"Blood Work..." FBI Gang Raids - Part III. Newburgh, NY 13•Sept.•11

Heavily armed FBI agents leave the scene at 433 Third Street in the City of Newburgh, NY, on Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Orange County Sheriff's Office, NY State Police, DEA, and Newburgh Police arrested suspected Bloods gang members wanted for murder and other violent crimes, during coordinated pre-dawn raids throughout the city. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

*More on this in a bit. I have been sorting out coverage of my third pre-dawn raids here in my city over the last 16 months or so... ~cg

Funeral for Slain Police Officer. 24•Feb.•11

Law enforcement officers salute as the hearse bearing the body of Poughkeepsie police officer John Falcone proceeds along Gleneida Ave. after his funeral services at St. James the Apostle Church in Carmel, NY on Thursday, February 24, 2011. Officer Falcone is the City of Poughkeepsie police officer who was killed in a shootout last week at the Poughkeepsie Metro-North Railroad station. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

"While You Were Sleeping..." Newburgh, NY 10•Feb.•11

6:20AM. An FBI agent walks along Bayview Terrace in the City of Newburgh, NY, on Thursday, February 10, 2011. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Orange County Sheriff's Office, NY State Police, and Newburgh Police made arrests of suspected Latin King gang members in coordinated pre-dawn raids. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

Today's workday is part of a continuation of my street crime coverage here in Newburgh, NY, particularly last May during city wide arrests made on known gang members. Back then 78 individuals were taken into custody on various charges, but mostly on drug offenses of different counts. Some of today's "targets" as they're known by law enforcement personnel were wanted in connection with several unsolved murders here in the city as well. Earlier today, as the dawn was just breaking, the FBI again coordinated raids involving multiple law enforcement agencies at residences of know Latin Kings gang members. Thanks to good sourcing and organizational work by our Newburgh beat reporter here at the paper (at left in photo), we were able to have another good street reporter (center) and staff photographer (right) join us just after 5AM to begin our own coordination around the city's East End. Upon learning of the type of individuals we might get a glimpse of during these raids, my heart beat faster, and my breathing grew short and determined. I was getting nervous in the reporter's car, parked a few doors away from an address that we knew beforehand was going to be raided. It is almost an indescribable feeling, "a rush" if you will. I mean not knowing if the individuals being sought are considered armed and dangerous, may flee, or even the strong possibility of gunfire that might ensue. Certainly the officers were well armed, including a team of agents with a battering ram, and full body shield. Yea, all these thoughts raced through my mind in the final moments before we exited the reporter's car. It was about 7˚F outside, just before 6AM. My first frames were made moments later, mostly as a test under available light with the older Canon 1-D. Nothing usable there. It wasn't like the FBI agents and other officers didn't know who we were. They were still arriving on the scene in undercover cars, SUV's, and marked radio cars, and parking at all kinds of angles in the street, intentionally clogging up the nearby t-intersection. I always make it a point in these situations to purposely dangle my press credentials around my neck, particularly when I'm cautiously walking upon a scene, and at this time, still in the morning's shrinking shadows. I also give a short and to the point low angle wave to the officers that see and acknowledge me, making sure they all get a good look at me and my colleague. One FBI agent even jokingly commented to me that I needed the newest Nikon D-3 or D-3s like his as he retrieved his equipment from a vehicle, so I could shoot at high ISO's like 12,800. Boy that was a brief moment of acceptance, and it was then that I realized I was "in" and would possibly have a good opportunity of making a few images of a "target" when they brought him out of the house in the next few minutes. My main images would still have to be shot with flash though, as available light exposures were still only 1/20th. sec. at f/2.8, ISO 4000. That wasn't going to cut it. I had to quickly change AA's in the flash again atop the Canon 5D - Mark II, as the only flash image I'd made as a test (of the reporters above) was more than a half hour ago. I guessed the extreme cold drained those batteries quickly. Fortunately, I'd thrown a set of AA's in my coat pocket, and was able to drop those into the flash only a minute or two before the murder suspect was led from his residence (below). 6:30AM. Suspected gang member Luis Tambito (center) is taken into custody from his home at 45 Bayview Terrace in the City of Newburgh, NY, on Thursday, February 10, 2011. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Orange County Sheriff's Office, NY State Police, and Newburgh Police made arrests of suspected Latin King gang members in coordinated pre-dawn raids. Tambito was charged with two other men in the murder of Jerome “Rude Boy” Scarlett in the area of Farrington and Lander streets on May 11, 2010. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

I was lucky this morning. Real lucky. Something told me to change those batteries in the flash at the last moment, as well as creeping up to the bumper of the unmarked car in the street after I'd gotten the unofficial OK from an agent. I'd even asked another agent if I was "OK here" when the suspect was quietly led down the stairs by a few FBI agents without incident. Looking back, I didn't even realize he was cuffed, as the walk to the car only took about 5 seconds. In my mind's eye witnessing this scene seemed liked 20 minutes passed as I managed only about 5 or 6 frames, especially with my auto-focus going nuts in the dark. *(note to self - switch to manual focus at future perp walks, especially with flash under these conditions...)
When that scene was over, I managed a few "B-roll" images of agents, vehicles, etc. and we drove to another known address and just barely missed another "target" being led out his apartment. More backup images made there of agents entering the ground floor apartment with their evidence boxes and bags. And oh yea, remember to wave to the NY State Police helicopter overhead, who were no doubt filming all the active arrest scenes... ~cg.

Click HERE to read our story in today's paper and HERE for last May's story below:

"Knock - Knock...!!!"

An FBI agent (left) and a Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force officer serve a search warrant at 113 Lander Street in the City of Newburgh, NY on Thursday morning, May 13, 2010. Upwards of 600 officers from multiple law enforcement agencies raided gang hideouts and made arrests of Bloods and Latin Kings street gang members as part of Operation Blood Drive and Operation Black Crown at various locations throughout the City of Newburgh. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

FBI agents gather outside the former National Guard Armory in the City of Newburgh, NY on Thursday morning, May 13, 2010. Upwards of 600 officers from multiple law enforcement agencies raided gang hideouts and made arrests of Bloods and Latin Kings street gang members as part of Operation Blood Drive and Operation Black Crown at various locations throughout the City of Newburgh. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record

"Men with Guns..."

A Sri Lankan policeman keeps an eye on traffic in downtown Colombo, Sri Lanka in August 1997. © Chet Gordon/THE IMAGE WORKS

One of the many reoccurring themes throughout my career continues to be photographing "Men w/ Guns..."

Sometimes it seems that some of these themes and mindsets for me are almost embedded within the subconscious if you will. This by no means is an attempt to make a political statement about the work, nor is it a highlight of those that work with weaponry everyday. It's just that I've been around weapons for a long, long time, beginning first in the military, on the streets with law enforcement personnel, and occasionally even with the bad guys. I have a great respect for those that are trained to use them correctly. (Keywords: Training and Correctly.) What always boggles my mind while on an international trip and in a foreign culture is how a lot of societies are accustomed to armed individuals weaved right into their daily lives... Weapons on the street make for good images, and I don't think there's any doubt about that, but they also tell a lot about how governments and the powers that be sort of "oversee" their populations.

I am always in awe how a population can readily accept the militarization of their communities, and probably just as harrowing - their acceptance of street violence & death, which is predominately the result of the immediate availability of firearms to the general population.
This post will be a look at how I've seen "Men w/ Guns..." through the years... ~cg.

"Little Marc has been found..." 24•March•10

NEWBURGH, NY. Candles and teddy bears at a curbside memorial for Marc Bookal on South Colden Street in the City of Newburgh, NY on Thursday, March 25, 2010. A body believed to be Marc Bookal was recovered yesterday from an empty lot on South Colden St. in the city. Bookal is the 4 year old boy who's been missing since December and was last seen with Cory Byrd. Byrd remains in custody on related charges in the boy's disappearance and is the live-in boyfriend of Christina Bookal, the missing boy's mother. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

For the past three and a half months, four year old Marc Bookal has been missing. I've written in previous posts HERE about my coverage of the case, and how it's even been an emotional ordeal for me at times. For as we know, this child could've easily been my son or daughter, your son, grandson or your neighbors son, nephew... Getting the call on Wednesday morning from the reporter and shortly after from the the newsroom about the search being resumed by State Police cadaver dogs and Newburgh police wasn't something I wanted to hear. You see I was home, still enjoying my second day off from all the weekend's HS championship basketball coverage upstate. I wasn't prepared to literally run back out on the street to cover a developing news story like this, just a few short blocks from my home. The camera gear was still literally packed from the weekend's sports coverage, but fortunately when I did jump into my clothes and run out of the house, I had the fast 300mm f/2.8AF in hand, so that became my prime lens from a discreet apartment overlooking the crime scene. Everything fell together for me with the reporter on scene, and when experience kicked in, we were fortunate again to be in a position to see and photograph the ongoing evidence recovery where the child's remains were found in a vinyl book bag. You know from similar scenes that when the crime scene investigators don their white paper fabric jumpsuits and booties, it's all serious and definitive evidence has been found and is about to be recovered.

Right now, at this time there isn't much more to write about this story. The workweek continues, and as mentioned earlier - the news doesn't wait.
Additionally there is still a major post or two swirling around in my head on the previous two week's worth HS championship basketball coverage at West Point and the five games in two days up in Glens Falls. Please do stay tuned. ~cg.

"And on the Sixth Day..." Jan. 16, 2010.

Christina Bookal walks back to her apartment after a prayer service organized by Chaplain Crisis Response Ministries at Bookal's Benkard Ave. home in the City of Newburgh, NY on Saturday, January 16, 2010. Bookal is the mother of 4 year-old Marc Bookal, who went missing on December 14th. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON

As I'd written last month on this story of the 4 year-old missing child case, "This One Hurts..."
I am still occasionally on the story of little Marc Anthony Bookal who went missing from his home back on December 14, 2009. It has been some week for news (and sports for that matter) and the good pictures from select assignments keep happening. Since this is the biggest story I'm on so far this new year and is actually a continuation from late last year, including a few in my POY (Pictures of the Year.) I have to visit and post some of the images here and highlight how the case is going. -cg.

"This One Hurts..." Dec.• 2009

We have a missing child case here right in my neighborhood. Marc Anthony Bookal - 4 years old. It's been big news all week, with gaggles of the NYC & local cable TV crews up here. My 'hood. This one is close to home and is messing with me a little more than probably any child related case has in a long, long time. I've worked more than my share of abused, abducted and even murdered children stories in my career. Covered, accidents, funerals and crime scenes for little ones. Stood over countless children while they've undergone facial corrective surgery in operating rooms in such far off places as Siberia, Amman, Gaza, Nairobi and even northern Thailand. Joyously played with orphaned & injured children displaced by war and conflict in Kosovo, Albania, Haiti and of course Afghanistan. But for all those past experiences and keeping those demons at bay - if just temporarily, this one hurts.

The facts of the boy's disappearance on Monday afternoon and background of his mother (left), her live-in boyfriend and biological father aren't something that I feel a need to explore here in detail. Not at this time. It's all a mess and the criminal background of the mother's boyfriend doesn't look too good or add any credence to their story. It is extremely hard to disregard all those surface elements in such a case. This could be anybody's family - a little brother, nephew or son. This young mother could easily be anyone's wife, sister or daughter. Yours. Mine. A neighbor. Like I said, "My 'hood..."
As of Saturday, December 19th., there haven't been any big developments in
the case. I regularly stop by the house first thing in the morning and on my way
home. Covered a press conference this afternoon at Newburgh Police HQ
with the Chief of Police, Mayor, etc.

I am keeping my ear to the ground on this one...

Stay tuned. -cg.

When the "S%^£T Hits the Fan..." 12•Nov.•09

A full day of news coverage in 3 parts.
Part 1: "You play like you practice..." Another one of those mantras ingrained in my mind where I sometimes remind myself to sort of step into this mindset when faced with "the big one." Especially when the big one involves a bust of a major drug running ring here in the area, and then to cap it all off, literally running to the scene of a motorvehicle accident, where a police cruiser collided with two school buses later in the afternoon. It was some day, like one I haven't worked in a long, long time. It all began the night before - fortunately in the newsroom where our court reporter and I went over the particulars of the narcotics raid that would take place beginning Thursday morning. Acting on a tip actually helped put our team in place at the local police HQ (above) and at the county courthouse - as we were told there'd be "major arrests" in this case. It was the culmination of a two-year undercover investigation by various law enforcement agencies. My day on Thursday begun before 5AM and I was in place by 6AM at a local PD HQ. I've included this image in recapping the day as it's also a "locator" image or the dreaded "real estate" image we're continually asked to make while out in the field. This image of PD HQ at dawn serves as sort of a confirmation of my being on scene, as the in-camera ITPC info will also confirm it. Looking back after two days, it's easy to recall all the little things that are sort of a mandatory way of doing things when preparing for a day like this. Set up the coffee maker the night before. Wear long underwear or fleece lined pants. Remember to eat and drink something. After sitting in our cars for nearly two hours, we finally got word the arrests were happening and the suspects were being brought to the State Police barracks a few towns away. Hustling down the Interstate to the NYSP or
"SP" (NY State Police) barracks brought the reporter and I to scene like I hadn't seen since my days of working in NYC and covering similar big arrests. Marked and unmarked "SP" vehicles were arriving with upwards of 40 individuals to be processed and then transported to the county courthouse, where our second team of a photographer and writer were stationed. Both of us at the scene were pretty amazed and after a briefing by an high ranking agent from the AG's office (State Attorney's Office in Albany) on who we could photograph, we'd end up standing outside for 3+ hours as the suspects in custody were literally ferried into the barracks. I remember paying close attention as arriving troopers organized the waist restraints and leg shackles (left) each time an empty van would pull up to transport more suspects. It was almost chilling to hear the rattle of those chains in the crisp air. What would make this all a satisfying morning of coverage for us was waiting for the ringleader of the crew to be "walked" out of the barracks. I knew that was going to be my "money shot" (below). This was a local crew that had been coordinating narcotics shipments from Canada, Arizona, Florida, and the Dominican Republic and distributing the drugs throughout our region in the Hudson Valley.

What also made all this especially rewarding professionally was that the two local cable TV stations came and went, so no other media organizations even got any footage on the main subject. I'm sure these will be images that will be used again in other stories on this crew that included women, a married suburban couple, and men of varying ages. I must've photographed nearly 30 of the 37 subjects that were booked and transported that morning.

Click the following links to view our coverage of the story and a slideshow .

Part 2: "Covering the Presser ..."
After finishing up at the SP Barrack and with about an hour and a half to to begin the editing process, we headed back to the original location where the law enforcement big-wigs would hold a press conference at 1:30PM (right). That gave us an hour or so to get back to the original Town Hall / Police HQ complex, as I was told by the desk to cover the press conference. Stopping at a nearby coffee shop with reliable wi-fi, I did a quick edit and moved 18 images of the "perp walks" and the reporter was able to feed info to his desk editors by phone. We both had hot sandwiches and warmed up a bit, before heading to the "presser." This is when the law enforcement types could show off the some of the seized items from the case, explain all the details, charges, and background of some the individuals arrested in the case. Remember this was the culmination of a two year investigation.
These "Dog & Pony" shows usually provide for good visuals of the "products" so I usually try to make a few detail images, etc. (right). It's not that often that even we in the press get to see thousands and thousands of dollars in cash, pounds of marijuana, cocaine and illicit prescription drugs. I remember commenting to a TV cameraman as the troopers were clearing the table, "I can't remember the last time I've even seen 10 Grand in cash - certainly not mine..."

Part 3: "Police Car vs. Schoolbus MVA!"

While the reporter I were comparing our notes on the case, looking over the provided press release from the presser, and planning on how we'd finish this already long day, something extraordinary happened again. Spot News! As I was sitting in the car and pumping up the heater, the EMS pager I carry as well as the work cell phone were screaming. "Where Are You...? We have a serious head-on MVA (motor vehicle accident) involving a police car and a school bus...!" Great I'm thinking. Another traffic jam I'll have to fight thru and the scene will be secured by the time I get there. Leaving the town hall complex and driving quickly along a few back roads, I sort of got the feeling that this could still be big scene - as town police, EMS and other vehicles sped by me, including officers from the press conference were we all just left. (In the old days in NYC, I'd literally be able "lock" my bumper on the rear of a fire truck or EMS ambulance to race behind them to a scene...) Arriving near the strip mall shopping center after zig-zagging through stopped traffic, I was forced to park about a half mile away in an adjacent parking lot, and hustle to the scene on foot. Fortunately I could see the flashing lights. You kind of get an idea that it's going to be a bad scene and it's still "working" when there are plenty of bystanders / onlookers with their generic hand-over-mouth poses, and plenty of crime scene police tape blocking off all traffic at the intersection into the Shop-Rite plaza.
I moved through the main scene with the wrecked police cruiser while the EMS techs worked on the driver, still on a backboard on the ground beside the car (right). Pausing to make a few overall and tight images from a good distance with the 70mm - 200mm, and more importantly not wanting to attract any attention to myself, I analyzed the area as quick as I could. Finally one plainclothes individual gave me the obvious "Get outta here!" in a very authoritative tone. Knowing from experience you never challenge the on-scene guys at something like this, and knowing I had a few usable images "in the can", I replied, "Can I go this way and make the bus...?" I got some sort of mumbled reply, so I headed up the road a bit to photograph one of the two wrecked school buses that this officer's car had collided with. All the town police and SP on the scene knew I was the local press photographer, as most had just seen me at the drug bust presser minutes earlier. I think I was at the scene no more than 10 minutes, as I wanted to get home and start the editing process all over again from the presser and now this MVA. Within an of the hour of the accident, I'd moved four photos to the paper, and finished the edit of the press conference and had another 6 or 8 images sent in by 6PM or so.

Looking back, it was the rarest of a full news day, and while seated at my kitchen table completing yet another detailed look through the day's take and a brief re-edit of the images, I felt myself nodding off. Spoke to an AP photographer in their Albany bureau about the drug raid, sent congratulatory text messages to our "team" who covered the arrests and courthouse scene, and spoke to the news desk editor a few times about how the images were going to be "played" in the paper and on the website. By 9PM or so I was totally spent. Finished. Mush. On this day, I'd left it all on the field, so to speak... -cg.

"Jumper Down...!!!"

Newburgh, NY. 28•July•09
Real news, breaking right here close to home, no less. Today was exactly like my days working the streets in NYC, particularly in these hot, steamy summer months. Preparing to start my afternoon shift with a last minute assignment at police HQ here in my town, I got a call from my colleague - reporter Doyle Murphy; "We've got a jumper in the water off the (Newburgh - Beacon) Bridge." All I remember now was hurriedly putting away food here in my kitchen and getting one of my personal Nikon D-1X's and a 300mm f/2.8 with a tele-extender together to head out under the bridge at the river's edge here not far from my apt. What a great view of the bridge from the shoreline condos that are completely hidden away in that part of town. *(note to self: return to this location for file images of the bridge...) After speaking with the desk and relaying that I've made the State Police helicopter & rescue boats and it didn't appear that they've found the jumper, I was then directed back to the original assignment back at police HQ. Bummer, I kept mumbling to myself as I know in some of these cases a jumper can be found alive - as previous jumpers have survived off the Tappan Zee Bridge. Spent about an hour at police HQ for a story on their dept. receiving nearly $1M in federal funding for more officers, etc. I secretly wanted to be back on the river. Finishing up the shift change with the cops, I made my way back to the river, where a local Tee-Vee freelance cameraman was now on the scene. Managed to wait out what was now a recovery scene for two hours and shot everything but the body removal from a rescue boat. Even if the paper had no need to publish a "body bag" photo, I strongly believe if the deceased is a notable person, it's an image that has to be made. In a week or so, we'd want the picture right...? After finishing my edits at home and sending in a few images from the initial rescue scene of the SP helicopter and the static images of the police briefing, another call from reporter Murphy before 8PM; "You interested in checking out a fire...?
I can see the dark smoke from my house..." Doyle lives a few blocks down from me here in the city, so we've developed a good feel for working together, especially on spot news events. "Hasbrouck & S. Miller."

"Sure", I reply. "I'll be there in 10 minutes..."

Just like the old days. -cg.

*Pulling an all-nighter w/ City Cops... July 2009

*Overnight Tour w/ Newburgh, NY PD & NY State Police.
Friday July 10, 2009. 11:09PM


I spent part of an overnight shift last night with our beat reporter Doyle Murphy in the back of a cramped police SUV, touring the various neighborhoods here in my city, Newburgh, NY. Doyle and I have collaborated lately on a few of the big stories here in Newburgh, including the FBI bust of the terrorist bombers in May. Working a story like this brought back a ton of memories (no, I'm not a regular in the back of police cruisers...) but it did allow me to reminisce about a similar ride along I did with the PD in Seaside Heights, NJ about 16 years ago while working as a freelancer for the NY Times: (I'll have to pull a couple of those street images shot on film and build a comparison slideshow here) Requesting that the paper publishes the images in B/W. Have only had about 2 - 3 hours of sleep, as today started off covering the ongoing search with search & rescue dog teams for Laura Garza, who's been missing up here since last December.
Here's my take as a slideshow from the night w/ the Newburgh Police and NY State Troopers.

-cg.

*(Click the arrow at the bottom left of the player to start the slideshow, or click the image / or the arrows at lower left to scroll through the show manually. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the credits button at lower right of the player.)

"The FBI..." 21•May•09

It always starts with a phone call.*(For good assignments & good pictures) Never fails. You take the call. Here's the scene at home, as best as I can remember - 11PM or so - I was settling-in and nodding off with the headphones on, watching a movie on the Mac, totally engrossed with the second DVD of a gift box set of the old TV series "Homicide: Life On The Street." Ironic that it would be our street reporter Doyle Murphy calling at 11:26PM. (we've been covering the homicides & funerals here in Newburgh the last 2 years - see my earlier posts here on the blog) Ironic too that I'd left the work cell phone turned up loud enough to even hear it ring on the windowsill just inches from my head. "State Police SWAT teams have Broadway closed uptown, and had I heard about the bomb plot earlier that day...?" He asked. "What?" I replied as I sat up like a bolt. (I'd been out all day Wednesday on the usual hectic Spring day in our coverage area and finished up covering HS championship golf up in Poughkeepsie. I'd even made an attempt to get to bed a little earlier Wednesday night because I was facing another hot day on Thursday morning in Kingston for a HS championship track meet...) Little did I know, I'd be up all night right in my city, and then with literally no sleep (Note: less than 2 hours) back down in White Plains in Westchester County, with all the NYC media, staking out the federal courthouse, hoping for even a glimpse of these four "terrorists" who had been arrested on charges of shooting down military aircraft here at Stewart Air National Guard Base, and bombing synagogues in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. "Yea man, I'm up. I'll be there in 15 minutes..." It was classic NYC style hustle to jump into my clothes, grab enough gear and speed up Broadway. I'd actually passed the second scene with heavily armed FBI agents outside the tenament building on Broadway & Lutheran Streets. "Wow..." I remember murmuring to myself. Serious shit. I reached the scene at 11:40PM or so and immediately began making pictures as best I could under the street lights. Pumped up the ISO on the Canon 5D Mark II to 3200. Steadied the camera on the back corner of a Caddy Escalade to make the top image. Told Doyle about the scene down at the other end of Broadway I'd passed. We headed down there, and I made frames there - this time with the ISO pumped up to 5000. Was kind of bummed at myself, as I'd forgotten the monopod & 300mm f/2.8 (used for golf that day, and for track on Thursday...) Keeping the newsdesk editors informed of what we were seeing, I knew I had time to get back home and move a few images to make the later editions of the paper, and web stories. Back home by 12:20AM and sent in these first two images at 12:36AM. Got back on the street (this time with the 300mm & monopod) and began making images of what appeared to be at least 20 armed FBI agents milling around. It was now after 1AM.
We stayed at this scene past 3AM, moving around the neighborhood, looking for different views of the building, and at times even joking with one of the Newburgh City Police detectives, and a talkative FBI agent in plainclothes who ventured across the Broadway to chat us up. Made images of the agents removing evidence from the building (images I'd made countless times on stories in NYC through the years), so I knew we'd have something that no other media would have.









We "owned" that scene for a few hours - well past 3AM. No coffee needed for this all-nighter. Adrenaline was keeping us on top of our game. This was going to be big. Really big. I eventually left the area around 3:30AM and was too keyed up to go right to bed. Decided to edit my second take from out on the street, and sent in 9 more images at 4:32AM. If memory serves, I was back in the bed a little after 5AM, as the morning birds were already chirping and the morning glow of sunrise was already on the horizon...

*Jump to early Thursday morning. Another phone call - this time from the boss. "Pictures look good. You should head to White Plains for the arraignment of these guys.." Great I'm thinking. This could all work out and I might get to see one of the perps if the authorities move them to / from the federal courthouse in Westchester (some 70 miles south of me - and right in the heart of my old coverage area at the Journal News in the '90's. )


Now, on literally no sleep - I'd call it a hard nap actually, here I was racing down the highway to another stakeout. The uniform of the day would be shorts, as I'd knew it'd be a long wait. The suspects were already in the fortress of a courthouse, so the all day waiting game began. No breaks, no bathrooms, only an occasional food run by the assembled media types. The only pictures to made here were of the lawyers speaking to the press, and the US Marshal's Service vans transporting these individuals into / out of the building.
Smoked van windows and a drive-in sally port proved to eliminate any views of the subjects. I was on the scene for 9 hours, before heading to a Kinkos in the city to send in my photos from the day's take.

Forget about the time factor, workday hours and just silently make the commitment to yourself to stay on the scene, keep your antennae up to cover an event like this.

Chatting it up with old photo colleagues from Westchester and NYC, TV cameramen, and other reporters helped the time pass by too. (the stories shared among longtime journalists are great & the jokes just as scathing.) Just like the old days... -cg.