Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/1731
18 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MAY 2009 There's something fi shy going on in the Philadelphia Police Department. Well all right, make that "squir- relly." A case out of the Philly PD's Internal Affairs Bu- reau has all the signs of great story. Evelyn Heath, a noted animal lover and a chief inspector assigned to the Forensic Sci- ence Bureau, was recently accused by a co-worker o f h a v i n g harbored a s q u i r r e l i n h e r o f f i c e , police sourc- e s t o l d t h e Philadelphia Daily News. I t e m 1 : H a r b o r i n g rodent in LE facility. The claim was believed to be untrue. But it wasn't forgotten by officers that had already planned a little birthday celebration for Health Inspector Heath. On a recent Friday morn- ing, several offi cers called Heath into an offi ce at the police headquarters and presented her with a few gifts. Hardly the stuff of in- ternal investigations, right? But then there was a knock at the door. Birthday honoree Heath opened the door and found a tall, grinning squirrel – complete with a bag of nuts – hopping in front of her. An enterprising officer had rented the suit from a local costume store. Being the good sport she is, Heath found the gag hilarious. She even posed for a few pictures with the costumed officer, sources said. T h e c o s- t u m e d c o p left Heath's o f f i c e a n d w a v e d a t curious on- lookers, and that's when the trouble started. P o l i c e sources said C a r m e n V u o t t o , a captain who w a s t r a n s - ferred from Forensics to the police radio room, caught a glimpse o f t h e w a v i n g s q u i r r e l and thought he was being mocked as he left the unit. Vuotto and Heath report- edly have a "tense" relation- ship. So Vuotto filed a com- plaint against the squirrel- cop with Internal Affairs. Several investigators were immediately dispatched to the precinct house in ques- tion. So far, no one's talking. Both the department and the F.O.P. refused to com- ment. "We think this is going to be incredibly well-spent money," Biden said. "We are going to be putting some federal money into the hands of a city that is going to know how to spend it, know what to do with it and know how to deal with it." You tell 'em, Joe! Squirrel-gate is a tale of intrigue Internal affairs working overtime According to a recent report on CNN, NYPD of- fi cers on counter-terrorism patrol helped deliver a baby during morning rush hour in the middle of New York's Penn Station. The expectant mother told the cops there was no time to waste. "Forget the ambu- lance, forget everything else – I'm going to have the baby right here," new mother Ma- rie Boothe recalled at a news conference later in the day. Three members of the police department's counter- terrorism patrol team were in the station at the time and responded. An Amtrak police offi cer also stepped in to help de- liver the seven-pound baby boy under the departures sign at 7:20 AM. In typical New York fash- ion, commuters cheered the offi cers and suggested names for the newborn. "They started yelling, 'Name him Penn, after Penn Station!'" Marie Medina, one of the NYPD offi cers who aided in the special de- livery told CNN reporters. C a e s a r Pe n n B o o t h e , whose middle name is for the place of his birth, was taken to Bellevue Hospital along with his mother, and the two were reported to be doing well. A special delivery The baby's middle name was a no-brainer. "All us Youngs could throw. I used to kill squirrels with a stone when I was a kid, and my granddad once killed a turkey buzzard on the fl y with a rock." – Cy Young Vice President Joe Biden said the Miami Police Department will receive $2 million from the stimulus bill for equipment and hiring more offi cers. Circle number 145 on the Reader Service Card. Fine Leather Belts and Accessories I N T H E U . S . A . CR A F T E D W I T H P R I D E We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how much we appreciate your business. Always feel free to call us if there is anything we can help with. We continue to stand behind our customers and our products. That is how we do business. -The Staff at Boston Leather Boston Leather PO Box 1213 Sterling, IL 61081-8213 (815)622-1635 Fax (815) 622-3014