Philadelphia’s top cop, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney (1998-2003) was in town to pick up the Leadership Award from the American Ireland Fund, AIF, on Tuesday, December 7th at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in downtown Philadelphia.
John Timoney | photo © Katharine Gilbert
(The previous recipient of AIF’s Philadelphia Leadership Award was former Senator George Mitchell)
Since the Commissioner arrived as the cocktail reception was underway, we had only a few minutes to chat; no time to quiz him about his lectures on Dostoyevsky’s classic crime novel, Crime and Punishment which he has been giving to different groups. I would love to have explored this with him since Raskolnikov became part of my DNA atseventeen and is embedded in my consciousness ever since.
John Timoney has accrued many awards during his illustrious career but this one was special– “I am particularly flattered and honored by this award. I have known Loretta Brennan Glucksman, the national chairman of the American Ireland Fund for years and recently saw her again in New York. I have also been acquainted with both Tony O’Reilly and Dan Rooney, the founders of the American Ireland Fund. This is a great organization.”
Although his seven year stint as Police Chief in Miami is up, Timoney still lives there. Since September he has been teaching as a ‘Fall Fellow’ at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government-an experience he calls “fantastic.” (When the semester is over in January, he’ll consider his next step, “There are some offers on the table”, he added, while remaining mum)
Harvard made an impression on the Commissioner, “After being there for the last 3 months, I know why it is no.1 in the country. I love teaching. My goal before I entered the police department was to become a teacher. I was a student teacher for a year at Central High School outside New York, and then became a per diem teacher even when I was working for the police department at night. I got my master’s degree in history and a job offer as a fulltime history teacher.”
What was his biggest accomplishment in Miami? “We got a lot of things accomplished but the biggest issue and the issue when I first went there were police shootings. We were able to almost reduce and eliminate them. We were able to reduce the tension between civilians and the police which led to civil unrest and riots.”
As a beat cop, he worked in some pretty tough neighborhoods such as the Bronx. Was he ever shot and did he ever use his gun? “I used my gun only once. It was February 12th, 1978; I remember the date because it was my wedding anniversary. My partner was shot and I fired at the gunman. I never made it home for dinner that night; I was in Bellevue Hospital with my partner.” That was his closest call.
Would he ever consider a run for political office? “Never.” What does he think about building a mosque near Ground Zero.? “We try to stay away from politically sensitive issues like that. We only offer opinions when it directly impacts our jobs as police officers; otherwise our job is to enforce the law.” Did he know former FBI agent John O’Neill who perished on his first day on the job as Director of Security for the World Trade Center? “I knew John very well. I was in Philadelphia when it happened and went up to New York for his funeral. It was a tragic irony; actually, words fail me.” What does he think about Gerry Adams running for a seat in the Dail? “I think it is great. Gerry is an example of how you can be completely disaffected with the government at hand and make institutional change peacefully and become part of the process.” What does he think about Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange? “Life in prison is not good enough.” Is his heart still in New York? “I actually miss Philly more than New York because of all my friends and rowing on the Schuylkill.”
Timoney, can you come back?
The American Ireland Fund, part of The Ireland Funds, was founded by Tony O’Reilly and Dan Rooney. Kieran McLoughlin is President and CEO of the American Ireland Fund, AIF. Its mission is to raise funds for the support of peace and reconciliation, community development, education, and arts and culture in Ireland. Since its founding, AIF has raised more than $250 million.