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The Protectors® Podcast
Welcome to The Protectors® Podcast, where the valor meets the storyteller. Hosted by Jason Piccolo, a seasoned veteran and retired special agent, this series is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the courage and tales of those who pledge to protect us. Beyond the front-line stories of bravery and dedication, this podcast goes a step further, weaving in the perspectives of those who bolster and narrate the protector's journey—featuring a remarkable lineup including New York Times Best Sellers and acclaimed Hollywood actors.
The Protectors® Podcast offers a diverse array of voices, from those who wear the uniform to the authors and entertainers who amplify their stories. It's a unique blend that highlights not only the raw realities faced by our protectors but also how their sacrifices inspire the narratives we cherish in literature and film. Each episode is a testament to the interconnected worlds of service and support, bringing listeners an unmatched depth of insight.
Dr. Jason Piccolo is a retired federal agent, former U.S. Army Infantry Captain (Iraq 2006), and author.
Past Guests Include:- Sean Patrick Flanery - Andrews & Wilson- Mark Greaney- Stephen Hunter- Remi Adeleke - Florent Groberg - Clint Emerson - Travis Mills
The Protectors® Podcast
#478 | Patrick Boyle | Honoring the Badge A Reflection on Police Work and Remembrance
As the sun set on a Philadelphia skyline back in '66, a young Patrick Boyle took his first steps toward a career that would span decades in law enforcement. Our conversation with the seasoned detective unfolds like a gripping novel, from the archaic seven-week academy training to the modern-day sophistication of police work. Boyle's vivid recounting of the past allows us to appreciate the evolution of crime-fighting and the deeply rooted tradition of family within the force, serving as a touching tribute to the many who have dedicated their lives to protecting ours.
In a more somber reflection, we honor the memory of Officer Danny Boyle, whose bravery and commitment are the foundation of a legacy that continues to inspire. The establishment of a scholarship in Danny's name is a testament to the power of community and the importance of supporting the next generation. With Patrick Boyle's guidance, we explore the nuances of running a non-profit, from the intricate dance of fundraising to the ethical stewardship of funds, and the profound impact of keeping the flame of a fallen hero burning bright for future guardians of the peace.
Make sure to check out Jason on IG @drjasonpiccolo
Hey, welcome to the Protectors podcast. Why don't we just start talking about books? I?
Speaker 2:don't know, why don't we? Just start talking about books, because we know, because a book fell on the floor here. Yeah, and Clive.
Speaker 1:Custler. We have WEB Griffin had that. That was my first real foray into the Philly PD. Oh, OK, I didn't know anything about the Philly PD. I grew up in New Jersey but the nice green part and Philly was always this danger zone.
Speaker 3:And then I started reading.
Speaker 1:WEB Griffin and I'm like, wow, man, that must be so cool. The protagonist is like this rich guy who drives a Porsche, and then there's all this stuff going on in Philly and I'm like Philly's like being a Philly cop. That's like second to being NYPD.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm going to say it's the first.
Speaker 3:It's better than NYPD. Thank you.
Speaker 1:I almost got shot everybody, but that's OK. But I'm live in person and we are in Northeast Philly. I'm here with Patrick Boyle. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Glad to be here.
Speaker 1:This is like a family deal. I mean, this is the third of the clan that's been on a show and there's so much going on in your life that I really want to know about you and about your background, but also about how your lasting legacy, your familial legacy, is going on with what your philanthropy.
Speaker 2:Oh, my police career started in 1966. Short time at the Academy. Back in those days I think it was seven weeks Out on the street you fly on your own and spend 20 some years in uniform. Finally got myself together and studied a little bit for the test and actually my brother Michael and I made detective on the same list. I don't know, we were seven and eight or six and seven.
Speaker 3:We were right at one.
Speaker 2:One, but I don't know who. I think that's the head of them. I think not.
Speaker 1:Let's backtrack here because I'm like you know, quote unquote modern policing. So I started LEO law enforcement in 2000. What was the Academy like in 1960s?
Speaker 2:It was quick. It was basically like boot camp in a sense A lot of physical stuff, time classrooms, old time instructors that were around from the 40s and 50s, you know, were two vets, that kind of thing. Korean were vets and they were the kind of guys I worked with back in 66, because they would have like 20, 25 years on, you know, and they used to tell me, kid, this isn't the same job that I joined. And that statement has been going on for the last probably 100 and some 200 years.
Speaker 1:I really think that is like everyone Like, even like when I went in it was like, ah, this isn't the same. This isn't the same and it's always like you know, we didn't have these like for the military, for instance. We didn't have these like stress cards and like that. I don't think they really had stuff like that. It's just what your perception is, because as you're getting older in a career, you're like huh, maybe you kind of forget about what it was really like.
Speaker 2:Well, it's what you're accustomed to. And then the new people coming after you, that's what they're accustomed to. So they don't know your situation, nor should they, you know technology changes yeah. Everything changes back then. Didn't you get your revolver, your weapon, the first day of the academy?
Speaker 3:Yes, we got it, and wasn't there an issue with that back then? Yes, there was, I recall. Yes, I was 16.
Speaker 2:I remember this issue, but anyway, there was an issue with one of our classmates and put the revolver in his glove compartment after being told take the weapon home, secure it, unload it, lock it up, keep the ammunition separate from your weapon. But he went out on a weekend and his brother got involved in an altercation, so we ended up getting the weapon his weapon and discharging it and somebody did get hurt. I don't know if they ever died or whatever. I don't remember, it's too long ago now. But we went back Monday morning and they went. You guys were bad.
Speaker 2:Turn the weapons in, turn them in. So we went and turned our weapons in and we got them when we graduated.
Speaker 1:You know, I can't even imagine nowadays you were all spethed and regaurs Six shot, but an empty chamber. Now, everybody, when you're going to the academy to start, it's like here's a red gun, you can play with this fake gun.
Speaker 2:Treat it like it's real. Yeah, I don't even know that.
Speaker 1:Well, I think about policing in the 60s too, is communication Is like how did you? Was there a car-to-car communication?
Speaker 2:There was an infility, there wasn't fully, you could, you know, pull up a sector car next to you. You know, whatever the number was, you know meet me. You know meet me at this location or whatever. But when they first joined you couldn't hear that came probably in maybe 68, but when you first you would hear the dispatcher give you an assignment, but you couldn't hear the response from whatever car was getting the assignment, so you couldn't. You couldn't hear other neighboring squad cars or wagons, only the dispatcher.
Speaker 1:You could hear her then and more her I can't even imagine and how many people were working back then, like because Philly is a big city. It was a big city back then.
Speaker 2:I believe we had a little close to 8,000, a little over. I know it's a standing roll call. The ranks were at least three deep. You know six or eight the rank. You know, at a line at least, that we had numerous, numerous cars, patrol cars on the street in a particular sector we call them districts and we'd have four to five or even six, as many as six wagons for hospital cases or prisoner transportation or whatever.
Speaker 1:The rotation you know it seems like on the East Coast. It's like a family business though. It's like, if you're an LEO, were you the first one in your family.
Speaker 2:Yes, I was.
Speaker 3:Why did you become Uncle Pat?
Speaker 2:Uh why?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What made?
Speaker 3:you decide to become a cop. You were young too.
Speaker 2:I was 20. I was 20. I wasn't going to college. I hadn't gone to college. I had another test come in. I took the post office and two results come in the same day and I think you know the postman. I don't know. So, I decided to join the police department and the rest, as they say, is history.
Speaker 1:You know, cop post. Well, both use guns, but that was like, well, that's humorous, that's humorous. We're not talking about that anymore.
Speaker 2:And then my brother Buddy God rest his soul. We just lost him this past August. He came back from Vietnam and he joined, and then he was in 10 years and he went out on a non-service connected disability because he was juvenile diabetic, you know, and he just developed that as an adult. And then Mike joined and then in 90, 90, when, or sudden, he decided he wanted to join. So that's it.
Speaker 1:And I was thinking about your son and I'm like about the age and everything. How old was your son when he joined? He was 20. Yeah, so I graduated high school in 91. So I was like around.
Speaker 2:He was just getting out of the academy. He had actually a year and a day on a job, so he had, like, as opposed to my seven weeks, he had nine months.
Speaker 1:The police got him oh wow, yeah, I can't even imagine like the difference, like in that and you think about like the 90s and like this is when DNA first started popping off forensics.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Interview and interrogation is not just an interrogation. It's like use of force, like really thinking about how the modernization of policing we didn't think about those things in the 60s.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Well, you think about Vietnam too was what I think. It was like eight weeks, and then they were in in war.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, boot camp was pretty much eight weeks. Yeah Well, I was in the army reserve so I did the boot camp at Fort Knox, but we never got called up. And then, buddy, my brother, my younger brother I was the oldest he decided to just go.
Speaker 1:Oh, you couldn't get a job.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was hard work to him. He wouldn't get a job Knowing that he was drafted, and he had a hard time finding a job. So he said, well, hell with it. He just went down and pushed up his draft.
Speaker 1:You know I never thought about that, yeah, about the job prospects for people who could be drafted, because you know that's the first time I've ever thought about that is because you think about who's going to hire someone who might just get their number called.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Then you got to save the job for them, and then you got to save the job for them too. Huh, that's another. That's a rabbit hole I got to go down one day.
Speaker 3:I've got to like start tracking down some Vietnam veterans.
Speaker 1:So you know, having the whole family business be policing, you know you have the other aspect too. We have your wife here, we have your, your niece. There's a lot of other things that go along with it and it's the stress of having that life and having that dangerous life. And Philly is a very peaceful city for what I've seen.
Speaker 3:I worked here for a bit, it was once.
Speaker 2:Well yeah. It's gotten. Obviously it's gotten worse, it's gotten more violent, but it seems to be having in every major city across the nation. But we've always had a problem with crime and everybody does. We're not unique to any other city. Every city has the problem. The answer is I wish I do.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, it's not even cities anymore.
Speaker 2:It's like oh even rural, yeah, everywhere.
Speaker 1:Everywhere there's crime and it's always been that way, but now it's it's more prevalent, I believe.
Speaker 2:Well, I think it is, but it's. It's also with the, the media and technology. Today, everybody knows Nancy was sitting here two or three nights ago and she gets something on her phone which I don't. I don't have that on mine because I don't want to know. She said there's a burglary of progress around the corner.
Speaker 1:Oh, the neighborhood.
Speaker 2:I want to turn it off sometimes. And 99% of the time it's nothing you know, but you might want to. All right, I got to run around the corner, grab somebody you know, my ring app even gives me a note.
Speaker 1:I just want to know what's going on in my front yard. I don't care about up the road.
Speaker 2:Well, I was still working I think I had already made detective and I was working in center city and we were sitting here having coffee or breakfast or a meal and I look out the window at the house behind us and there's a guy trying to crawl in the window.
Speaker 3:This was a long time ago.
Speaker 2:It's a long time ago. It's got to be 25 years.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Mr, what are you doing?
Speaker 2:And you know I ran out after him and he saw me coming and he ran through the yards and back of these sheds and, lo and behold, he lived at one of the houses here on the next street. So I stopped before I went into the house because I'm civilian clothes, I think I'd slippers on. Had to be in the morning and then she had me. I'd called the police, the uniforms, so they can really hustle it here. There was a lot of and I knew through her for them. I said you would in that door. So they knocked on the door and his mother was there and she left him in the house and I said, yeah, that's a maybe arrest.
Speaker 1:I've always been changing. You know we were talking about WEB Griffin before, but I believe like detectives that must have been like for both you guys like going from street to now you get to be like the, you know, the detect and get the plane closed the badges on the bell. You're walking around, you're getting your coffee in the morning. You're like, yeah, what's going on today? I mean, tell me, the life of a Philly detective Is anything like WEB Griffin. Come on, I want to know.
Speaker 2:First you had to get through the desk band, right, pat yeah, the desk band. He assigned everything. We were on a rotating wheel any job to commit and you know who's over up gets the assignment.
Speaker 1:Is it like general and you'd cover everything?
Speaker 2:Everything. Oh yeah, we cover everything. The divisional guys don't do homicide and narcotics or narcotics.
Speaker 3:We do everything else.
Speaker 2:Well, you might the divisional guys, as opposed to the specialized units like homicide or special victims or narcotics we didn't touch narcotics hardly at all, unless it came up as part of an investigation and you kind of tripped on it and a lot of time we got the initial homicide. If it wasn't yet a homicide, you got the Agusol shooting stab, you know whatever it might have been, and then homicide would take over when the victim passed away. And if they lived, then we got stuck with it. We stayed with it.
Speaker 1:I think about paper too. You know when you come off the street yeah, you come off the street. You know when you're doing a regular report, like when you're doing an account or something on the street, but then when you're a detective now we're really going old school, like nowadays I could probably write a report on my phone and it has auto correct and everything else. But back then like the amount of just the little things about manual type rights and carbon carbonized and typos.
Speaker 2:I remember what I made, detective. I would be here and I could type. I'd be halfway through the first page and I'd make a mistake or two or three and I couldn't X them out and just me being me and do it over again, until somebody told me just use whiteout and make copies instead of using carbon but it's not as daunting as everybody uniform thinks it is. I couldn't do the paperwork. Yeah, you can, you know.
Speaker 2:You never, have you never have time for the follow investigation to its conclusion. A lot of, especially burglary's, I mean auto thefts obviously then you know we have a Major crimes auto thefts, you know you send them a report and that's what they do. They can follow it up. I agree, assaults were a big thing and a lot of times you were able to make it arrest on or robberies. You know her stash is robberies.
Speaker 1:What was your favorite I shouldn't say favorite crime? What was the one? I'm interested in most.
Speaker 2:Huh, right after I went back to work After losing Danny, it let me say I guess it was March or early April, right there was a burglary, a major burglary at Billy banks in Biddle, a big jeweler and Philly and it turned out to be some like four to five billion dollars and in gents and jewels, watches etc. And my partner at the time, jimmy Williams, got arrested, so he's gone. Now they moved me from the line squad after losing Danny to special investigations, I guess, and the job was assigned to a particular detective and that wasn't going anywhere. So they decided we had the time and the years on to take another look at this thing and we did and we Followed up for quite a few months.
Speaker 2:We got the FBI involved because we felt the jewels went across state lines and we did a lot of investigations. We thought we identified the perpetrators but there was nobody would author a, authorize a, an arrest or a search warrant and and we figured it out, or this Jimmy and I and the FBI guy determined it was during the Breakup of Yugoslavia, the Serbs and the closer and our suspects To a man role-servient and Put all the serial numbers out Rolex, watches, pichets and whatever. Never, ever, to this day, as far as I never showed up anywhere ever.
Speaker 3:You went to New York with that. You went to New.
Speaker 2:York. Yeah, we did some traveling. We followed the money trail. We identified them running the tools or buying the tools at an industrial tool place. The leases on the apartment next to the Jory store identified them. Hole in the roof. The tools were still there, prince, but nobody would pull the trigger, frustrating. And, as luck would have it, we were in the old night district or central detectives and they're raising the building and they're removing us around the corner. So all the files for that job Dispired during the.
Speaker 1:You know what I see a thriller book right here. I'm like we got Philly, we got jewelry.
Speaker 2:Jason, I'm telling you. The feds to all the fads the I'm not gonna well, there was a green jewelry and paneled federal grand jury and there were some notables from New York. I don't remember their names anymore, but they were subpoenaed and testified. I thought we're getting close.
Speaker 1:Oh, this is a Netflix series right here, but yeah now everything is going, and that's that's the, that's the interest where the when you're reading a thriller book, that's that oh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as a matter of fact, two or three weeks ago he just went to a funeral for the old sergeant who was our supervisor, jack Best patient, and it was him and me and Jimmy and and Dougie has was the FBI guy.
Speaker 1:This is like a Bosch novel, I think. There's like a box of exactly someone's.
Speaker 2:Someone's basement right now but I think that is you, you know we should have kept our own. But who would have think they're going to steal them from the police department or lose them? Shouldn't say steal.
Speaker 1:We took a pause here and this is where Patrick discussed Danny Boyle. Now this is from the Officer Daniel Boyle Scholarship Fund website. My name is Patrick Boyle. I'm a 35 year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department. My son, daniel Boyle, followed in my footsteps into the police department in February 1990. On February 4th 1991, dan was working at 12 am to 8 am shift. At about 2 40 am Danny stopped the operator of a stolen vehicle. The perpetrator jumped from the auto and began firing at least 15 shots at him. One of those bullets struck Danny in the right temple. Danny died of his wounds on February 6th 1991. He was 21 years old. In this next segment Patrick talks about Danny.
Speaker 2:Now, Danny was just a typical teenager young man. You know, high school graduate Hunter and his buddies did the things that every teenager in the world does. He worked on a truck with Bud for a while. He worked on a part-time moving furniture, got a job after high school at plumbing supply and what else did he do, Dan he?
Speaker 3:did a lot of stuff.
Speaker 2:He did a lot of. He washed cars, detailed cars.
Speaker 3:Trying to find his niche.
Speaker 2:But then he just said to me one time I think I'm going to go into police department, dad, what do you think? I said if that's what you really want to do, go for it. So he did. He took the test and he did well enough to be appointed to the academy and lived here with us and he graduated.
Speaker 2:He was assigned to the 26th district after graduation, which is the eastern part of the city, at Jordan Montgomery, and I was working at Central Detectives at the time and he was working midnight shift. We have a steady midnight as opposed to by days where we swung around 24, you know we were at six days and two days off and rotating days off. But he had a steady midnight shift and his days off were rotating Monday, tuesday, tuesday, wednesday. So the one night he was going to work and Nancy and I were out somewhere and he was gone and one of his coworkers about 2.40 or so in the morning and she was frantic and she's screaming into the phone Danny's been shot. Danny's been shot Now. That went against all protocol. So we got up, threw some clothes on it and hit the door, hit the car, sped down the temple as the escort police were coming to get us to take us. They were too late, we were already halfway there. And then when we got there we found out the severity of the Woon City sustained trying to apprehend but started out to be a stolen car and then turned up to be his homicide. And we got there and that was the February the 4th that I believe. He was shot at 2.40 in the morning, 2.43 in the morning, and he died February 6th, not quite 48 hours, maybe 36 hours later. And it was a funny thing too, because the officer that did mention or call us the bosses were ready to hang her out. You should never have done that and probably not, but I prevailed on their good sense to let this go. I'm glad she did, because I was down there a little sooner than I would have been normally. Not that that made a big difference in the end, but it was better for us. So I believe she's still working actually. So Danny would have 30, it'll be 33 years next month and we miss him every day and it is difficult. You never forget. You never forget.
Speaker 2:Then we had the year after, ironically starting again in February. We had the trial. The perpetrator was eventually apprehended after about two weeks, approximately two weeks. And then he, the following February of 1992, we started the trial. He was. The trial lasted about a week or two. He was convicted first degree lawyer and the next phase was the penalty phase where the same jury would have to determine.
Speaker 2:Of course the district attorney back in those days were going for the death penalty. So we went out and went to a restaurant in front of ours that owned to have lunch and wait for the penalty phase to the jury to come back from. You know whether the death penalty or the life in prison we know sooner. Sat down. Then I got called from the court get back here. Jury's back already. Of course we rushed back and they determined the death penalty was appropriate. So we've sentenced to death. And we were told that they had made up their mind in less than 10 minutes. It took longer because their lunch was delivered to them while we're. We never got to eat ours. We had to go back to court.
Speaker 2:But the sad thing is that throughout the appeals process and I don't disagree with the appeals process, but it's never ending Ultimately, and I don't know how many years ago it is now because they seem to run together you know all the time. The final appeal process was. One of our illustrious judges in Philadelphia decided that he was somewhat mentally challenged and doesn't deserve the death penalty. So he's life in prison. Here we are. I doubt that there were appeals for him. I think that's and that's fine. I never expected him to be put to death in the state of Pennsylvania or most other states. My hope was that on death row is particular punishment for the most egregious crimes. 23 hours in the cell, an hour for exercise or activity, and I guess they feed you in the cell and that would have been inappropriate. But I'm not a judge.
Speaker 1:You know, I think back to like the story you were telling me about Danny, when he was a kid and trying to find his, trying to find his path and like the like, so much of the stuff that, like so many of us, were like 17, 18, 19, 20 years old, like the detailing cars, construction it kinda. And then one day you have like this epiphany, like huh, yeah, could do something different. Yeah, you know, to see that he followed the same path of so many people before him. And then I can't imagine like where he would be like right now, like a picture like you two, well, yeah, and now the detectives.
Speaker 2:You know I often think about that. He'd be certainly ready for retirement, yeah, which is a little scary from my perspective because I don't know how old even our daughter and our grandchildren are trying to figure out how they got that old when.
Speaker 3:I didn't. You know it just doesn't make sense.
Speaker 2:But you know, the beat goes on as they say. Whether I like it or not, I am older.
Speaker 1:You know you didn't stop there. You don't, and that's I'm so glad you, you agree to talk about Danny's, because I was, I'm, you know, coming from the military and coming from, like, the background. It's like, as long as you always say someone's name, their memory lives on and they live on.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 1:But you're not just doing that, you also have the Danny Boyles, the Danny Boyle Foundation yes, which is really cool, I mean, and we have the beef and beer coming up. Listen. I'm not if we're doing this over January February.
Speaker 3:March, march, march, you know we'd get a beef, okay.
Speaker 1:Hey, you know what? You don't wanna come and drink. You could always have a ton of stuff, and I mentioned before being an affiliate. Yeah, you know, when you're doing something like this, it's a special event, so you're keeping his legacy going. So how do people? I mean what, the scholarship is really cool. I really, I really like that idea. So you wanna talk about the foundation?
Speaker 2:Sure, quite frankly, it was the day of Danny's funeral and we were now in route to a hall for a luncheon for the people that came to honor Danny, and it was one of his classmates and they said he calls me big guy.
Speaker 2:He said we gotta do something for Danny. I said what are you talking about? He said let's have a beef and beer and do a scholarship fund and his name at his alma mater, march Bishop Brian High School. I said good idea, good, you run this one. And this was in February. And then the first one we had, quite frankly, was just a few months after that, in April I think it started.
Speaker 3:It was May or.
Speaker 2:May. So we had one of Union Halls Brennan Atthole Union Hall got a caterer hold nine yards, charge a couple bucks to get in and we made about like 20 or 22,000, 25,000 dollars.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I said, okay, then the next year we're gonna have another one. And then somebody told me into a golf tournament Because I was a golfer and I'm still a golfer a duffer, I should say. So I had put a golf tournament together and I had the help of some other people who had done tournaments in the past, cause I didn't know what I was doing. And now we're coming up on our 32nd golf outing.
Speaker 2:We got closed for COVID, did everybody else at Dino and this'll be the 33rd, I guess, at Beef and Beer or Social, and it was to provide tuition assistance for families that can't afford a quality education in Philadelphia and, quite frankly, we all thought it would last maybe five, 10 years, 15 years maybe, because other things happen, other strategies occur and there's other good causes.
Speaker 2:But here we are, 33 years later and you're still doing it and to date I can tell you that it's well over close to probably 1500 kids and about a million, about a million two or a million three in tuition assistance, covering a lot of different schools too many to name in this podcast, but high schools and elementary schools. And it's been kind of amazing because some of the letters we get from the children and the families. Some of them are very heart-wrenching. Some are basic, just applying for tuition, but some of them we don't understand how they can even think about sending their children to a program school with a tuition and the income is like $25,000 and they have three kids and what's the tuition for high school? It's over $10,000 now.
Speaker 2:That's pretty high tuition for high school, elementary school in the Philadelphia Art Society is about four to five and actually we just kind of adopted this school St Francis DePaul or the sales, excuse me, st Francis DeSales at 47th and Springfield in West Philadelphia and I met sister Mary McNulty she's Immaculate Heart None, and we've become friends with her and sister Jane McFadden. There's still half a dozen, almost a dozen nuns at the school and it's predominantly black, hispanic, but I shouldn't actually say that the school represents 40, some different countries and almost as many languages, so obviously immigrants and they're just wonderful kids. You know, polite goes back to my old days at St Veronica's when the nuns ruled, you know is that first through eighth grade?
Speaker 2:That's first through eighth grade. Yeah.
Speaker 3:And they have pre k.
Speaker 2:They have pre-, k, yeah, so we just took care of the kids out there, and right before Christmas we gave a bunch of money to Archbishop Brian and our own parish here, st Christopher's, so it's been rewarding. The Danish name is out there.
Speaker 1:Well it sounds like it's gonna keep going on for another 30 years, because you now you're, you have another legacy, your niece. So we gotta turn the mic over to you.
Speaker 3:You gotta start asking questions here. You gotta mic your frontier, that was your turn to be the podcast. What I was gonna say is what Dad and I were talking about on the way over here. I think Danny's scholarship was almost like one of the first of its kind. I mean now, it's not uncommon no for scholarships to be started in honor of fallen officers. That is great, but at the time I think you guys.
Speaker 2:I do believe it was if Dr first. It was one of very early ones and the only one that has been sustained for all these years. Oh yeah, yeah yeah, very lucky. Many start and they fizzle out every three or four years. Well, they fizzle out and people get tired too. It's a labor. He spends the whole year working on this, the whole year, and it's a labor, a labor blow. Yeah, yeah, it's a good thing to retire to give them something to do?
Speaker 3:What year did you retire?
Speaker 2:2004.
Speaker 3:Oh, I didn't even realize 2004.
Speaker 2:Almost 38 years service.
Speaker 3:And Dad, you did 28?
Speaker 2:29 and seven months. Yeah, who's counting? But I got on a lot later than him. I was 31. Yeah, yeah, very cool, it's been something else, it's your time to interrogate you.
Speaker 1:We're past the interview portion. Now it's the interrogation.
Speaker 3:The interrogation. No pressure, no pressure.
Speaker 2:You want to talk about my golf game?
Speaker 3:Well, we could yeah.
Speaker 2:No, we shouldn't do that.
Speaker 3:When is the golf tournament?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's coming up May 13th, or is it the?
Speaker 2:15th, I think it's yeah, it's a Monday, monday in May. Actually this will be the 30th now it'll be a whole lot more. It's close to 40. I had corporate outings where I charge a whole lot more money and I was hooked up with some corporate people back that's 20 years ago and I was charging maybe 250 and they wanted to meet it, bump it up to 400 or something, and I'm going no, I'm not, I'm not doing this. I don't want to rob people. I know they want to come, have a good time and come back next year. So my philosophy and their philosophy were two different ways. So we part ways. I said I'm not doing that and you can go. You know, go your own way. Now I also had corporations.
Speaker 2:There's a thing called the EITC Act in Pennsylvania and I think a lot of other states have it as well. It's the educational tax, investment program whereby corporations incorporate in the state of Pennsylvania, working in the state Pennsylvania, can contribute to an approved fund, scholarship fund, school, and they get a 75 percent tax break on the following years Pennsylvania corporate taxes and, if they excuse me, if they do a like about in the second year, it goes up to like I think it's 90 percent. So I had some major corporations give me 10s and 20s and 25 a year for and we've been approved. This fund has been approved since its inception back in the probably late 90s and it's just this year that they've fallen off. And I don't know if COVID had.
Speaker 2:That was the start of the. I had three or four different corporations and each given me a 10 or 20 grand or 25 grand a year, so that now I spent a lot of. I spent all that money, you know, because according to the lawyer, I was entitled to 20 percent for administrative fees. Well, there is no administrative fees, you know, I'd have to make them up and I can't do that and there's no salaries. So if I got 25 grand from ABC corporation, 25 grand went to the kids.
Speaker 3:I'm wondering you know you started this in 1991. How did you figure all this out like I mean, even in today's world with Google, I feel like it's so complex and marketing and promoting and all the things. How did you have and how did you have such a successful turnout?
Speaker 2:I don't know. I don't know, I think Danny helped a lot. You know, I mean I had 30 years and Michael had so much time in the police department and but I mean obviously we know a lot of people in the police department, a lot of connections and I literally touched a lot of hearts.
Speaker 2:And yeah, but it was flying by the seat of my pants. The first year we gave out that 20 or 25 to Ryan and I put the money in their account and Fortunately they used it to the way I bought it should be used for the kids. And Then we decided, well, we better open an account. And then we decided we better incorporate and File for 501c3 with the IRS. So I had an attorney who's a friend and served on the board for many years before he passed away. He took care of all that. He had a friend who was a tax guy. He did all my taxes for the fun, pro bono, and now he retired I found another guy. So it's been a Bit of a challenge because I'm not sure I still do what I'm doing, because you know it's probably not that hard to run. But we had a clue how to do anything.
Speaker 1:I mean have to do a whole podcast on fundraising. It's, you know, that's one thing about like the, the leo community and Protector communities, asking people for money and asking for help. You know, I really appreciate this conversation today.
Speaker 2:This is well, you know what it. There's another thing. A funny thing is the, the Investment fellow that I mentioned earlier. Oh, I guess I'm 20 years ago. He hooked me up with some people that actually didn't work out so well. I mean, we didn't lose any money but we didn't gain any money that he thought we might have. So and he said, pat and some of us are in, but you're doing this wrong. I said what do you mean, howard? I'm doing it wrong. He said most five, one, c, threes allowed a 30 to 35 percent for salaries and administrative fees. He said, howard, but taking a salary on my sons, you know, and yeah, I have a little bit, I gotta pay for postage, I gotta pay for this, I gotta pay for that. Maybe a computer wants to retain, you know I should, but he's well, you're doing along, I should. This is the only way to do it as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker 1:I am so glad you said that. Yeah, that's my biggest thing about non-profit.
Speaker 2:It's why.
Speaker 1:I have one last question for you yes. You are. You have tons of books. I've heard you have Thousands, but this can be tough one. Who is your favorite author?
Speaker 2:Wow, that is a tough one, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:We talked about we be griffin, but that's a little bit different. You know, we like I'm looking over here Clive Kessler but there's a lot.
Speaker 2:You know what now? You know what I always liked James Mitchell.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's been a long time, so I've read one of his books but and there was a story of McCullough Wrote about Thomas Jefferson, david McCullough, I think that's right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that sounds familiar yeah story.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:I like a lot of those books. I've read a lot about Jefferson Washington and Harry Truman. You were a big Bob Bond fan back in high school, oh. James might while Ian Fleming, you know, yeah, and I, I also would like Sherlock Holmes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Arthur Conan.
Speaker 1:Doyle.
Speaker 2:And I did have that. It was a two-book Compendium, I guess you would say to all his Mysteries. And somehow I one of the books has disappeared. I don't know what happens. Or the crows. What are the other?
Speaker 1:I don't know who they were, I don't know what side they were. Well, sir, I really appreciate you come out of showing it.
Speaker 2:I really like Jason, it was nice to have you.
Speaker 1:Wonderful.
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