Joe Sánchez
Encyclopedia
Joe Sánchez is a former New York City
police officer and author who published books about corruption within the New York City Police Department
, or NYPD. Upon exposing the illegal acts committed by some high-ranking NYPD officers, Sánchez was arrested on the basis of false allegations which were highly publicized by the news media, then subsequently refuted. When his initial conviction for "assault" was overturned, his case exposed the existence of a code of silence among police officers known as the "Blue Wall of Silence
."
in search of a better life, and settled in Manhattan
. When his parents divorced, his mother remarried and moved the family to the South Bronx
. There Sánchez received his primary and secondary education. Upon graduation from Theodore Roosevelt High School, he decided to enlist in the United States Armed Forces
.
at the age of 18. On January 16, 1967, on his twentieth birthday, he found himself with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry of the 1st Air Cavalry Division (Mobile) (after being transferred from A Company, 5/7) deployed near the village of Phan Thiet, in South Vietnam
. On that day, his unit was engaged in a firefight with the Viet Cong. Sánchez and three of his comrades were seriously wounded by the shrapnel of an enemy grenade during that firefight. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal
and Purple Heart Medals
.
After recovering from his wounds, Sánchez was discharged from the Army and he returned to New York. There he met a young girl by the name of Lorraine Cassandra Pfaus, whom he married. He worked in various jobs, among them as a taxi and ambulance driver for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
. On various occasions, Sánchez applied to become a police officer with the New York City Police Department, but was not accepted. He then took the entrance examination for the New Jersey-New York Port Authority Police Dept. and was accepted.
Sánchez served with the Port Authority from January 1971 to October 1973, during which time he discovered that his application for the NYPD had once again been rejected because of a technicality. He opted to take his case in front of the NYPD police review board and was finally accepted as a police candidate.
. The 90th Precinct is located in northern Brooklyn in the Williamsburg section. It is primarily a residential and commercial area consisting of factories, warehouses, one and two family private homes, as well as numerous apartment buildings. The five primary commercial strips are Graham Avenue, Grand Street, Lee Avenue, Havemeyer Street and Broadway.
During his years as a police officer, Sánchez learned that there were good police officers as well as corrupt ones. He also noticed that illegal acts committed by some of his fellow officers were often ignored and seldom reported by others, including some of his superiors who believed in a code of silence known amongst them as the "Blue Code of Silence" and the "Blue Wall of Silence
." According to this code, reporting another officer's misconduct or crimes is regarded as a betrayal.
Sánchez served in various precincts before being transferred to the 30th Precinct. The 30th Precinct is primarily residential, containing a commercial area on Broadway. The neighborhoods in the precinct are known as Hamilton Heights, Sugar Hill and West Harlem.
Unbeknownst to Sánchez, the people who wired him were also friends of his lieutenant. Sánchez returned to the businessman and gathered enough information to implicate this lieutenant and captain on corruption charges. However, upon learning of the situation, the lieutenant and the captain transferred Sánchez to another Court Division in the Bronx, and the IAD investigation was quietly shelved.
In 1982, Sánchez participated in a drug bust (seizure of illegal drugs by the police) with his partner. This drug bust marked the beginning of the end of Sánchez's career as a police officer.
In October 1983, Sánchez was framed by some members of the police force with respect to the 1982 drug bust, and was indicted by a Special and Extraordinary Grand Jury in Manhattan for one count of Burglary in the First Degree; one count of Grand Larceny in the first Degree; one count of Grand Larceny in the second Degree; five counts of Grand larceny in the Third Degree; and one count of assault in the Third Degree. The witnesses against him were drug dealers he and his partner arrested in 1982, and who were promised to have their indictments dropped if they agreed to testify against Sánchez.
After a lengthy trial, Sánchez was exonerated of the charges and applied for reinstatement. In 1988, after an administrative "snafu
" (foul-up) his case was sent for reinstatement to two different New York State Supreme Court justices. One ruled that he be rehired, and the other upheld his dismissal.
The case went before the Appellate Court of New York where the decision was not in Sánchez's favor. The reason was that at that time, only NYPD Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward
had the statutory authority to reinstate a police officer who had been exonerated after being fired. This statute has since been rescinded, and the NYPD Commissioner no longer has this sole discretion and authority of reinstatement.
In 1988 however, NYPD Commissioner Ward did have the authority, and Sánchez was not reinstated. The reason was very simple: Sánchez had broken the code of silence.
. In 1989, he joined the New York State Department of Corrections, who welcomed him on the job.
As a corrections officer, Sánchez came into contact with many of the inmates he had arrested as a police officer in Washington Heights. He first worked at Sing Sing Correctional Facility
, a maximum security prison in the Village of Ossining
, Town of Ossining, New York
. There he was assaulted, and one inmate tried to set him up on false allegations that Sánchez had mistreated him. The Department of Corrections knew what was going on and supported him.
Sánchez then purchased a house in Catskill, New York, and transferred to Coxsackie State Prison. While at Coxsackie State Prison, he was involved in many dangerous situations involving fights between inmates. One particular incident almost cost him his life, when he came to the aid of an inmate who was being stabbed by another. None of the other correction officers, who witnessed what was going on, came to his aid until it was almost over. This experience led Sánchez to consider retirement.
. He continues to be active in various organizations, amongst them the North East Florida NYPD 10-13 Chapter; the Latino Officers Association Florida; the Purple Heart Chapter 0808, Flagler County Flagler Beach, Fl., the First Cavalry Division Association; 5/7 Cavalry Association; the 7th Cavalry Association; and the Association of Retired Hispanic Police (ARHP) NYPD in New York. He is quoted as saying:
note:
Badges:
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
police officer and author who published books about corruption within the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
, or NYPD. Upon exposing the illegal acts committed by some high-ranking NYPD officers, Sánchez was arrested on the basis of false allegations which were highly publicized by the news media, then subsequently refuted. When his initial conviction for "assault" was overturned, his case exposed the existence of a code of silence among police officers known as the "Blue Wall of Silence
Blue Wall of Silence
The Blue Code of Silence is an unwritten rule among police officers in the United States not to report on another colleague's errors, misconducts or crimes. Other names associated with the Blue Code of Silence are the blue wall, curtain, veil, or cocoon. If questioned about an incident of...
."
Early years
Sánchez (birth name: Jose Manuel Sánchez Picon) is a native of Santurce, Puerto Rico, and one of five siblings born to Jose Sánchez and Clotilde Picon. In the early 1950's his parents moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in search of a better life, and settled in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. When his parents divorced, his mother remarried and moved the family to the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
. There Sánchez received his primary and secondary education. Upon graduation from Theodore Roosevelt High School, he decided to enlist in the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
.
Military service
Sánchez attempted to enlist, but for reasons unknown to him he was not accepted by any of the four military branches at the induction center at White Hall Street. He then signed up for the selective service and in 1965, he was drafted into the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
at the age of 18. On January 16, 1967, on his twentieth birthday, he found himself with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry of the 1st Air Cavalry Division (Mobile) (after being transferred from A Company, 5/7) deployed near the village of Phan Thiet, in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. On that day, his unit was engaged in a firefight with the Viet Cong. Sánchez and three of his comrades were seriously wounded by the shrapnel of an enemy grenade during that firefight. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal
Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...
and Purple Heart Medals
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.
After recovering from his wounds, Sánchez was discharged from the Army and he returned to New York. There he met a young girl by the name of Lorraine Cassandra Pfaus, whom he married. He worked in various jobs, among them as a taxi and ambulance driver for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation operates the public hospitals and clinics in New York City. A public benefit corporation with $6.7 billion in annual revenues, HHC is the largest municipal healthcare system in the United States serving 1.3 million patients, including more than...
. On various occasions, Sánchez applied to become a police officer with the New York City Police Department, but was not accepted. He then took the entrance examination for the New Jersey-New York Port Authority Police Dept. and was accepted.
Sánchez served with the Port Authority from January 1971 to October 1973, during which time he discovered that his application for the NYPD had once again been rejected because of a technicality. He opted to take his case in front of the NYPD police review board and was finally accepted as a police candidate.
New York Police Department
Sánchez graduated from the New York Police Academy after six months of training and was assigned to the 90th Precinct in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The 90th Precinct is located in northern Brooklyn in the Williamsburg section. It is primarily a residential and commercial area consisting of factories, warehouses, one and two family private homes, as well as numerous apartment buildings. The five primary commercial strips are Graham Avenue, Grand Street, Lee Avenue, Havemeyer Street and Broadway.
During his years as a police officer, Sánchez learned that there were good police officers as well as corrupt ones. He also noticed that illegal acts committed by some of his fellow officers were often ignored and seldom reported by others, including some of his superiors who believed in a code of silence known amongst them as the "Blue Code of Silence" and the "Blue Wall of Silence
Blue Wall of Silence
The Blue Code of Silence is an unwritten rule among police officers in the United States not to report on another colleague's errors, misconducts or crimes. Other names associated with the Blue Code of Silence are the blue wall, curtain, veil, or cocoon. If questioned about an incident of...
." According to this code, reporting another officer's misconduct or crimes is regarded as a betrayal.
Sánchez served in various precincts before being transferred to the 30th Precinct. The 30th Precinct is primarily residential, containing a commercial area on Broadway. The neighborhoods in the precinct are known as Hamilton Heights, Sugar Hill and West Harlem.
Blue Code of Silence
Sánchez discovered, by accident, that one of his lieutenants was receiving payments and sexual favors in exchange for protection. After issuing a routine traffic summons to the brother of a powerful businessman, Sánchez was invited to the businessman's office and asked if he would be interested in providing protection for his drivers, "the same as your lieutenant and captain are doing." The businessman then offered him money. When Sánchez reported this situation to the NYPD Internal Affairs Division (IAD), they "wired" him with a recording device, with the supposed intent of gathering proof of his accusations against the lieutenant and the captain.Unbeknownst to Sánchez, the people who wired him were also friends of his lieutenant. Sánchez returned to the businessman and gathered enough information to implicate this lieutenant and captain on corruption charges. However, upon learning of the situation, the lieutenant and the captain transferred Sánchez to another Court Division in the Bronx, and the IAD investigation was quietly shelved.
In 1982, Sánchez participated in a drug bust (seizure of illegal drugs by the police) with his partner. This drug bust marked the beginning of the end of Sánchez's career as a police officer.
In October 1983, Sánchez was framed by some members of the police force with respect to the 1982 drug bust, and was indicted by a Special and Extraordinary Grand Jury in Manhattan for one count of Burglary in the First Degree; one count of Grand Larceny in the first Degree; one count of Grand Larceny in the second Degree; five counts of Grand larceny in the Third Degree; and one count of assault in the Third Degree. The witnesses against him were drug dealers he and his partner arrested in 1982, and who were promised to have their indictments dropped if they agreed to testify against Sánchez.
After a lengthy trial, Sánchez was exonerated of the charges and applied for reinstatement. In 1988, after an administrative "snafu
SNAFU
SNAFU is an acronym that stands for situation normal: all fucked up. It is sometimes bowdlerized to all fouled up or similar. In simple terms, it means that the normal situation is in a bad state, as it always is, therefore nothing unexpected. It is usually used in jest, or as a sign of frustration...
" (foul-up) his case was sent for reinstatement to two different New York State Supreme Court justices. One ruled that he be rehired, and the other upheld his dismissal.
The case went before the Appellate Court of New York where the decision was not in Sánchez's favor. The reason was that at that time, only NYPD Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward
Benjamin Ward
Benjamin Ward was the first African American New York City Police Commissioner. Ward was one of 11 children and was born in the Weeksville section of Brooklyn, New York.-Military and Police experience:...
had the statutory authority to reinstate a police officer who had been exonerated after being fired. This statute has since been rescinded, and the NYPD Commissioner no longer has this sole discretion and authority of reinstatement.
In 1988 however, NYPD Commissioner Ward did have the authority, and Sánchez was not reinstated. The reason was very simple: Sánchez had broken the code of silence.
Corrections officer
Sánchez worked for Holmes Security as a night supervisor for three years, then worked as a mailman in Haverstraw, New YorkHaverstraw, New York
Haverstraw is the name of two locations in Rockland County, New York:*Haverstraw, New York, a town*Haverstraw , New York, a village located entirely within the townIt may also refer to:*West Haverstraw, New York*Haverstraw Bay*Haverstraw Indians...
. In 1989, he joined the New York State Department of Corrections, who welcomed him on the job.
As a corrections officer, Sánchez came into contact with many of the inmates he had arrested as a police officer in Washington Heights. He first worked at Sing Sing Correctional Facility
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
, a maximum security prison in the Village of Ossining
Ossining (village), New York
Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the Town of Ossining.-Geography:Ossining borders the eastern shores of the widest part of the Hudson River....
, Town of Ossining, New York
Ossining (town), New York
Ossining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....
. There he was assaulted, and one inmate tried to set him up on false allegations that Sánchez had mistreated him. The Department of Corrections knew what was going on and supported him.
Sánchez then purchased a house in Catskill, New York, and transferred to Coxsackie State Prison. While at Coxsackie State Prison, he was involved in many dangerous situations involving fights between inmates. One particular incident almost cost him his life, when he came to the aid of an inmate who was being stabbed by another. None of the other correction officers, who witnessed what was going on, came to his aid until it was almost over. This experience led Sánchez to consider retirement.
Later years
Sánchez retired and moved with his family to FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He continues to be active in various organizations, amongst them the North East Florida NYPD 10-13 Chapter; the Latino Officers Association Florida; the Purple Heart Chapter 0808, Flagler County Flagler Beach, Fl., the First Cavalry Division Association; 5/7 Cavalry Association; the 7th Cavalry Association; and the Association of Retired Hispanic Police (ARHP) NYPD in New York. He is quoted as saying:
"What I tell young cops I come in contact with...they have one of the greatest jobs in the world, and to stay honest, for once you lose a job for being dishonest, it will stay with you until you die."
Written works
Sánchez together with Mo Dhania is the author of the following books:- Latin Blues, A Tale of Police Omerta From The NYPD; Publisher: The Old Kings Road Press (2006), ISBN 1601790007
- True Blue: A Tale of the Enemy Within; Publisher: Old King Road Press, ISBN 978-1-60179-012-5 "True Blue" was a MWSA (Military Writers Society of America) 2011 award nominee in the category "Non-Fiction ― Biography" and was awarded an "Honorable Mention" Medal
note:
Military decorations
Among Sánchez' military decorations and awards are the following:
Army Commendation MedalCommendation MedalThe Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...
Purple HeartPurple HeartThe Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
Vietnam Service MedalVietnam Service MedalThe Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
Vietnam Campaign MedalVietnam Campaign MedalThe Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, , to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.Established in 1966, the decoration is...
Badges:
- Combat Infantryman BadgeCombat Infantryman BadgeThe Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
- Rifle Sharpshooters BadgeWeapons Qualification BadgeA Marksmanship Qualification Badge is a military badge of the United States Army and United States Marine Corps which is presented to service members upon successful completion of a weapons qualification course. They are issued in the three grades : Expert, Sharpshooter, and Marksman...
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature
- List of Puerto Rican writers