Raises for DEP Execs? Hiked Water Taxes? Are You Crazy Mikey B?

Enough is enough already...first the Daily News reports several weeks ago that Mayor Mike gave substantial raises to DEP executives for the wonderful job they've done??? That remark earns a Scooby Doo, "Huh, mmm, grrr"...is he kidding us? And now there is a monumental increase in NYC water rates and taxes. Great job folks...let's see what you've done already this year, you have one employee dead and there's questions as to safety precautions in that incident and oh you have another employee, a police officer, lying seriously injured in a hospital bed because of other questionable safety issues. You tax the crap out of NYers for their water and then pat yourselves on the back about what a good job you're doing. Mother Russia failed because of the incompetency of its leaders and the eventual awakening of its citizens...time has come for a new regime in City Hall.
What about the DEP cops Mike? The raises given to the fat cat executives could have easily gone to the starved cops who actually do work for a living. As a matter of fact Mike you had several of them at your door yesterday protesting on the steps of City Hall for line of duty benefits and parity with other NYC uniformed services. How about throwing them a crumb from the palace walls?
Right now the DEP cops are doing what they are endowed by the Constitution to do, exercise their First Amendment right of free speech and protest...word is the rally which the Dog and some other NYC blogs posted about went well and the DEP cops enlightened some NYers as to their cause and the realities behind NYC water protection. The Dog even saw a news video piece which is attached as a link on the sidebar. Ah, the First Amendment, a beautiful slice of democracy in action. Until next time Dog Pounders the Dog is out and about, sniffing and tracking...as always on the prowl...

Fear and Retaliation

In the history of the modern world there is no conflict as deeply embedded into our collective conscience as World War II, a frightening world conflagration rooted in the obsessive and psychotic tendencies of a twisted individual. Hitler's rise to power came at a time when Germany was reeling from the after-effects of the First World War and its humiliating loss. A man like him could only come to power in the chaos of a country torn within itself. When we look at who Hitler was prior to his rise to power we see a failure of a man, an individual who struggled in life, a man on the fringe who bonded with other fringe players to form the Nazi party. Hitler was a failure as an artist, he was a crook, he was a loner, he had deep rooted psychological issues with his mother -- he was in essence a scared little man who had to bully the world to show how great he thought he was. Hitler worked on a system of fear and retaliation. Essential freedoms were trampled, you either agreed with his view or you suffered. He was an insecure man who paraded around in a majestic uniform adorned with ribbons he gave himself. Truth was when a young man he was a wash-out in the German army. Failure on his part once again. In order to prop himself up he surrounded himself with individuals who were equally at a loss in their lives and would be his foot soldiers, yes men to the end. As long as the Fuhrer took care of them all would be good for them. So many of Germany's young men sold their souls to an evil leader, they betrayed friends and even family, all for a false belief that they could change the world and have it follow their twisted world view. Thankfully, as always, good prevailed, not without sacrifice of course, but in the end right had might and a sense of balance returned to the world. History is important for the lessons it teaches. As the philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."
As the Watch Dog was writing this the Dog had to ponder...any modern day examples of such megalomaniac delusions of power? Why yes, the Dog self-answered...look no further than the DEP PD!!! There you have an absolute failure of a police officer, Milazhole (once again readers look at Milazzopalooza on the side bar to your right to read all about it), and, quite frankly "Frankie", according to a poll of your officers, an absolute failure as a human being, one who is said to bully, intimidate and retaliate daily as a so-called Inspector of the DEP Police. There is so much material for the Dog to go into here so I'll have to just pick a few. Like how when EPO Hoffman was seriously injured on-duty because he crashed an ATV during a chase the first order out of Milazhole's mouth was that there were to be no photographs. Imagine that, you have an officer seriously injured and an investigation has to ensue and there are no photographs to be taken! What accident investigation school do they teach that in? And the reason, he don't want any of them showing up on the DEP Watch Dog. Oh Frankie, you flatter us. We now refer to you as "The Round Mound Who Hates the Hound." Two paws up for that one. Now EPO Hoffman is the catalyst for his union staging a rally to get the word out about DEP Police Officers and how they don't get line of duty benefits. So how many of his fellow detail members, the Special Operations and Emergency Service officers, are slated to join their fellow officers at the rally? Zero from what we're told -- talk about fu**ed up. These guys call themselves cops? They're little syncophants who like to run around with guns and special toys and pretend they're just like NYPD ESU, a swat team that actually works and is needed full time. But hey, when Osama Kooky Bin and his band of warped jihadists descend on the Neversink Reservoir Frankie's fanatics will be ready...get ready to grab some bottled water NYC residents. Then there is always the special way Milazhole takes the word of some scumbag criminal over that of his cops and the special way he treats that scumbag even though that scumbag just sent one of his cops to the hospital. Oh yes folks, the Watch Dog nearly dropped upon hearing that one and couldn't believe it until recently seeing reports and other documentation on the incident. Is this guy for real? And his little band of merry men? There's some psych screenings that need to be done in DEP-land.
Finally, Dog Pounders here's a quiz to work on (and the answer isn't Frankie because even he wouldn't stoop that low): what DEP police supervisor allegedly accosted the wife of one of his subordinates and tried to have his way with her at her place of employment, even going so far as to touch intimate parts, only to be rebuffed by the woman whose husband upon finding out months later was so afraid of the intimidation and retaliation in the DEP PD that he let it go? "Sorry honey my job means more to me than your honor." If that was done to the Dog's bitch the Dog would be burying that person with a few bones he has scattered around.
Ah, DEP-land, it is a magical, fun place, just like DisneyLand but without the rides. The Dog's out on the prowl, looking to take a few bites...

Rally for the Cause!!!

The Watch Dog is back -- for all you Dog Pounders who were worried that the D-O-G was dead, have no fear The Watch Dog is here! Want to know what the Dog was doing? Digging up more dirt, and there are piles of dirt in DEP-land. Speaking of piles, the Dog hears fat Frankie looks like he's going to explode these days -- word of advice, less twinkie and soda more salad.

The Dog has been compiling photos, videos and documents for your reading pleasure and future amusement. But that is minor compared to what the Dog's been asked to relay via the hard working men and women of the DEP Police. As you know from reading this blog the DEP Police have no line of duty coverage for injury. These officers have been shot at, struck by vehicles, injured by criminals and yet they are treated like second class citizens when it comes to benefits. They have written letters to public officials, spread the word among police peers and their union has pushed a bill in front of the City Council only to have it languish on City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's desk.

Well now they and their union are taking the fight to the steps of City Hall. Yes Dog Pounders that is the beauty of living in a democracy such as ours -- (provided the pinheads in Albany like Patterson, Smith and Silver don't turn us into a socialist state) -- you can petition government and lawfully assemble in protest. Ah, democracy at work, nothing more beautiful, just like this blog. You just can't quell lawful and truthful dissent (right Frankie? Any reader who doesn't know Frankie just go to Milazzopalooza on the side bar).

On April 20th off-duty DEP members and their union leaders will be holding a rally at City Hall to bring awareness of their situation to the public and those city politicians who may not know the truth. If you support the DEP cops and their mission -- and why wouldn't you, they are just seeking the same line of duty benefits other uniformed city services have -- then show up between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to support these dedicated men and women NYC officers. These cops have families and need our support. They are dedicated NYC employees who deserve better.

Why? Why? Why?

The eternal metaphysical question of why? So simple an inquiry yet not always so simply or directly answered. From the awkward moments when a young parent is asked by their child, "Why do only mommies have babies?" to the more direct and embarrassing moment when a multi-billionaire mayor is asked by a DEP police officer, "Why am I not covered the same as other police officers and uniformed members working for the City of New York?" An essential constitutional right we all possess is the right to petition government. Here a simple inquiry made by an officer thru a format set up by the Mayor's Office for such inquiry yields only a weak reply from one of his deputy lackeys. The officer is told he has a union and the proper forum is to proceed thru his union. That is all well and good if the Mayor's Office, the Office of Labor Relations or the City Council Speaker's Office were dealing above board and on an even plain with the officer's union. Because Dog Pounders, as you should know by now, the Office of Labor Relations refuses to acknowledge the DEP Police as equal to sanitation workers for contract purposes let alone NYPD officers. OLR can't handle the DEP cops' union and has referred all negotiations to their law department. Imagine that, the negotiators can't even negotiate. Didn't they all learn how to get along with people in the halls of Harvard, Columbia and NYU? Apparently not...conflict resolution and people skills are not on the curriculum...but hey at least they got to take mentally stimulating courses like the history of slang, or Vietnamese horticulture or feminist theory. Speaking of feminist theory, remember it was the DEP officers' union that got a bill introduced in the City Council to add DEP police officers to those recognized as uniform services only to have it sat on by Madame Council Speaker Christine Quinn (put on your high heels and makeup men, ladies look a little butch and you may have a chance with her recognizing you). Time and again the City of New York and its various agencies tell the DEP cops what hoops to jump thru, what administrative dragons they must slay and time and again the DEP cops and their union do what they have to do only to have the rules changed by the City and DEP. You see they never took any of you seriously, certainly not when you had a fat clown of a union president who took more care of the elevator operators and custodians he represented in Local 300 than he did the police officers. And now they see a family torn apart by two evil clowns, another fat one and a stupid one, who are working on behalf of the city by utilizing a simple plan of attack -- divide and conquer. But are you really all that divided? The Dog don't think so...you're all blue, you're cops and that means something. EPO Hoffman would expect nothing less than to see his brother and sister officers around him in unity, strong and committed to better pay and line of duty benefits. Wake up all the sleepy heads around you who don't know the history or see the scam being played on you.
You are not jokes and no one is going to get over on you, as long as you don't let it happen. The Dog's been told that the above mentioned entities have been hearing the noise coming from the streets and word is this party is going to be taken right to their doorstep soon. Meanwhile the Dog has been compiling some pretty interesting stuff but is keeping it hidden in the dog house. It will all come out at the right time and will all be put in the right hands. It is amazing the sordid little lives some people lead. But back to that eternal question of why. Here are a few "whys" for us all to ponder:
Why are the DEP police not treated as part of the uniformed services of the City of New York for bargaining purposes?
Why does the DEP and NYC Water Board dole out expensive consulting contracts each year but claim to have no money to pay their cops?
Why does DEP keep its police officers from any real environmental enforcement and shut down noise pollution details in NYC after telling the public it will maintain vigorous enforcement efforts?
Why doesn't DEP see the problem with having as its police chief an individual who was cited in a Department of Investigation report for racially discriminatory enforcement?
Why doesn't DEP see the problem with having as its second in charge of the police agency an individual who has been banned from ever working as a police officer in a NYS jurisdiction?
Why doesn't the DEP EEO office actually investigate legitimate complaints from officers instead of looking for make-believe cases?
Why hasn't the NYC Department of Investigation completed its investigation into the hydrochloride spill at Hillview last year in which several DEP cops suffered injuries because no one informed them of the spill?
Why weren't the cops originally notified of the spill anyway?
Why hasn't the NYC Department of Investigation completed its investigation into the assault of a DEP officer by a superior officer while on duty?
Why haven't other alleged incidents involving this superior officer been reported?
Why are certain people holding in these secrets? (The Dog knows the answer to this one, fear of retribution from DEP who would just try to discredit the person bringing the information forward).
Why wasn't a probationary DEP police officer who was arrested for a DWI offense out of state not disciplined when other DEP police officers were brought up on charges for answering a 911 call while on-duty working as police officers?
Why are unlicensed, undisciplined and untrained security guards allowed to patrol security sensitive DEP sites and compromise public safety?
Why hasn't former DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd release the completed Dennis Smith report on DEP?
Why won't acting DEP Commissioner Steven Lawitts release the Smith report?
Why is the acting Commissioner willing to give his acting chief of police a pass on past racially based police misconduct in the face of internal discrimination claims under the acting chief's watch?
Why did former Chief of Police Ed Welch really leave his position at DEP?
Why did Juliet Montes really leave her position at DEP?
Why haven't there been any minority or female police officers promoted beyond the rank of police officer in the past four years?
Why did DEP settle the lawsuits against it by former police officers alleging discrimination?
Why did attacks against former DEP Police Captain Ron Gatto get so personal that cowards within DEP stooped so low as to target his wife?
Why did DEP's attacks against former DEP Police Captain Ron Gatto seek to destroy his supporters and result in unfounded charges and disciplinary allegations against those individuals?
Why did DEP settle the lawsuit brought against it by Ron Gatto?
Why did Gennaro Montello have to die?
Why after Mr. Montello's death was there a mad scramble to inspect lifting devices, etc.?
Why did NYC Department of Investigation get the call to investigate Mr. Montello's death?
Why is there any expectation that DOI will conclude the Montello investigation any sooner than it did the Hillview hydrochloride spill or the assault on an officer by a superior officer?
Why weren't DEP's own police agency involved in the investigation of Mr. Montello's death?
Why is EPO Hoffman lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life?
Why is the Inspector's first concern at the scene of EPO Hoffman's accident that no pictures of the scene end up on this blog?
Why have the environmental crimes committed by DEP been hidden from the public?
Why isn't the federal monitor more aggressive in actually monitoring the agency?
Why can't the public get a straight answer to any of these quesitons from the City of New York or DEP?
Here's an offer, when all the above questions are answered honestly and completely the Watch Dog will go away, my job will have been done...until then the Dog will remain on the prowl...

Special Privileges

The good news is that EPO Hoffman is in the ICU and seems to be responding well and is hopefully out of danger. There will be a long recovery ahead but that is to be expected. The question on the Dog's mind now is how will his accumulated 54 days of leave (that is between his sick time, vacation time and comp time) cover him during that lengthy recovery? What happens when his time is up? If the case of Sgt. Ed Klan is any indication then EPO Hoffman will be told to return to work or his job will be taken from him. That is just what happened to Sgt. Klan. One disturbing bit of news is that some people are going around saying EPO Hoffman will be alright, "he's a good kid and will be taken care of", which the Dog thinks is great, but what'd be really great is that if this rule applied to all EPO I's, II's and III's, not the annointed few who suck at the teet of fat Frank. From what the Watch Dog has gathered Sgt. Klan is a good guy too. He came to the NYC DEP PD with NYPD experience, was a role model for younger officers as a patrolman, is universally respected by his subordinates and is known as a "cop's cop". Sgt. Klan was injured responding to an emergency call. Sgt. Klan bleeds blue, wanting the best for his brother and sister officers, but he apparently has made a cardinal mistake in the mysterious DEP health benefits game -- you know the one where the bosses pick and choose who they'll cover. You see Sgt. Klan made the mistake of actually being a man and speaking up for himself and his fellow officers, trying to obtain better pay, better working conditions and better line of duty benefits. Hell if the Watch Dog was made Mayor of New York for a day the first official act would be to appoint Ed Klan Chief of the DEP Police and remove Markie Mark. But Sgt. Klan would likely not want the spotlight and defer the position. Which'd lead the Watch Dog to name former DEP Captain Ron Gatto (presently with the Westchester County Police) as Chief and make Ed Klan his number 2 guy. Now that's what the Dog calls a formidable one-two punch in the police administration ranks. Imagine having two real cops leading the department.It is a shame that DEP responds to employee tragedies after the fact. Look at the situation with Gennaro Montello, DEP had the city pass special legislation to cover his family...guilt is a mighty motivator...DEP could have avoided this tragedy but didn't...I mean really now, not inspecting these cranes beforehand and then scrambling in the week after the tragedy to get inspections completed...hey I don't make it up I just go by the e-mails. The Dog has sniffed fat Frankie sitting around Westchester County Hospital in a vigil over EPO Hoffman. It is to the point where the doctors are making comments. Doesn't he have a department to ruin?...I meant run, he's already ruined it. Why the concern? Guilt? And why haven't you allowed certain members to visit the injured officer? Divide and conquer may be the management style of Inspector Milazzo but he has to realize not all his cops are lemmings to be led to the slaughter. Believe it or not Frankie most of the DEP cops think for themselves and don't need you to tell them when to sh*t. Cult worship usually doesn't end all that pretty for the leader and his followers. Jonestown, Branch Davidians, Hitler's bunker, Manson Family...the list goes on...to those of you who are true blue, get out while you can, save your soul...EPO Hoffman should be a unifying example for all EPO's. When an officer is hurt his or her benefits, whether or not they'll have to choose between their health and their job, should not rely on whether or not they belong to the right social circle, detail, or are liked by the bosses, but on whether or not they have the basic coverage and benefits normally given to uniformed services in the City of New York, nothing more, nothing less. For the City of New York to ignore the men and women of the DEP Police as uniformed officers is an insult. Where has Mayor Bloomberg been in all this? After six days he calls the hospital only to find the exhausted family has gone home for some needed rest. Hopefully there was a follow up call but for my canine senses the Mayor is six days too late. EPO's are treated like second class citizens when it comes to the uniformed services in NYC. Benedetto and Milazzo are working hard to make sure the treatment continues because they have received their marching orders from Lefrak. For any EPO's who think things are on the up and up may the Dog remind you that you work for a city agency under a federal monitor, a city agency that pled to an environmental crime in federal court and is presently on probation, a city agency that has decided to put its policing function in the hands of an individual who was cited in a Department of Investigation report for conducting illegal investigations into the affairs of a minority community, a city agency who has promoted to the number two police post an individual who as a sergeant left a local upstate town police department in a cloud of suspicion over missing funds and entered into a sealed agreement with that town prior to any pending disciplinary determination being made or potential criminal charges being brought. If you're okay with that then you are part of the problem also and the Dog will sniff you out while on the prowl...

Well It Has Finally Come To This...

Sadly a young DEP Environmental Police Officer was seriously hurt yesterday attemping to apprehend some people. The officer suffered critical injuries while on an ATV patrolling NYC Watershed property. As the officer lies in Westchester County Medical Center with a fractured skull, two collapsed lungs, a broken leg and fractured pelvis there are some serious issues to focus on and some serious questions to be answered. First, it must be noted that the officer is on probation and relatively new to the department. Now, understand this, under the present contract the officers have with the City of New York (negotiated by their old union Local 300 SEIU, which mostly represented elevators operators, custodians and clerical workers) the officer has 5 days to heal otherwise his sick and vacation time will be utilized. He's new so how much stored time could he have? Once his time runs out the City will shelve him and take away medical benefits and give him one year to return to duty otherwise he will be fired from DEP. How's that for a "thank you" from the City -- yet if he was an NYPD officer (DEP EPO's are defined as police officers under NYS law just like NYPD but for some reason DEP and NYC don't want to acknowledge such) he'd be paid and taken care of. Look at Steven McDonald who was shot over 20 years ago and is paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair but still paid by and taken care of by NYPD! This site asked in a prior post what had to happen for DEP Police to get the benefits they deserve...did they have to get seriously hurt on the job or worse, as in the case of civilian DEP employee Gennaro Montello? Have any doubts as to how bad DEP cops are treated as compared to other NYC uniformed services then just talk to Sgt. Ed Klan or click onto his story on this blog's sidebar. It is despicable. We're just into the New Year and already DEP has to answer for the death of one employee and the serious, potentially life altering injury to another employee, this last one a young police officer still on probation.

Which brings the Watch Dog to another somewhat related topic. Many of you have noticed the "Comments" have disappeared. Have no fear they will return but are presently being reviewed by the Dog. Useless, insulting, bickering comments will be deleted and from now on all comments will first be screened by the Dog. Lately the Dog noticed that some readers were getting personal and using the "Comments" as a board to attack other DEP PD members. This is what happened on the DEP Police Google board and wassuch a disaster it had to be shut down. Additionally, the Dog knows there have been some saboteurs making comments seeking to do the bidding of the Chief and Inspector and create turmoil. Why you may ask would they do that? Because the truth is hard to battle, in fact you can't defeat the truth and the Dog is telling it like it is with documents up the wazoo to backup the posts. All the saboteurs can do is name call and pose as other officers in an effort to create turmoil. The Dog would say nice try to those of you who attempted such a foray but you're all amateurs and the Dog Pound and I sniffed you out. And this brings the Dog to the question of the day...as one of your own lays in a hospital bed fighting for his life after being injured while serving the City of New York, what are all of you? Are you SOD? ESU? Patrol? Detectives? EPO I? EPO II? EPO III? Or are you all blue through and through, brothers and sisters in a job few are called to do? When the smoke clears who do you have but your families and each other? When this young officer gets out of the hospital and has his benefits taken and salary stopped will the Chief and Inspector dip into their pockets and provide for him? Pay his bills? Check on him? Get his meds? Work him through rehab? Think honestly and answer that...if you don't care because "hey I got it good screw the rest" then you really aren't a cop much less a human being and the Dog will just have to bite you in the ass.

Speaking of ass...the Dog heard from sources of the stealth means by which acting-Commish little Stevie snuck into the hospital and was escorted to a private room...who does he think he is Madonna? Are you concerned Stevie? If so let's see what you will do for this officer and the other DEP cops. The Dog is still holding out hope for you that maybe you at least have a soul.

This blog from the beginning has been devoted to the truth and uncovering the problems within DEP, especially as they relate to the long suffering Environmental Police Officers. The Dog has received in excess of 400 comments and numerous e-mails with new Dog Pounders and sources coming into the pack each day. The Dog has been gathering documents and information like a squirrel gathering nuts before the winter. And the Dog has only begun and is getting warmed up, the Dog has yet to "get medieval on your ass" to quote Ving Rhames in "Pulp Fiction". The Dog has also been receiving e-mails from some interesting outside sources looking to assist and become a canine partner. In the meantime pray for the recovery of this young officer and do not forget Gennaro Montello and Family in those prayers. The Dog is out on the prowl...coming to a neighborhood near you and ready to bite...

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The Watch Dog was out the other day looking for some water fowl to chase and found these little fellas, only the Dog didn't want to go swimming, what with the weather being so cold and all. But you might ask where is this bucolic setting? Some placid lake? Perhaps Walden Pond...oh Thoreau! here Thoreau...where are you Thoreau?...surely old Henry David is not at this shoreline peacefully whiling away the day, lost in his thoughts, because the scene around this place is anything but tranquil. This here my friends is a NYC reservoir, where the Dog was undetected, unmolested and not bothered while clicking away...I would of had some close ups of my feathered friends but my damn paws had trouble with the zoom...but yes, this is a reservoir, where NYC drinking water, which no matter how filtered it may be, is still being sh*t in daily by the ducks and geese that frolic in the reservoirs. Is that why they say NYC water tastes different than all others? It must be the bird crap. Here's a fun fact Dog Pounders, Canadian geese produce 1-2 pounds of feces daily! Holy cow dung batman, is that for real?...yep it is, and they are protected species under the Federal Migratory Bird Act. Now, take a bunch of geese and ducks crapping in NYC reservoirs daily and you have a hazmat situation if the Dog ever heard of one. Here's a situation where Mustafa Fawzy and his boys could earn some real overtime. Maybe activate the DEP PD's ESU guys to rappel down on these little duckies and show 'em who's boss. Why is it a problem?...likely because DEP never did what they were supposed to do and provide some covering protection of their systems as other U.S. municipalites have done. Instead some dudes are paid good money to chase away these birds, and we see how that's working out for them. So these little duckies and goslings and their mommies and daddies have flipped their feathers at DEP...giving them the bird if you will (ha,ha, ha, the Dog is killing himself once again)...providing an example for others who have gotten one over on the agency.
Speaking of getting one over on the agency...by now it is legendary the ruse the acting Chief has perpetrated on DEP management...and if you don't know what the Dog's talking about or are new to this blog then read the NYC Department of Investigation report on Benedetto's activities in conducting unfounded investigations into a minority community. It is a shame that in 21st century America this is the man leading a police agency, let alone a police agency with under-represented numbers of minority supervisors -- no supervisor above the rank of sergeant is black or female! -- a police agency with a prior history of racially motivated adverse actions taken against minority police officers or against white officers with minority spouses or against white officers who support minority officers -- a police agency with more recent ugly issues involving race (the Dog is gonna hold off on more specifics of all these for now but from what the Dog's seen and read it is "Mississippi Burning" circa 1960). For more ruses read the Dog's link to Milazzopalooza and see what you think went on in the Town of Marlborough in the early 1990's. They make quite a team don't they Dog Pounders. But hey, there's more going on in DEP-land. There's the private contractor hired by DEP who was arrested in Westchester for driving past a bus of Catholic high school girls, honking his horn and then exposing himself and masturbating in front of the girls (maybe he washes his hands where the ducks swim...ugh...poor duckies)...or the guy on the terrorist watch list let in to a secure facility after DEP cops were chastised by supervisors for stopping him at the gate and requesting identification...gee, isn't that what they're supposed to do? Oh, I'm sorry "acting Chief", he was only a radical Muslim not a black Muslim, didn't see the difference there for a moment. Is this all for real? It really is an insane asylum with the lunatics running the place. But rest assured NYC taxpayers and water users, DEP has guaranteed the safety and security of your water supply...one of those special untrained, unlicensed security guards is likely stationed at a vital spot, either asleep or out for lunch. Potential air attacks are being watched for by a really special guard, the one in her van on her back getting plowed by her boyfriend on the midnight shift...you know she's got a better vantage point that way to look and see if any planes might be heading for the reservoir. As columnist Cindy Adams would say, "Only in New York kids, only in New York." Well the Dog's gotta go and chase some geese...give DEP a helping paw...until later the Dog's out on the prowl...