Joins New York’s Finest –

‘Samo’ Takes Up A Career

On The Streets Of The Bronx

By Steve Bigham

Former Newtown resident Dave Samoskevich is now patrolling the streets of 45th Precinct in the Bronx as a member of the New York City Police Department.

He was sworn in along with 1,326 other new officers at Madison Square Garden back on October 24 and immediately began what he expects will be a 20-year career in the force.

“It was the best experience of my life,” said Dave, who had tried to land a law enforcement job for many years. A 1987 Newtown High School graduate, the lanky redhead had applied to the Newtown Police Department on several occasions and was never selected.

Mr Samoskevich , 31, becomes one of 55,000 members of the NYPD, considered to be the eighth largest standing army in the world. He joins former Newtown residents, brothers Chris and Paul Daly, who also patrol the streets of New York.

One of Mr Samoskevich’s first assignments was crowd control at the New York Yankees World Series tickertape parade, and he has already taken part in presidential detail while President Clinton was in town. These days, however, he is spending most of his time taking part in field training, riding alongside a sergeant as he familiarizes himself with the largest city in the world.

Mr Samoskevich spent eight months at the police academy in Manhattan, where he would often get up at 4:15 am to catch the 5 am train into Grand Central Station. In this paramilitary environment, his daily routine included three classes – law, police science, and behavioral science – and a two-hour block of time for gym, which included 3-4 miles of running and plenty of calisthenics. At six feet, three inches and 175 pounds, Mr Samoskevich is a natural athlete, and he breezed through the rigorous workouts. But few people could be prepared for the trip to the NYC mortuary in Manhattan, where Mr Samoskevich joined his fellow cadets in observing several autopsies. The visit is designed to prepare the trainees for the horrors they will most certainly face during their stints.

“The smell of death. I will never forget it,” he said.

After studying at Dean Junior College for two years, where he played basketball, Mr Samoskevich went on to Southern Connecticut State University and earned his degree in sociology and criminal justice. Since then, he has taken on a variety of odd jobs, working at the post office, pouring cement, and installing windows.

Well-known around town, Mr Samoskevich was voted class clown in high school and considers himself an easy going, fun-loving guy. But he is dead serious about his new job, finally finding a career that provides the stability he so desired. Still, it will be Mr Samoskevich’s positive attitude about life that he believes will get him through. As he points out, police work can change a person. Some say police work in New York City can break an average man’s spirit. Mr Samoskevich takes a different spin.

“I plan to leave the same way I came in. I think I am generally a good person and treat others the same way I would want to be treated,” he said.

In recent years, the NYPD has come under fire for allegations of police brutality. The Abner Louima and Amadou Diallo incidents prompted some critics to put the heat on Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his police force. Mr Samoskevich, however, considers both cases to be isolated incidents, pointing out that, like in all professions, you have both good and bad people, and people who make mistakes.

Dave Samoskevich (police badge number 5897) was back in town this past weekend, looking and acting like the same old guy who had earned a reputation in the community as being a real sport. It seems wherever he goes, people are always yelling his name, “Hey, Samo.”

No doubt, they’ll be doing the same in the Bronx before long.

The 45th Precinct is located at 2877 Barkley Avenue in the Northeast Bronx, covering 8.12 square miles. The predominately residential area contains six miles of park area, 127.3 miles of streets, and 10.6 miles of waterfront. There are 100,000 residents living within the Precinct. It also contains two unique areas, Coop City and City Island, which are both self-contained communities with their own shopping centers. Coop City, with its dozens of massive skyscraper apartments, is the largest residential development of its kind in the United States, with a population of 33,000. City Island, located on Long Island Sound, has a rich seafaring history and is known for having some of New York’s finest seafood restaurants.