The following day, I went to my attorney, Don Peterson and asked him if I could do any work for him. Peterson started me with the serving of legal papers. This started to snowball in the office as his partner, Tony Caputo also gave me papers to serve. Caputo’s wife Kathryn was also an attorney in another law office with seven other attorneys. I was making $20.00 on each paper served. I was serving 10-12 papers a week and started to put money away. The serving of papers became harder to accomplish. People were expecting them. They would lie to your face and be evasive. I decided to find ways to beat them at their own game. I was charging more now, but I was getting the job done. If I came to the door with a bouquet of flowers for a woman they would always open their door for me. For the guys it was an empty pizza box. Then when they opened their door, GOTCHA! #ProcessServing
Excerpts
Excerpt #23
The experiences I had to endure made it difficult to trust people for a long time. What I thought was a sure thing turned into a sham over and over again. The plans and goals I’d set for myself not only weren’t happening, but I felt I kept going backward, barely surviving. I needed to turn the negatives in my life into positives. I continued to pray for direction. I needed to get a grip on my life and overcome the deck that was stacked against me. # Surviving
Excerpt #22
Once released from phase training. You are assigned to a squad and evaluated once a month by your Sergeant.I was originally assigned to Northeastern Division. Northeastern Division is a more affluent area of the city, but with fewer crime problems. I would’ve rather worked the Eastern area which included every type of crime. I preferred to be where the real action was. I went down to personnel and spoke to Sergeant Hoffman to see what the criteria was in the assigning of personnel to a particular area. I asked Hoffman if I could trade with someone from my academy class. He pointed to a name which turned out to be Greg McClendon. He said, ” How about him.” I said he was the class clown and didn’t know his left foot from his right foot when marching. Hoffman said, ” No problem, here is all I have to do and took a bottle of white out and whited out the” N” for Northeastern next to my name and wrote in an “N.” next to McClendon’s name. Hoffman said, You have now been reassigned to Eastern Division. I shook his hand, thanked him and left. Greg McClendon’s name will be of importance later on in the book. #Switcheroo
Excerpt #21
I asked Gentile, “Who did you sleep with?” She stated, she was set up with Hargrove and had sex with him at the river. “Did you take any pictures on the trip?” I asked. Carl was developing the film and she’d have them later in the week. I told her, I’d sure like to see them.” Gentile stated she camped at Martinez Lake in Martinez, Arizona along the Colorado River. It was about 35 miles from Yuma. She cut her foot while there and Carl Black took her to a Yuma Medical Center. She used an alias and he paid for her foot to be stitched up. After hanging up the phone, I thought my God, what a hypocrite. When Lieutenant Black came to Eastern division he demanded honesty and said he would fire anyone that lied to him. So my Lieutenant, who demanded honesty took a prostitute to the Colorado River and procured her for his Sergeant friend and allowed her to give false information at a medical facility. #Hypocrite
Except #20
While under investigation, I was transferred to the front counter at the old Central Headquarters on Market Street. Since I was away from Eastern Division, I decided to call a few of my friends to see what was going on and received the following responses. “Hey I don’t care, I don’t want to know, I can’t talk to you, I have a family to think about, please don’t call me. I have two more years to go, I just want my wristwatch and my lunch with the Chief and get out clean. I don’t want to know. I’m sorry.” The absolute alienation was overwhelming and devastating to me. These were people I raced to save when they called for cover. I broke bread with them and partied at squad shift change parties. What was happening, I couldn’t comprehend what I was hearing. Suddenly, I became a “Typhoid Mary” to my friends.
Then I received a call from a person that I promised would remain nameless. I was told that Lieutenant Connie Van Putten, a patrol Lieutenant at Eastern walked into the squad lineups and told the squads, “Larry Avrech is suffering from emotions, don’t listen to him, don’t talk to him, don’t help him, if you do you may wind up in front of an appeals board. They were being threatened. #Threats
Excerpt #19
After being called in from the field one night and interrogated by Skinner, I stopped the procedure and sought counsel. I asked my association what attorneys were available. I needed the best. Word had circulated in the department James Gattey and Greg Petersen were the best; however, I was told neither were available. I was assigned Ed Dillon who specialized in Workman’s Compensation cases. Not my idea of the best. This was like a foot doctor performing brain surgery.
After opening up and giving Dillon all my information I collected against Carl Black, Dillon looked at me and said, “Listen, here’s what’s going to happen, You’re going to cop to all the allegations, you’ll get a healthy suspension, but at least you’ll keep your job.” I started to do a slow burn and said, “You are supposed to represent me to the best of your ability and in my best interests. I’m not going to admit to something I didn’t do.” I fired him on the spot and obtained other counsel When Carl Black had his Civil Service hearing in June of the next year he obtained Ed Dillon. Dillon should have declined because of a conflict of interest as he represented an adversarial position to mine without my written permission. #Conflict