Captain Patrick Joseph Thomas Beltran is a local boy, a product of Northeast Philadelphia. His father retired from the 8th Precinct, in fact, as a Lieutenant. His grandfather? Wasn't a cop. In fact, he was rumored to be one of the original K&A Gang burglars. But that's Northeast for you. His family's mixed heritage of lawbreaking and law enforcement is not uncommon in this city, heck it's not even uncommon in the same cop. But Beltran seems to be a cut above the others.
He, too, earned his stripes in the 8th Precinct. He, too, made Lieutenant after a distinguished career in patrol and as a patrol Sergeant. He learned to play the political game, making several campaigns within the police union to finally earn himself a seat on the executive board of the local. He's won himself a reputation as a staunch defender of his officers, the mortar in the 8th's blue wall. Other cops love him. The public? Less so.
It was his idea to create the Dogwatch. Dogwatch is a controversial program, a precinct without a jurisdiction. A city spanning band of officers plucked from other precincts on a strictly volunteer basis willing and able to provide on call security for events, for bar close, for the winter market, and similar high profile engagements. He tends to be pretty picky, selecting officers less for their clean records and good conduct as for their ability to keep their mouths shut and follow orders.
Dogwatch's budget is provided in large part by the events they protect. A cash for services arrangement that is strictly legal only because the donations are made to the city's general fund. But the money always finds its way back to Dogwatch, in the end. City Council claims this means the overtime, training, and equipment are self-sustaining. A mobile precinct that's not required to generate revenue through citations sounds, on paper, like a bureaucratic and PR win for everyone involved. And, by and large, it is.
But when businesses and event staff are cutting the checks that pay for your overtime, precisely how much deference to justice can the public expect?
|