By Tom Joyce
I was talking recently with retired NYPD Deputy Chief Mike Marino: a rare police leader who
truly understood the mission. He wasn’t chasing rank or press releases; he was fighting for
people. Marino told me something I’ve never forgotten:

 

“When you don’t take a report from a victim, you’re re-victimizing them.”

He lived that philosophy. The community in the 77 Precinct loved him because he treated them like neighbors, not statistics. He listened at council meetings, earned their trust, and never forgot that every number on every CompStat sheet was a human being.


Marino also recently told me a story involving former NYPD Chief of Department Joe Esposito.
A narcotics commander once complained how hard it was to buy drugs in a housing
development. Esposito took off his glasses, furious:


“Lieutenant, do you know how hard it is to LIVE there? Get out there and find those
dealers!”


That is policing leadership at its core: tough when toughness is required, compassionate when
compassion is required. You protect the community because you care about the community.

 

Peel’s Principle: “The Police Are the Public, and the Public Are the Police.”


Sir Robert Peel wrote this in 1829, but it hits harder today than ever:
“The police are the public and the public are the police.”
And:
“The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.”

Peel wasn’t talking about quotas or dashboards. He was talking about trust. You cannot police a
community you do not respect. And you cannot protect people you do not know.

 

Jack Maple’s Precision: One Crime Is Too Many

Jack Maple, the architect of CompStat, had a phrase that cut through all the noise:
“One crime is too many.”
He didn’t mean one statistic on a page.

He meant one human being hurt, traumatized, afraid.
Maple understood that data is a tool, not a shield.
Leaders face the truth,  not bury it.


The Integrity Problem: Crime Stats Manipulation Is the Opposite of
Leadership


Here’s the uncomfortable truth policing has wrestled with for decades:

  •  Washington, D.C.: The recent resignation of the police chief amid allegations of crime
    stat manipulation shook public confidence.
  • Chicago: Years ago was accused of “killing crime” by burying reports and downgrading
    offenses.
  • New York City: For over 40 years, rumors and allegations have swirled about juking
    statistics.

Let’s be blunt: Manipulating statistics does not reduce crime, it reduces truth and erases trust
and once trust is gone it takes monumental effort to restore it.


A victim who reports a crime is not an inconvenience to a precinct; they are the reason the
precinct exists.

 

The Standard Police Must Uphold


True police leadership is not about:

  • Comfort
  • Convenience
  • Public image
  • Career advancement


It is about:

  • Precision policing against the worst offenders
  • Compassion for every victim
  • Honesty in reporting
  • Respect for every community
  • Courage to confront reality, not hide from it

Peel defined it.
Maple operationalized it.
Leaders like Marino and Esposito lived it. They understood the mission. 


And that must remain the standard, because our communities deserve nothing less.

 

Tom Joyce is a retired NYPD Lieutenant. He is co-host of Ten-Four Tavern on The Finest Unfiltered Network