How are we doing here?
Now, remember, these radios are good for about 200 yards, tops.
After that, the repeaters crap out, and reception's spotty.
Modern technology, huh?
Yeah. I just need to finish wiring the car and you guys are good to go.
Yo, back in the day, you ever think we'd be these old, married family guys?
Are you kidding me? At least I was smart enough to stop at two kids, unlike you.
I miss them days, man.
All I did was chase skirts and catch bad guys.
Well, look on the bright side, you still get to catch bad guys.
That's true, that's true. Now I get to live vicariously through this playboy.
Yeah, well somebody had to pick up your slack, Jack.
JACKIE: All right, should I leave while you guys reminisce about the good ol' days?
DANNY: Eh, it's just guy talk.
What time is the christening anyway? Come on, man, you know how Tracy gets about people being late.
I'm joking. Look, you think my wife would let me be late?
It's all she's talked about for weeks, is how excited she is to be a godmother.
Sarge!
All right, here we go. Let's do this.
Here's your 50 grand.
Don't run away with it.
Vegas, here we come.
(chuckles)
Yeah.
Reagan and Curatola are gonna your ghosts tonight.
All right?
Let's go over the codes.
Any reference you use to good weather means things are going okay.
Reference to bad weather means things are getting a little hinky.
And "geek" means come and come heavy.
Let's hope we don't get to "geek."
the uncles are in control.
You guys can call it off for any reason you see fit.
All right? Got it.
All right.
Here's you date for tonight.
JACKIE: Why is he looking so smug?
He's been one elusive dude.
We've been buying our way up the food chain to Señor David Fernandez for the last six months.
Well, let's not spook him.
The idea is to get a few buys from Fernandez, right, with some major weight, and then get to his source.
All right? Let's go.
DANNY: Let's rock and roll.
Let's do it.
(engines starting)
Okay, now we get these four bars intro, and then we sing together.
You ready?
Oh, come on, Nicky.
I know you're a little rusty, but it's all in your head.
You're a terrific singer.
I know, I know, it's just...
I'm trying to remember the words.
It's been a while.
What are you two up to?
HENRY: Hi. Hey.
Nicky is going to accompany me at the parish talent show.
Wouldn't miss it. Wow.
Sister Josephine always said that you had the best voice in town.
Yeah, well, Sister Josephine was an ogre.
Well, still, it k*lled me when you quit.
When was it you quit choir? Seventh grade.
It was between singing and soccer, and I didn't have time for both.
So, Pop, you brought in a ringer.
You must really want to win this thing.
HENRY: Hey, listen, last year Jack Smith brought his grandson, and that kid made it to the third round of American Idol.
So, I got Nicky.
Besides, I made a little side bet with Jack.
What was the bet?
Bottle of Irish single malt.
You have my 15-year-old daughter performing for whiskey?
Oh.
My doctor always stressed the importance of hydration.
You know, Nicky, Pop made me sing with him once.
But only once.
It was the Emerald Society benefit.
It was ugly.
(laughing)
DANNY: That's him.
JACKIE: That's David Fernandez, the big-time drug dealer?
Yep. Looks like a pipsqueak.
Al Capone was a runt, too.
(car alarm wailing in distance)
(alarm stops)
CRUZ: What's up, Papa?
How you feeling?
Drive.
(engine starting)
He's in.
Let's go.
Next corner, make a right.
CRUZ: Right here on Pulaski?
FERNANDEZ: Yeah.
Right again.
CRUZ: Right here on Eagle?
FERNANDEZ: Yeah.
Whoa, whoa, watch it. Hey! Hey!
(horn honking)
Move it!
Move, moron!
(truck horn blows)
Get out of the...!
Jackass.
Y'all believe that, uh, pitchers and catchers reported this week?
Sunny and 80 in Florida.
You into Yankees or Mets?
What do I care about baseball?
(radio static) Okay, hold on. Hold on. Wait, wait, wait.
FERNANDEZ: This corner, make a left, and let's pick up the pace.
Let's go left.
You better have that weight, man.
Don't worry about what I got or don't got.
DANNY: They must have turned down one of these streets.
JACKIE: Yeah, but which one?
Yeah, I used to deliver oil right down here.
Ash Street.
Ash! Ash was back there. Hang on.
(tires squealing)
Hey, here's my man now.
What's up, player?
It's cold out there, huh?
I'm not getting them on the walkie, Jack.
Okay, okay. Where the hell are they?
We lost them.
(static over radio)
I got nothing.
(g*nshots)
(tires squealing)
(tires screeching)
They're hit, Jack.
They're hit!
Roland!
Roland... no! He's alive.
He's alive. He's alive. Come here, come here.
Okay. Buddy.
Come on, buddy. Come on.
Don't do this. Central?
Don't do this to me. Yeah, we got a 10-13
on the corner of Ash and Fulton. Look at me.
You and Tracy got a big day coming up.
You hear me? Yeah, we got two MOS.
We... we need a bus. We need a bus.
No!
Okay. They appear to be sh*t.
(sobbing)
♪ Blue Bloods 2x15 ♪
The Life We Chose
Original Air Date on February 24, 2012
♪
Come on, Jackie. Pull him in.
Come on!
Hang in there, Cruz. Yeah, I got him, Danny.
Take care of him, Jack.
Go! Go! Go!
(siren wailing)
All right, the perp, David Fernandez, he left his cap in the back of the car.
You got it. Yeah, I got the hat.
Here's your man, here's your man.
DANNY: Has he got the scent?
Get the scent, boy. Get the scent. Hurry up! Come on!
(dog barks)
Get your man, boy.
All right, he's got the scent.
All right, let's go! Let's move it!
(dog barking)
He went out the back.
DANNY: Out the back.
(barking)
Out the back!
(barking)
Hey, what's wrong with the dog?
He lost the trail. What's wrong with him?!
He lost the trail. What do you mean, he lost...?
He lost it. Where'd they go?!
They got in a car and drive away.
Son of a bitch!
(sighs)
(distant siren wailing)
Commissioner. FRANK: As you were.
What about the search warrants?
First 13
locations tied to the Fernandez investigation that were hit have come up empty.
You're maintaining contact with the DA's office?
Yes, sir.
Detective Cruz took two rounds to the torso, through the seat of the car.
Missed the vital organs, but one b*llet's lodged near his spine.
Potential paralysis?
Surgeon says it's fifty-fifty.
He's being prepped for surgery.
They gave him something for the pain, but he's in and out.
(long sigh)
Commissioner.
I'm so sorry, sir.
I had a bad feeling about this operation.
I didn't trust my gut.
I knew when we had lost the ghosts, I...
We've all been there, Jose.
Next thing I know, I'm on my way to the hospital.
They told me I was sh*t.
The doctors are going to fix you up.
Gates.
Oh, man.
Before we turned out tonight, he... he was talking about christening his kid and the party he was going to throw.
I hope he gets out in time for that.
(phone ringing)
(clears throat)
Danny, hi.
Hey.
Look, I'm, uh... I'm sorry to wake you so late, babe.
It's a... it's a bad night.
What?
What happened?
It's Roland.
Roland?
What about him?
There was a sh**ting, Linda.
Is he dead?
Oh, my God.
I know his family is on the way up for the... the christening, and, uh, Tracy's alone.
They haven't arrived yet.
Can you just go look after her?
O-Okay, of course.
I will.
I will.
What about you?
I'm good.
Y-You be careful.
You promise me.
Always.
(sighs)
What's that?
A little scratch.
That's too much blood for a scratch.
Reagan temper, you know?
How you holding up?
We lost him.
I know.
GORMLEY: Hey, listen up.
Commissioner's on his way in.
He'd like to take a minute...
Attention!
Thank you, Sergeant.
At ease.
Detective Cruz has come through surgery in good shape.
I'm happy to say that he will walk...
...through those doors on his own two feet.
I have spoken to Roland Gates' family.
They're holding up well... considering.
When a cop is k*lled... we don't rest.
The 5-4 was home to these two brave detectives.
When someone violates our home... it's personal.
Stay focused.
Do your job.
We need to get these sons of b*tches.
Carry on.
GORMLEY: Okay.
TARU retrieved this from the camera inside the undercover car.
It ain't pretty.
Hey, here's my man right now.
What's up, player?
It's cold out there, huh?
(two g*nshots)
I got three kids, man.
Too bad for them.
(g*nsh*t)
FERNANDEZ: Damn, Phantom, we was just supposed to rip them off.
PHANTOM: Grab the money. Let's bolt.
All right, what else you got on Fernandez?
Guy moves around pretty much every night.
Checked all known locations, nothing.
And the mother was involved in the operation.
She did a dime for distribution.
DANNY: Real family values. She's got a meeting with her P.O. at 9:00 a.m.
All right, you snatch her up.
Will do.
Back to work.
(phone rings)
Hold on, Jack.
Yeah, Dad.
My... my hand is fine.
I got the message loud and clear.
Yes, sir.
NICKY: Come on, Grandpa, I'm gonna be late for school.
HENRY: Come on, one more time.
♪ Together ♪
♪ At last ♪
♪ To... ♪
Hey, Nicky.
What's eatin' you, kid?
That detective that was sh*t.
What about him?
His oldest daughter, Shanna, she's on my soccer team.
Yeah, that's a shame.
But you shouldn't be thinking about that.
How awful she must feel.
Besides... it just seems silly to be singing songs at a time like this.
(sighs): You're right.
(sighs)
You know... you can never prepare for this kind of thing, and I guess with our young, we keep trying to protect you from the harsh reality of this life that we chose.
I know, Pop, it's just... I'm living this life, too.
I mean, I buried my uncle Joe when I was 13.
I know.
And that kills me.
(soft chuckle)
I just want to show Shanna my support.
Make her feel better somehow.
JACKIE (sighs): Ms. Fernandez... look, we know that your son didn't pull the trigger.
But every minute that you stall, every minute that you don't cooperate to help us find where your son is, he's getting into deeper and deeper trouble.
That's one hard bitch.
Yeah. I think an hour of good cop's about enough, don't you? Go for it.
I keep telling you, I don't know nothing, and I ain't done nothing wrong, so why the hell am I here?
Ms. Fernandez, we need you to help us locate your son.
Ain't seen him.
Okay.
I'm done with you.
(Door closes)
Don't you think it's time that you stopped playing dumb, Ms. Fernandez?
Tell us who your son's been running around with these days.
I don't know nothing about my son's friends.
Well, I suggest you think hard and fast, 'cause you better give me something I can use right now. Why?
Because some cops got sh*t?
Too bad.
What you call that?
Hazards of the occupation?
(quietly): You know, I really hope that you don't make another comment like that right now.
What the hell are you talking about, cop?
Because I might forget that you're not a man and knock your freaking teeth out, you old witch.
You want to talk about being a man?
My boy is a real man. Your boy's a coward!
Not some punk police like you.
All tough with your badge and your g*n.
Listen, your son's going down for this one way or the other, so you want to help him, you better help me.
Why would I want to help you?
'Cause there are
35,000 cops with g*ns hunting his punk-ass down right now, and if he so much as blinks when they find him they will blast him into the next lifetime, you understand me?
Hijo de puta.
(slams chair against table)
Is that all you got, white boy?
You'll find out.
She must be angling for "Mother of the Year" award.
Hey, the dump on her phone came back.
We got several calls from an address in, uh, Hunts Point, all dialed after the sh**ting-- possible location for Fernandez.
Yeah, the mutts always run home to Mommy.
You hustle, you can rendezvous with the ESU guys before they hit the location.
Save her for me.
Go, go, go!
David Fernandez.
We got a fresh one.
OFFICER: Closet clear.
OFFICER: Bedroom clear!
Problem is, he's the only guy that could I.D. Phantom.
Hello again.
You miss me?
That's okay, I didn't miss you, either.
But I did get a chance to rendezvous with your boy since we chatted last.
Yeah, whatever. No, I did.
It's interesting, you know, I keep thinking, if his mom wasn't a drug dealer, that kid actually might've had a sh*t at a good life.
We wasn't living in no suburbs like you.
Mm. What are you gonna do.
Anyway, I thought you'd like a little memento.
This picture was taken of your son earlier.
He's very handsome.
Looks like a movie star, your boy.
I got nothing for you.
I know, you already told me that.
Which is a shame, because I was giving you a chance to help me help him--
your own flesh and blood-- but you told me to take a hike, so now...
(clears throat)
here's a more recent picture of your son.
Go on, check it out.
This was taken right after Phantom decided he didn't need a partner anymore.
So what do you call it... one of those "hazards of the job,"
like you were telling me about earlier?
(whispers): You lie, you lie. No.
No, I don't.
See, if you would've helped me earlier, I would've gotten to your boy before that animal Phantom did, and that probably wouldn't have happened to him.
That's right, look at him.
Now, Mrs. Fernandez, you and I both have a reason to get that sick son of a bitch Phantom off the streets.
So you gonna help me?
Or are you gonna let that coward get away with doing this to your son?
David was hooking up with...
Nelson Ortiz, the... the drug dealer from the Alexander Houses.
And who's Phantom? I don't know.
I don't know who...
Some guy who was gonna be muscle for them when they expanded their territory.
You keep that one.
Tough stuff.
Well, she wanted to play hardball, so screw her.
Nelson Ortiz is one of the big players in Brooklyn drug trade.
I know. I know him from the days in Narcotics.
Hmm. He's usually not very talkative.
That's all right. I'll pay him a visit, see if I can loosen up his tongue.
Linda's here. Where?
In my office.
All right. Thanks.
Hey. Hey.
Didn't know when you'd be home, so I, uh... brought you some clothes.
Great, I could use them.
How's Tracy?
Well, I had to... help her pick out her husband's casket, and so you can imagine. Yeah.
I had to hold her and tell her everything was gonna be okay for her, but...
(sighs) it's not gonna be okay for her.
No, her life's never gonna be the same.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm okay.
I really wanted just to give you a hug.
It's been a rough couple of weeks.
I know.
I know.
I appreciate it.
Yeah, well, it is what it is.
Yeah.
I brought your favorite tie.
They're making that roast chicken that you love for Sunday dinner.
If you don't make it, I'll bring you a plate.
Thank you.
I got to get back to Tracy.
They're going ahead with the baptism.
(footsteps approaching)
I put together an update on the manhunt.
I'd like to get it out right away.
Do you want to have a look?
Does your update have the k*ller in custody?
I wish it did.
Just go with what you got.
There are 8.3 million people in this city, most of 'em good, some of 'em not, a few of them dangerously bad.
That your update? No.
This is me talking to you.
There's a lot of moving parts, and it's inevitable that some of the good ones are gonna get crushed by the bad.
And there's no one man, or even an army, that can prevent that from happening all the time.
Two hundred seventy-one.
What's that?
That's the number of line-of-duty deaths since I came on the job as a rookie.
In my office if you need me.
Thank you, Garrett.
(door closes)
(big sigh)
Danny, I keep trying to tell myself that we did everything we could, but it ain't working.
I don't know if we're ever gonna believe we did all we could, Jack.
We should've been there; we weren't.
You saw the video-- if we were there, even if we were there, they would've got sh*ts off, right?
(quietly): Yeah.
Am I taking this too personal?
It is personal.
Let's go.
MAN: We're closed.
So what the hell are you doing here?
Just doing my job.
Is that right? Is Nelson scared of somebody?
Look, ain't nothin' here for y'all.
Well, we'll see about that ourselves.
Call him a bus.
MAN: Hey, how the hell did you get past Felix?
Shut your mouth, or you're gonna find out quick.
Detective Reagan.
Still running amok.
I need answers from you.
You first.
I don't know nothin' about no cop being k*lled, man.
No clue, huh?
Okay. And what about your new partner?
You have any clue what Phantom did to him?
Hmm?
You're bleeding.
It's an occupational hazard.
You probably know about those now, don't you?
Working with a guy like Phantom.
Must be bad for business having a guy like that running around.
Those real?
Pretty impressive.
I bet you're handy with 'em, huh?
I know my way around 'em.
Why don't you take it down.
Take a look at one.
This is an authentic Uchigatana.
700 years old.
Here's how my testimony's gonna go.
The subject grabbed a sword down from the wall.
I ordered him to drop the sword; he failed to comply.
Blada, blada, blada, I feared for my life, so I had no choice but to discharge my service w*apon into the subject, striking him several times in the chest and face.
You want to tell me who Phantom is?
You're crazy.
I'm not in the mood to take "no" for an answer.
This guy Phantom's like some original gangster nightmare from the past, man.
Who is he?
Who is he?!
All I know is, he was gone before I got out of grade school, man.
They used to tell us these Phantom stories like they'd tell us ghost stories.
They all dead from the cr*ck w*r days.
Problem is, Phantom ain't dead.
No, Phantom isn't dead.
And he's not a ghost.
So I want you to tell me who he is right now.
His last name is Washington.
That's all I know.
You can sh**t me all you want, man.
I'm not gonna sh**t you.
I got what I wanted.
Reagan. Yeah.
Phantom's given name is Donald Washington.
He was one of the youngest cr*ck kingpins.
Terrorized Brooklyn back in the day.
He was targeted by a special narcotics operation, Task Force Apache. DANNY: That's Phantom.
Where the hell's this son of a bitch been hiding out the past few years? Just got released from Raiford Penitentiary in Florida after serving 22 years.
JACKIE: How did he end up down there?
Went on a major buy in Miami, decided he wanted the money and the dr*gs, sh*t four people to get them.
And he's out already?
Got a reduced sentence for ratting out his Colombian suppliers.
You mean the ones he didn't k*ll.
Yeah.
Most of that whole generation was wiped out, but we did track down one of his old running partners, Ray Bell.
Guy looks like he, uh, dropped the bad habits and became a citizen.
Runs a barbershop in Brooklyn.
Barbershop?
Great. Wife says I could use a trim.
Ray Bell. You talk for a second?
It's closing time.
Really?
How about now?
I just seen him on the news.
You seen him in person?
Not since the smart Bush was president.
He hasn't reached out to you at all?
No. And I hope he don't.
I was young and dumb once.
I did three years for selling cr*ck cocaine.
And he stayed young and dumb.
Mm-hmm.
You became a good guy, just like that.
That was another life.
Another Ray Bell.
All right, Mr. Ray Bell.
You know where I could find any of the old crew?
If I was you, I'd try looking in the cemetery.
(door opens)
Put that gadget away.
Come here.
This is Derek, my youngest.
Say hello to the detective.
Nice to meet you, sir.
Nice to meet you, too, Derek.
I'll tell you what, Mr. Bell.
You see or hear anything, why don't you give me a call, all right?
Take it easy, kid.
Go ahead, sit down.
I don't like funerals.
HENRY: I've had my fill of them myself.
Pass the stuffing, please.
Except when you're serving the Mass.
People tip good at funerals.
LINDA: "Well."
Tip well.
Is that why you became an alter boy, Jack?
No, Grandpa. Okay.
And we're not going to a funeral, we're going to a christening.
NICKY: I called Shanna Gates.
I'm gonna ride with her to church.
And I invited her to come hear us sing.
Terrific!
That's great, honey.
Where's Dad?
He's working a case.
You worried about your dad, Sean?
Is he gonna be okay?
Yeah. Most of the time, detective work's boring.
Not when you're getting sh*t at.
Yeah, well, most of the time you're not getting sh*t at.
But when you join the force, it comes with the territory.
HENRY: Detective Gates made a choice.
He knew what the dangers were.
Well, I don't think that that's a comfort to Tracy Gates right now.
What do you think, Jack?
JACK: I think... you get two lives.
The one you're born into, and the one you choose.
Unless you're a Reagan.
You always get a choice, Jack.
(sighs)
Maybe I don't want a choice.
Oh, boy.
What happened to wanting to be a doctor?
(door closes)
Yeah, or a lawyer, huh, bud?
Hey.
Hey!
Sorry I'm late.
Wow. You look like crap.
Thank you.
Hey.
What's up with the hand?
Uh... ah, I cut myself shaving.
Lots of chicken in the oven. Yeah.
I got my eyes on a piece right here that looks perfect.
You can't do that. JAMIE: Law of the Reagan jungle, Jack, protect your food at all times.
Around here, you snooze, you lose.
DANNY: Hey. Rise and shine, partner.
Look at you. New clothes.
Yeah.
My old clothes smelled so bad my family threw me out of Sunday dinner yesterday.
Oh-oh.
Get any rest?
No. Every time I close my eyes, I just...
I know the feeling, partner, but look, we may have some good news.
Guy named Jamal Williams was sh*t dead in Brooklyn last night.
Doesn't sound like very good news for Williams.
How's that good news for us?
Because Jamal Williams was sh*t dead with a ten millimeter, same as our guys.
Not only that, a witness description matches Phantom.
Is it random? Not random.
Williams was an informant for Task Force Apache back in the days, and he snitched on Phantom.
So Phantom's not just taking down scores, he's settling them.
Phantom is getting revenge. Now look at this.
This is a list of old Brooklyn North Narcotics CIs.
They were all registered, including Jamal Williams, but this guy Detective Ryan, he had one informant that was not on the register.
His nickname was Snippy.
So Ryan kept informants off the books.
It was pretty common back in the days, but that's not what's important.
What is, is this Detective Ryan, in all these Snippy reports, he initialed "R.B." here in the margins.
Look. "R.B."
Ray Bell. Snippy. The barber.
If they're the same person, then Ray Bell snitched on Phantom, too, which means Phantom is going to go after Ray Bell next.
You keep digging in these files for more informants.
I'll go warn Snippy.
Ray Bell.
Or maybe I should call you "Snippy"?
I ain't Snippy no more. Yeah?
Well, you were an informant for Task Force Apache.
I escaped my past.
I don't care about your past, all right, but Phantom does.
He's whacking old informants, okay, and you're next on the list.
So why don't you do yourself a favor, (cell phone chimes)
and be smart and help me find the guy.
What is it?
It's my boy, Derek.
He's texting me from under the bed.
He says some guy's in my house with a g*n.
Whoa, what? He's got my family.
Whoa! Hey, hey! Slow down!
I got to save my family from this animal!
Listen to me! Take it easy, all right?
I'm here to help you. Now, where's your family?
What apartment are they in?
3B. Apartment 3B.
3B. All right, and which window is Derek's bedroom?
Right there by the fire escape.
Can I get in that window? It's locked.
All right, you text your kid, okay?
You tell Derek that a police officer is coming up that fire escape, he's got open the window and let me in so I can help him. He's too scared.
You text him and tell him to be brave. All right?
Do it.
So Snippy never told you about his old buddy Phantom?
He thought he was all free and clear, his new life without me.
Now he gonna be surprised when he come home and finds out it's old home week, ain't he?
Yes, he is.
(cell phone vibrates)
(cell phone chimes)
He say he's gonna do it.
Call 911.
How long it take that fool to get some damn milk?
(taps window)
DANNY: I got you.
♪ ♪
(clattering)
Drop it or die!
Right here, right now!
Your choice!
You gonna sh**t me in the back, cop?
No, that's what cowards like you do it.
You ain't got the balls to sh**t me.
Turn around and find out, punk.
(indistinct radio transmission)
(applause)
MAN: Our next act is Henry Reagan and his great-granddaughter Nicky Reagan-Boyle.
Together they will perform a rendition of "I Don't Need Anything But You"
from Annie.
(piano playing "I Don't Need Anything But You")
(applause)
♪ Together at last ♪
♪ Together forever ♪
♪ We're tying a knot ♪
♪ They never can sever ♪
♪ I don't need sunshine now ♪
♪ To turn my sky to blue ♪
♪ I don't need anything but you ♪
I hate being late.
(cell phone ringing)
Oh.
♪ We're tying a knot ♪
The life we chose.
♪ They never can sever ♪
I'll let them know.
♪ I don't need sunshine now to turn my sky to blue ♪
I'm on my way.
♪ I don't need anything but you ♪
♪ Yesterday was plain awful ♪
♪ You can say that again ♪
♪ Yesterday was plain awful ♪
♪ But that's... ♪
♪ Not now ♪
♪ That's then ♪
♪ We're two of a kind ♪
♪ The happiest pair now ♪
♪ Like Fred and Adele ♪
♪ We're floating on air now ♪
♪ And what's the title of that dream that just came true? ♪
♪ I don't need anything ♪
♪ Anything ♪
♪ Anything ♪
♪ I don't need anything ♪
♪ But you... ♪
(music ends)
(cheering, applause)
Commissioner, what can you tell us about the alleged perpetrator, Donald Washington?
I have nothing more to say about Donald Washington.
JOURNALIST: Well, the last couple of days have brought the worst kind of news to this office: the line-of-duty sh**ting of two NYPD detectives.
Detective Gates and Detective Cruz.
JOURNALIST (over TV): Can you talk a little bit about how you manage the force when a tragedy like this hits home?
FRANK: Well, I don't know who it was, but someone wrote, "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the judgment that something else is more important than fear."
I try to keep us all focused on what we do and why we do it, no matter what the circumstances.
And how has the loss of Detective Gates affected the department as a whole?
Jim, the NYPD is a family.
When you lose a member of the family, you come together, you grieve, then you strengthen your resolve to carry on in the spirit of the one you lost.
And how has this affected you personally, Commissioner?
Loss comes with the job.
Every man and woman who joins the force is well aware of that.
Doesn't make it any easier to take when it happens.
I think the toughest part of my job is ordering my people into harm's way every day.