Target Manhattan

Toombes

Your name, please?

Andrew V. Toombes.

Your title?

Deputy Police Commissioner, New York Police Department. I have a statement I’d like to read into the record, if that’s permissible?

Of course. Go right ahead.

I’ve cleared this statement through the Commissioner. He concurs in it. I thought it might save us some time-the Commissioner’s a rather busy man, as you can imagine.

We hadn’t intended asking either the Commissioner or the Mayor to testify here, Mr. Toombes. Neither of them had any direct role in the events that are the subject of this inquiry. The Mayor was in Chicago at the mayors’ conference, and I believe the Police Commissioner was in Los Angeles attending a three-day symposium.

Yes sir, that’s right. Assistant Deputy Mayor Swarthout was the highest-ranking city official on the case. Then of course there were the federal authorities. Ultimately the case was their responsibility.

Well, that’s partly what we’re here to determine, isn’t it? If you’d read your statement now?

Just one more thing. This isn’t solely my personal statement. I’ve included information from reports from police officers of various ranks who were involved in the case. In the interests of saving time, you see. I realize you may still want to call some of these officers to testify, but maybe this statement will cut down on the number of them you’ll want to talk to personally. I don’t like to take a cop off his beat any oftener than I have to.

Thank you. We appreciate it, and we don’t intend calling unnecessary witnesses. If you’d care to proceed?

Thank you. I’ll skip over the formal address and such…

“The Craycroft-Ryterband case first came to the attention of NYPD through a telephone call from the Merchants Trust Bank to the First Police Division on Twenty-first Street. The call was placed by Mr. Ira Rabinowitz, chief of security for the bank. It was logged in at the Thirteenth Precinct at ten forty-eight A.M., May twenty-second.”

Excuse me for interrupting. Is the Merchants Bank on Beaver Street in the jurisdiction of the Thirteenth Precinct?

No. It would be in the First Precinct, on Front Street. Rabinowitz is a former police officer, however He put the call through direct to division headquarters, which is located in the Thirteenth Precinct building. It was the correct thing to do; it saved a bit of time.

I see. Go on, please.

“Information was received by Captain Henry L. Grofeld, chief of First Division, that a crime was in progress at the Merchants Trust Bank. This information was received at eleven oh nine, and Captain Grofeld responded by-”

Excuse me again. But that indicates a gap of twenty-one minutes between the time Rabinowitz phoned the division and the time the case came to the attention of the divisional commander. Isn’t that excessive?

No, sir. It’ll explain itself as I read on.

Very well. I’m sorry to keep interrupting you.

It might go faster if I simply read the whole statement into the record and you asked your questions afterward, Mr. Skinner.

I’ll try to do that. Proceed.

“Captain Grofeld responded by ordering Special Investigations Squad to dispatch a team of officers to the Merchants Trust Bank. He was informed that this action had already been taken by his deputy commander, Lieutenant James O’Hara, and that O’Hara had also instructed the nearest street-patrol team of officers to respond to the call personally.

“According to statements by officials of Merchants Trust Bank, the first officers to arrive on the scene-foot patrolmen Lester Weinstein and Salvatore Cris-cola-entered the offices of the bank president at ten fifty-seven. They were informed of the facts, to the extent of his limited knowledge, by Mr. Rabinowitz. They then informed the perpetrator, then identified as Willard Roberts, that he was in custody. The perpetrator was advised of his rights.

“A team of three officers from Special Investigations, headed by Sergeant William J. O’Brien, reached the scene at eleven oh six.”