are Jewish, Italian and Latino/Hispanic New York accents? Distinctive accents tied to which ethnic group you're a part of? Well, there's also an Irish New York accent. A good example of the Jewish New York accent would have been comedian Jackie Mason. A good example of the Italian New York accent would be Joe Pesci's accent in Goodfellas. A good example of the Latino/Hispanic New York accent would be actor Luis Guzmán. A good example of the Irish New York accent would be John McDonagh, he's a prominent New York cab driver and political activist.

[@seosamhv]

That Irish Catholic guilt goes perfect with policing. Someone’s always watching! ;)

[@MsRichycon]

🤣😂

[@MikeyJMJ]

It's called having a good moral code

[@TRD315]

You can tell that there Irish descent by how they look.

[@judymanning2538]

❤❤ for the algorithm ❤❤

[@Kevin-iv7rh]

Good Catholics 👍

[@fdoy]

All my Irish ggparents came from Ireland and the minute I open my mouth people here in America say "oh your Irish". I don't know why but other ethnic people always label you. Especially ones whose ggrandparents were Italian and English always differentiate.

[@TheLastAngryMan01]

@cianmacgana9092Irish-American.

[@MrBrentles]

Reminds me of the departed

[@jmonk5588]

If the population were Irish Americans bet it’ll be different as them being Irish decent cops

[@Ubermentsh]

a different time

[@JDLeonard74]

What choo got on Andy Griffith C.R.!?!? 😐 Just foolin brother man🃏. Great video again.🤜🤛☦️❤️

[@tobbytaylor3271]

NYPD got that on wrong.

[@0159ralph]

I'm a Bronx transplant relocated the Southwest and retired Law Enforcement. As a kid we moved out of the city in the 70s because of the crime and the quality of living. In 1995 my wife and kids visited family in the Bronx and Yonkers and the city was safe. That was during the Giuliani days. NYC was back due to his programs NYPDs tact plans and the crackdown on petty crimes. Now it's back to a crime ridden WOKE cesspool thanks liberal mayors and nuts running the city. Sad....