When your old career gives you lemons throwing some ice, mix in some vodka.
It's Color a podcast from the Mac of All Trade Studio in Fairport and
driven by Victor Chrysler Dots Gee Ram. It's Billified, the Bill Moran Podcast.
Well, Hello and welcome. Happy fourth of July. Fourth of July,
also known as Independence Day, has been a federal holiday in the United
States since nineteen forty one. But it is the day that the colony said
a big f you to Britain and Thomas Jefferson had drafted the Declaration of Independence,
and from there we go. And I wanted to bring in the Chief
of Police for Fairport, or Matt Barnes, only just to kind of talk
about Fourth of July, but what it means, what it means to you,
things that are changing. I know a lot of people think fun,
fireworks, barbecue, swimming, drinking, boats, drinking, more drinking,
and I guess freedom. But how many years have you been the chief of
police here in Fairport Two and a half years now, two and a half
years and prior to that you were a Rochester Yes, yeah, started off
for FIPD. But I've been in Fairport a long time now so and then
and and Fairport you were just an officer as well. And then you were
in the army. I wasn't the army a long time ago? Yeah?
How many years did you do in the army? Three years? Three years?
The United States Army? Did you realize that brushing your teeth became popular
after the soldiers came back from World War Two? It was the soldiers that
gave us dental health. Did you know that? I did not know that
then they had picked up I came on in the small things like this.
I'm just saying. But in your opinion, do we take freedom for granted?
I mean freedom, Yeah, by by by definition is the power right
to act, speak, to think as one wants without hinderance or restraint.
But the freedoms in this country, I mean I I do we take it
for granted? In your opinion, we definitely do. And I think that's
human nature and I think I do. And I think I'm one of those
Americans that try not to. I don't try to take things for granted,
especially you know you'll Joe Joe Monahana, one of our sergeants here. I've
been here a long time. He retires in October coming up. It's well
deserved. It's freedom earns his independent state comes in October. But h I
think we take it for granted. Like I said, it's human nature.
I think, you know, if you've got a new car after while,
we're going to take that for granted, right, Or if you live in
a beautiful new home, you're going to take that for granted. I think
it's human nature, or maybe Americanism. But I try not to. I
really personally, I try not to. I love this country more than anything,
I really truly do. I know there's a ton of people to do.
I would lay down my life for this country. I think a lot
of Americans would write. Yeah, I don't say that, you know,
just easily. But it's the truth. I mean, yeah, we definitely
take it for granted. I mean, this country is two hundred and forty
seven years old now something like that. So in three years we have our
big, big anniversary. But yeah, how many people lost their lives for
it? How many decoration independents fifty six people signed that right? Yeah,
people forget that right. How many people got got killed, died, broke,
were prisoned, yeah, imprisoned and all that for just merely signing that.
Remember they all committed a crime when they signed that decoration against the motherland
England, right, every single one committed a crime that very day. So
we take that for granted. Yeah, absolutely, we do, because we've
had it so easy so long. You know, we were talking about economic
conditions the other day, me and a cohort and I said, were literally
lucky enough to be born in this country put us in the top two percent
of wealth just by being born in this country. That is true. So
it's crazy. But there again, most of us take it for granted,
right, sure we do. We want a new car, we want a
bigger house, we want a better job, we want this that or whatever.
We look we're always looking sideways, right, everybody's always looking sideways instead
of kind of focusing on what's important to you. We're looking it's the human
condition, which a lot of times, you know, can ruin us and
things. This is truly the land of opportunity. Oh my god, right,
I mean, you know, most of my family came from Ireland during
the famine. I think I had a great grandmother that came over at nine
and she lived with a family and one of her jobs where she had to
wash clothes and all that. And then you know, my great grandfather came
over and worked on the Empire State Building when they were building that, and
you know, and I had a better life, and my parents had a
better life, right, and so you know, you live better. I
think there's a certain disregard for class structure in this country, meaning that you
don't have to stay in one economic class. You can work your way up.
You know, a hard work is appreciated, a focus on something.
You can learn a skill, you can get an education, you can do
all that and there I just think there are people that are resourceful enough to
do that. Sometimes though it's like, I agree with you, I think
it was. My father used to say his generation, my generation, would
be the first to not do better than their parents. And sure, if
that's if that played out in my family, but it certainly I can see
I can see where that can happen. I remember there was a high school
teacher I won't say his name, loved the guy, yeah, And one
of his first speeches to our class, he said, each and every one
of you will have it worse off than you do right now, because there's
no way you do better than your parents really, And I thought to myself,
God, I can't help but do better in my parents. And no
offense to my parents, sure their tail off. Their amazing people, to
most people I have ever met myt life. But we had ten kids growing
up. So whatever I do, we're gonna do better. Right. And
Joel comes from a large family too, That's why he's SHO how many kids
in your family? So there's five of us five? Five is big,
like there's only three in mine. But five and ten? Yeah? Ten.
But I was part of the problem, Bill, I didn't. I
wasn't out earning the keeper or making the money to buy dinner. I was
part of the mouths to feed in the nest, you know, Yeah I
was. I was a pain in the rear. But yeah, I was
like, there's no way my life's going to be better. But I do
appreciate what my parents have done. Sure you know how hard they work.
You talk about hard work. I think there's some luck in there too,
but hard work. This country definitely opportunity, right, it's there. I
mean, you see an opportunity, you take it, you go for the
betterment, and ten kids, Jesus, I think this country rewards risk Takers
baseball team and a bench. Yeah yeah, you got two basketball he got
a basketball team and a bench. And here come the jokes from Billee jokes
to me. I'm just going, that's a lot. That is a lot.
It's a lot. And I know a family. Now, I think
all the kids, I think there's one, there's one still in high school
seven, But the older kids all were assigned a younger kid to help get
ready for school and do all that. And I think there's something some real
value in that. I mean, as much as I would have hated it
if I were the older kid, right see, I would say, you
blame my brothers Marty and Paul for me because they raised me. You know
what I mean? That's how you look at that. Yeah, uh,
are you're not working on fourth of July? Are you? Sergeant? I
am not this year? No, not this year. But what are the
what are the most common calls that come in today fourth of July? Is
are there a lot of fireworks calls? Are there? Just let me give
a precursor real quick, I asked Joe Manahan again, a sergeant of ours,
I've been here a long time, Like I don't mean to repeat myself
but Joe's retiring. So I said, Joe, do you want to come
on this podcast? He said, what is it? What's it about?
And I said, we're just going to talk fourth of July. Try to
put a positive spin on some things and go forward as if you and I
talked about and Joe, God, you sure you want me? Yes,
I do. Joe is very realistic. It's away Joe. I saw Joe
driving out the other day. It gave a wave. He waved back.
Joe is one of the nicest people we had. I don't see negativity in
Joe. Joe Joe always looks like he's about to laugh. Negativity can be
hilarious, well, negativity. Look, I have heard stories that you guys
have told, uh, you know, with comp casts off off the podcast,
and I don't know. I'll tell you this. I think in this
country, what you guys do is I want to say, underappreciated. Sometimes
I think nobody has a perspective unless they've done it. They just don't.
So just don't have here and take credit for being a cap. And it
doesn't matter where you work, You're going to see everything. I don't care
if you were to Peeka, Kansas out in the middle of nowhere or urban
environment in the largest city of the United States, you're actually going to see
it wearing a badge. You just are it find you because people people are
funny, right, Nothing funnier than people in life, right right. So
I'll let Joe touch on some things, but the calls that do come your
way, they're nuts. The average person cannot begin to comprehend. They really
truly cannot. And I know people watches be like, oh, those guys
work in Fairport. They they're a nice east side suburb. You know,
I don't care if it's a city rat, that's true. But people are
people everywhere, absolutely there yea. So I mean I have to think there's
got to be even some domestic calls. I mean, look, I I'm
drinking was a big thing in my family, and my grandfather was a New
York City fireman and man he would tie it on sometimes he and my grandmother.
Hear screaming, all right, just changed your fucking and something smash.
Did you say Agnes? Yeah, her name was Agnes. Joe. What
kind of calls a you're going to go to or not? Let me point
out too, Joe, is this the first time you haven't worked the Fourth
of July and how many years it's it's been a while. Yeah, yeah,
I know. Joe's pretty humble and he won't say it, but we
talked before this and he goes, hey, he goes, I'm not working
the fourth of July, am I And I go, I don't think so.
And he's got twenty some years in the job so he doesn't have to.
But that's one of the things that people don't talk about when they talk
about pleasing Now you got to work the holidays and weekends, nights, holidays
and weekends. We never shut down. No, it's twenty four hours a
day and we still make house calls. Yes, right, it's crazy,
but I got to think the Fourth of July could get kind of busy.
It's nuts, yeah, mold because people are outside the drinking, and then
that, you know, everybody could becomes a firework expert. Joe, what
are some of the college you've been doing the last twenty something ten years.
That's a pretty broad question in regards to fireworks. Are just in general?
Just yes, in general, We'll go Fourth of July first, and then
we can work. It's we get a good laugh out of the same people
that will drive their whole family and wait and line and sit there for hours
to watch a fireworks show, losing their mind and calling nine one one because
their neighbor had fireworks. And it's just interesting to me because people they called
nine one one because they're neighbors lighting off fireworks more than you would for the
Fourth of July. Really, people don't realize why do we have fireworks,
right? Why do we celebrating in the fourth I'm the first seen in there,
right over Baltimore Harbor. Yeah, it was a Fort McHenry, I
think, yes, Yes, Francis skoy Key wrote the sky. He was
in the harbor. He's looking back and saw the bombs, were first in
there and met the Americans who were still fighting, still alive. I mean
that that's part of our heritage. Yes, you know. And I always
loved Fourth of July because it was warm weather, everybody was happy, it
was freedom. I love this country. And my grandfather put on a firework
display that rivaled any town. Yeah, I loved it. Somebody'd be standing
by with a garden hose like that was going to do anything. You've been
landed on a roof. They did all that, and so people complained,
is it because of a after hours noise ordinance thing? I think so.
I think. You know, it seemed to a lot of dog owners really
seemed to Yeah, you know, but you call nine one one because my
dog is marketing and what we see a lot of that. I I ask
people, you know, it's your neighbor. Do you know them? Yeah?
What do they say when you went and talked to him? But I
didn't. So Joe asked that question. And I've been on you know,
one hundred calls with him where he asked that question. And it's amazing that
no one thought about going to talk to the neighbor. Joe. It's famous
for that question. I'll always remember him for this. We'll go to domestics,
neighbor troubles, whatever the call is. Over the years, Joe always
said, what they say when you went and talked to him or ask them
to stop? Oh I didn't, I just called nine one one. People
forgets your neighbor. I go over and knock on the door. Hey Bud,
Yeah, I'm Tom, I live next door. Hey Bill, Yeah,
I'm Jim. I lived down the street. I got a baby,
this and whatever you know into your mind that level of respect. You know,
they know each other, just you know what I mean, go ask
him or go talk to him, or if you're the fireworks guy, maybe
go mention to him ahead of time. Hey, I got some fireworks.
I'm gonna light him off. Is it gonna kill? You know what I
mean? Is it all right? Or I'll keep them early or something.
You can try to be respectful, but people tend for well maybe the drinking
adds to the drinking. Sometimes they forget that part of it all think or
whatever. But and some of it's legal now. I think some people are
still stuck on that. You know everything, you know, everything's illegal.
Some of it's legal now, So I think I don't think do we know,
like do people know what's legal and what's not because you can go it's
clear as mud, bill, Come on, that's that's the problem. It's
like everything in this state. I was just gonna say, I feel like
they screwed the marijuana stuff up, especially for you guys, because you can
possess it but kill New York State screws. Are you kidding me right now?
Well? You do? I mean, we talk about freedom, but
there is like this, there's a murky stuff, right they're looking for tax
revenue. Clearly you can get it. I always think I've never seen anything
do with one to eighty like marijuana in my life, like complete one eighty
right from the medicinal benefits and all that stuff. And I will say I've
enjoyed a gum or two, but the but the idea of being able to
possess it, not buy it legally anywhere. Now you fueled, in my
opinion, the black market, which creates more problems for not me, you
O c M office, Candadas management is let's not even get into this because
literally, like Joe said, neither oneive, no, no, but I
mean that's a real problem. And then the firework thing. They sell these
bundles. But our bottle rockets allowed. I mean, we used to shoot
bottle rockets at each other as kids. We were running doc shooting We're going
over here. It was awesome. Remember hitting someone right in the ass for
the one. I mean it was you know, we were just dumb kids.
But that was uh and they weren't legal then, but now you can
buy I think you can buy bottle rockets at Walmart. There's those tents everywhere
you look. Yeah, but it was supposed to be nothing. Yes,
yes, I think that's what the law red or something. There was some
nuances to it, but nothing that projected in the air x amount of feed
or sense or whatever. But like I said, battle rackets were legal,
but the other big stuff wasn't. So I'm like, I have no idea.
It makes no sense. I would I would like to sit around table
of chiefs around and haven't recite the law on that in office Canada's management.
There's no way. It's so discombobulated. Okay. So, as this country
has evolved and things have gone on over the years, how many years have
you had a badge? So I just started my twenty seventh, twenty seven
years, so nearly thirty years. Harder today, absolutely, why? Mostly
because of these kind of laws. Oh, we're gonna got down a rabbits
wall. I don't want to go down rabbit I think society has changed immensely,
you know, and I think it's going to change too. Nothing says
the name right. Nothing's stagnant. No, I don't want to sound like
that guy. Just it's everything's different, Bill, I mean since twenty twenty,
since we stood in the right, it's downtown and whenever you want to
call them. They were riots. Right, Policing has changed forever. And
it's funny because a lot of people didn't realize what we the guys that wore
the badges were screaming about then, about the ball reform laws and all that,
all that nonsense, because they didn't think it doesn't affect me in the
suburbs, or it doesn't affect me in the city, doesn't affect me in
the country, affects everybody. It's craziness that came out of Albany. It's
not some of the stuff they did, And I don't Sheriff Baxter has worked
very, very hard. He's formed that coalition. They're chipping away at it,
try to get some sensibility back in the law. But it has gone
way too far. And well whatever you can real quick, Yes, population
in New York, you can look These aren't Matt Barnes's numbers or you know
Bill Moran's or Joe Monahan's numbers. These are true numbers. You can look
at them. Population of the state of New York. We've lost the populations
of the city of Rochester, City of Buffalo, City, Syracuse. The
last three and a half years and do you think the tax burden is greater
on the taxpayers? Absolutely less people the people that are moving or who the
way journers right, and they're moving out, And we've lost congressional seats.
Right, Positivity is coming, joy, I promise you. I see I've
heard we've lost congressional seats. Correct, and that's your representation in Congress or
in the Senate or someone and certain that's the Senate of Congress. It's sad
and it's scary. But I did read that the growing number of change,
whether it's I think it's Democrat to Republicans, was New York State for some
reason. Now people have to politic here. They don't even politic here because
they know how we vote. Right, I don't care which side of the
aisle you're on. But it's still scary that they don't even have to spend
their time with you because they don't care. States that are really in play
for parental So it's just it's a different it's a different world. I would
think. One of the things that I think has changed immensely, and I
don't know what you attribute this to, but a lack of will call respect,
right, there's a lack of respect. But I think everybody's become a
narcissist in that I matter. I mean, and I'm just as guilty.
There's a camera on me right now, so you know what I'm saying.
But we're all on social media, and we're all so important, and we're
all caught up in this stuff and we're all right. And I always had
this problem with the social media stuff where you could be in an aisle in
a grocery store and open up your Twitter account and get fired up about something
that has nothing to do with where you are or what you're doing at the
moment, and you're so pissed off because on social media, it's not that
I have to be right, it's or that you're dead wrong, dead fucking
wrong. And I think that's become such a problem in so many ways,
and I feel like it's got to make things harder for you because now you're
coming to people who feel like, well, they're right, or I've read
online and the police do this or whatever. I don't know, but I'm
just feeling like it's those are some of the changes in the world, maybe
not just this country, that have made things more difficult, and nobody wants
to hear no. I don't want to hear no. I don't want my
boss to tell me what to do. I don't want my wife to tell
me to do. You know all that. I never wanted my wife to
tell me. Some of these, some of these kids, the parents don't
ever say no anymore, you know. And now it's member teacher back.
You know. It wasn't that long ago. Teachers had the you know,
nuns with rulers principles were whatever needed to be done. Disciline was getting handed
out in school. That's completely done. Now the teacher gets in trouble,
you know. I mean, so the teachers can't do it. And then
sometimes when we get some of these kids, when they're old enough to get
out, you know, on the streets or doing whatever, we might be
the first no they heard, and they they don't know, they have no
idea. Nobody can't say no to me. No one's ever said no to
me. We're only one's society they can tell people know anymore. And that's
eroding in my Sorry it's not positive, but that's why we're slowly skilled.
Yeah, but you know, well say it the way it's save it the
way it is. I mean, if it if it's roading, Yeah it
is. Nobody goes to jail. Everything's hugging a second chance. And you
know there is the nose from us are getting weaker. In my opinion,
I don't know, maybe the chief disagrees, but you know what I want
to do. Yes, I want to hire an intern. I want hear
sheet to come out here and I want them to do track what happens to
our cases, our arrest I want to see the maximum allowable sentence. I
want to see what happens. I want to see that someone keep changing that.
Well, that's a great idea. So if someone listens to this podcast,
someone happens across that, I want to hire that intern or volunteer to
be great. Since our budget is not that of other departments, and I
want to have that person first start with ours and we'll move out of the
departments. We'll find out what cases, what arrests they made. It's a
maximum liable sentence and what's happened. I got to tell you that you should
talk to some of the colleges that have justice. I'm already end of that.
Yeah, because I know my son just graduated from Roberts Wesleyan in Uh,
cybersecurity applies, but it's basically criminal justice with you know now adding in
cybersecurity and things. And uh, I think that'd be a great project.
That's what I want. That would be a great project. And it's not
calling people out, it's it's literally holding people accountable. That's all it is.
People hold us accountable. They've be doing it for years. It doesn't
seem like the healthcare system. Foul suit does it? And it doesn't seem
healthcare system. And I always say healthcare and education, yes, I like,
not really preyed upon by the onlookers, I would say, But the
police are always on the Yeah, right, Why is that because you're the
enemy? Man? Tell me I can't have my freedom. Fourth of July
is my freedom, cheef? What are you talking about? You mean I
can't light off a firework and send it through my neighbor's window. Jesus Christ?
Their dog? Fuck their dog? You know what I mean? I
like dogs, but I like dogs too, But that I think that that's
got to be what you guys hear. Yeah, the calls, going back
to Joelson, the calls you've been on and the fourth it ranges everything from
domestics to the drunk domestics. If it's warm and the windows are open,
the neighbors are going at it a little bit. It's just gonna happen.
That's what that's what people do. And then of course everybody's there's a lot
of Fourth July parties that people are coming and going to, and not everybody
you know that's been celebrating gets the uber or the designated driver. So you're
gonna have an increase in you know, the roads are a little bit more
dangerous, you know, on a on a holiday when it's a drinking holiday.
I would agree with it. You know, you're drinking it it is,
you know, And so you got more people on the road, you
know, kind of going home that way, then you're gonna get the domestics
as well. Yeah, there's plenty of plenty of that going on. We
want that though. We want people celebrating. We want people to get together
with neighbors. Yes, friends, and this country is Yes. That's why
other people or other countries are jealous of us is because we have that pride.
What do you say when people say, you know, the campaign for
President Trump is to make America great again? What do you say to people
who say the country was never great. America was never great. I know
who you're referring to. I think it was Cuomo that said that, right.
Oh, I don't know. I really don't know. That is he
probably did. I just I've heard it myself, and I often think.
You know what I said to them, travel move outside? Yeah, a
couple of years and sure pick a country, right, yeah, And I've
traveled a good mountain life, you know. And I like some other countries.
I don't like anything close to this country, no, right, I
love those country. So I don't know. Are we perfect? Now?
No one's perfect. You couldn't be one of the One of the I think
biggest things, Uh, that's problematic for the United States is the size.
It's a huge country, three hundred and thirty million people, right, and
you go. I had European neighbors when I lived over in Pittsford, and
they could speak several languages. And I remember saying, I go, boy,
I think that's one of the greatest things you can do for your brain.
I really do. But that I said, boy, here, we
don't and the woman who lived and said, yeah, because everything you want
to see is right in the borders. You want to go to a desert.
You want to go to a beach, you want to go she goes,
you can't do that in Europe. You want to go to the mountains.
It's all here, everything's here. Yeah, And I think that's I
really do. And I've always, I always think this country is great.
I wish we could get back to some sort of sensibility in a sense.
I feel like the idea of discussions is gone. You know, it's always
the greatest thing of we need to have a discussion about name the topic,
race, economics, whatever it is, class structure. Okay, nobody wants
to have the discussion. They don't because it goes back to I'm right.
And I mean I even had somebody in here the other day and we're talking
something about the city, and you couldn't get a word in edgewise because as
you started to talk, they would just talk over you. And I go,
this is the problem is that, you know, to have a discussion,
it's one idea to the other. I we don't have to agree,
but a bet we come closer than we think we are. Oh yeah,
and yet we stay miles apart. And I think if you sat down to
most people, I think the extreme right, an extreme left, or the
minority. I think most of the in the middle. I agree, I
really do, Yes, I truly do. They're the loudest, They're the
ones that get the most attention. They're the loudest. It's like it's always
the bad of whatever. I mean, you got to see it with with
police, get one bad police, everybody, every cops back, we can
get the fuck out of here. The No, I'm sorry, I don't
mean to, but you know what I'm saying that that's not true. That's
not true at all. And you know, people may think that, like
Fairport's sort of a mayberry Ish town, although it's growing and growing and growing.
And I'm hearing like I think there's a barn Park Avenue that close.
Seeing all the kids go to Fairport down everyone comes to Fairport. Yeah,
I mean, which is great and yet more problematic for you guys. Yeah,
with people come issues, right. Yes, So we want the people,
obviously. We want the bars, we want the restaurants, we want
the nightlife, we want the music venues. We want all that because I
enjoy it too. I think everyone enjoys taking a walk on a night and
seeing a band or live music just cool to like, you know, we'll
be here late. I'll be here late some nights and I like walking out
and just hearing there's a concert. Yeah, zebow, there's you know cons
on the canal. Yes, it is, and it and you go when
and it's it's nice and it's beautiful, and I think that that's great.
I don't want to see it go sideways. But you know, I don't
know what you guys, what's your you know you can almost speak freely,
Joe, you've reached almost speak freely, got ninety days left back in November.
I answer everything, no memory, whatever? What my question on what
that growth? No, I'm not going to touch on that. I know
you feeling that. What do you think the problems aren't coming up? The
project problems or issues with the with the town with so much growth and development?
Well, it's you know, one part grows and it takes how long
to catch up the other parts? All right? And we're just just to
give a separate exam. You know, if all of a sudden you put
up one hundred new buildings, Yeah great, what did you do? Did
you increase the fire department's abilities? Did you leave it exactly the same,
did you increase the road or you know, the trade. You know,
there's always going to be growing pains. I have a sister in law that
lives near Myrtle Beach, so we will go down there time to time and
you go around and it's it's exploding. You know, everywhere there's growth.
I'm sure the you know, the the tax base is going up, all
that. Those things are great, but the driving's atrocious and the you know,
the I think the law enforcement's overwhelmed, and I think you have to
You can't just increase one thing without having some problems, so you have to
kind of build it all up together. And if the growth is fast,
it's going to take a while for that other stuff to catch up. You
know. What you're saying is to the board and to the mayor that we
need more cops. Is that what you said? I think you need more
cops. I think the fire fire department needs to go up. I think
parking roads need to be expanded. If you're choosing growth or if growth is
the way it's going, right, First of all, is that what you're
is that what you're what do you want to say? You're constituents or whatever?
You know, the people in town. Do they want that growth or
do they like Fairport because it has a small town charm? Right, because
I hear a lot of people talk about the village and the small town charm
and I respect that, And that's one side. And then that growth is
making it look like a little Henrietta, And I don't know if that's what
people want. Did you move here to get away from some of that stuff
and then it just blows up here and you're just then you've got to move
to whatever's next, or maybe you enjoy that growth. I don't know.
You know, it's to find the happy medium. Yeah, but you bring
up a good point and a great thing about this going trigger it seemed to
be, is you have a voice and it can be heard right, and
you find the people that are supposed to represent you. In some way things
get muddled and there's when they get in the office, I guess, but
I would think that, Yeah, I think that's all important stuff and the
politics at at a lower level, you know, at this small town,
are more important to impact your life directly. It's your everyday life. Not
that the other stuff isn't important. That's not what I'm saying, but you
know, the roads, you drive, the traffic, you deal with,
what opportunity, what comes in, what comes into your town? Is there
more crime, is there more drunk drive? Whatever? Right? And and
then do we have the infrastructure to handle that, including police and fire.
I think that's really important. I think to I guess to expand what you
just said. The local government, whether it's police, whether it's you know,
roads, infrastructure, local government. I think that's where it's at one
hundred percent. Yeah, and everyone says, well, we don't need it,
We'll just go to the county. Okay, Well, let's take that
step further. Let's get rid of the county and just go to the state.
No, let's get rid of the state. Let's go to do you
know what I mean? We can you're going where is It's like our news
stations, get rid of your new stations. Let's go to CNNFL Well practically
are do you know what I mean? There's no You have to have local
pride, you have to have leadership, you have to have local government.
I think that is where it's at. You touched on something that I think
is severely lacking. And and the word is pride. And I feel like
Fairport. There's some pride, inapt right, pride and by pride, this
is gonna maybe sound stilly to people, but it's keeping your yard nice.
It's you know, this is my home. I work hard for this,
having some pride in it, feeling good about it even you know what I
mean. There's something about when my kids were little. You have kids,
right, yeah, you have kids? No kids? No kids? Smart
man, the first person call me smart and Tom kidding of kidding. I
uh uh, not that you're smart. That I'm not kidding about, but
the kid part. But you know, like when your house is in chaos
and in clutter, they behave poorly. Right, once everything's organized and everybody's
like Colmer and it just feels better. And I think that goes for society.
Look at the chaos and look at the and then look at the environment.
You know, look look at the crime, look at the chaos,
look at the vince and you'll see but here and I think pride is a
real big thing. You go back and I don't want I'm not saying we
need to do this, but look at ballgames from the forties and fifties.
People are in suits and dressed up and there was pride. You felt good
like there used to be the term Sunday. Best kids actually behaved better when
they were That's why the schools had uniforms and things, because every you know,
there was no class distinction in terms of who had the nicer clothes,
but everybody dressed and you look good, and everybody there was pride in that.
And I think pride is a big thing that is sort of missing and
something that I think on the fourth of July, I have a little pride
in America. Oh goshcha, you've ever gone on West? Yes, I
lived in Park City, Utah for a summer. My uncle was a pilot
for Delta and based out of Salt Lake, and so I spent the summer
with them. If you go out to the American West and Joe's heard me
say this a bunch my first time out there. I literally remember looking over
it to the Snake River right, the runs through the Grand te Dah yeah,
and Jackson Hall, and I'm going this place is indescribable. It is.
It is absolutely amazing. It gives you goosebumps. They tell Joe and
Morano in the in the Grand Tee Times really yeah, really yeah, Okay,
yeah. Yeah, did you travel through Yeah, into Montana or anywhere
out there, whether it's even California, hate to stay. California is one
of the pretty states. It really is. They've ruined that state, but
yeah, it's an amazing state. But you travel throughout this country is absolutely
amazing. It is the things, the people, and just it's awesome.
You talk about pride, national pride or something. Yes, country is awesome.
It really is. Yeah, absolutely amazing. My brother quit a job
he was working as a He was negotiating contracts from New York City for the
fire and police. It was part of a team and it was a cubicle
job. And some guy they came in to go thirty years yay. My
brother goes, I can't do this. I can't do this for thirty years
sitting in here. So he bought a bike, flew out to Seattle,
stayed a week with his buddy out there, and then bicycled back. There's
all these paths and books and places you can stay from Seattle to Virginia,
and he wants to do that with his kid, and he goes, it
was one of the greatest things I ever did because you got to see the
country. Yeah, you know, parts of the country you don't even see.
We drove cross country when we were kids with our parents because my uncle,
as a pilot at one point was living in Bainbridge Island off of Seattle,
and you know, he bounced around a little bit. Uh, So
we got to see a lot of that stuff too, which I think is
a is a great thing in Yellowstone, man, that is awesome, amazing,
awesome. I'll say this. Huh, it'll change, so Joe last
because I said it'll change as a person, as a human, as an
American. I agree where he went when he came back. You tell me
that when you retire, you gotta go. Have you ever you've never been
out there? No, really been a lot of places. Okay, not
very well traveled just yet. That's all right. I will say this.
So New York State, Yeah, got a lot of cool stuff in it.
New York State is amazing you God arondecks Er the Lakes and honestly Rochester,
Yes, metro Rochters awesome area. Joe's giving me that face because you're
thinking city dirty. Yeah it's not. City Rochters a pretty cool city.
If we could get crime to a level where people would visit it. You
know, it's yeah, and no one wants to talk about that. My
wife doesn't look at the bulletproof vest, you know what I mean, So
we don't want to go to avoid the time. Some superheroes look really great
at both. I don't know, I'm just saying the uh, Joe Monahan,
everybody well to talk about the crime for just a moment. Yeah,
it's a small percentage people, right, but it's scary as ship. Yeah.
And it doesn't help that the news it's all they focus on if you
look. And I had numerous numerous conversation with various news outlets and Rochester who
dominates the news cycle the first five stories every night, please dab it?
Yeah, it's please. Yeah, it's weird newsmakers, whether we want to
be or not, we are top five stories. It's not economic stories.
No, it's not anything like that. I think Alheart, towards his end
of his career, wanted to do uh, you know, promotional stuff as
far as positivity, and yes he did well. He tried to put the
he had something at the end of every newscast. It was like the person
of the day or something I'm gonna paraphrase and screwed up, But yes,
you are correct. I think you did. I think it's a great thing.
I mean, I you know what, as you're sitting there talking,
I go, why why don't we just put on a camera and go talk
to the people that are making a difference and trying to do good stuff and
hear about that? Because we don't, because it's always going to be the
stabbing, the shooting, the car action in identifying the person that was killed
in this and that. And I always think, do I need to know?
I have to be honest? Since I've started doing this and I read
a lot, and I'm aware, I don't watch the news a lot because
I think it changes your I think it changes your whole outlook and it makes
you angry. And now I will say this, I will ask you guys.
I sometimes think I'm very naive. I live in the a bubble,
right, But do we have to have our head on a swivel always be
worried about different things? I mean, I think there's awareness, but I
think worrying. I think sometimes watching the news makes you more paranoid than you
need to be. I think there's some just got double gain of space.
I think there's some evil, evil, evil people in this world. And
I think, yes, so many different aspects we get down with. Yes,
I don't understand why society doesn't want to Let's say, let's say murder,
right, yeah, the line murder. Why can't that person go away
for life? He took a life. Why is this he gets sentenced for
thirty two years, we gets out after twelve. I just will never understand
that. I think. Ever, I think, now, we're not taping
this on the fourth of July, but I think today, July second is
when we're taping. This isn't today when the I think the actual declaration was
signed today, right, Yes, it was signed today, and it took
two days to ratify for all thirteen colonies to agree to it. That is
true seventeen seventy six. But what I was going to say is, I
think, if my history is right, nineteen forty eight, the Supreme Court
ruled that the death penalty was not cruel unusual punishment for certain crimes. I
think that was just I think today's the anniversary of that. So it's going
to sound completely bizire, to which I don't mean what Joe's never heard me
say this. We've never talked about it. I don't believe in it.
I can understand why. I just I calendared. All that killed keeps coming
back to my head. I will tell you that it is a I couldn't
do it. I couldn't watch, I couldn't anything. I'm just saying that
I think I think that was in certain states, it's still the crime.
I don't know. I'm with you, and I understand. You sit with
a mother whose child's been abducted or something like that, you could probably change
him. I'm real easy. And Joe was shaking his head. Yes,
I just comes back to the whole, not trying to get religious on you,
just that that shall not kill that. Yeah, I don't know,
but I think there's parts of the by hole that does that. Whatever.
Yes, I hear. Yeah. But as far as sending someone to prison
for the crimes they've committed for it, yeah, sorry, rap sheets of
some people walking around with blow blow your mind. And I wish the jurors
could sit on a jury. Oh shit, that just reminds me I have
to send in my jurey think. Oh, don't worry, it's just a
law. Though I know I forgot you just said it. Oh, boy,
But that's crazy. That's another thing. We're talking about so many different
topics today. That's right. Jury, it's all about America. This is
all Hey, look where else are you getting a jury of your peers?
Now? Is it always balanced? I? I don't know. They you
know, there's certain ways I guess to manipulate things. I I'm not smart
enough to know all those ways. But I don't think that's happening in a
lot of places. Whoever has never served on jury duty or has never been
to court? Yes, I know, everyone's ah, don't I gotta work.
I got to do this with the kids. Maybe go serve in jury
said duty, Maybe find it interesting. I don't know. I've been to
court, you know, hundreds of times. I don't really find it very
interested anymore, old hat kind of. But if you've never served on a
jury, do it, because you may fascinating. I don't know. But
the jury doesn't get everything. They don't get the background of the suspect being
tried. They don't get that they've been arrested fourteen, fifteen, seventeen,
thirty times before for numerous crimes, so on and so forth. It's nuts.
It is nuts. What the average citizen has no idea what people have
done and been convicted of, but they're still out walking around. You would
see multiple crimes on a rap sheet that you would think would have put that
person away for a long long time, and they're just out and about and
I don't. I mean, that's crazy to me. But so when the
whole bail reform law came out, I guess five years ago. Now how
long has it been out twenty twenty, twenty nineteen, I can't remember when
it came out. We were the first apartment in New York State. We
made the Wall Street Journal. The arrested the guy for I believe burglary,
and you got an appearance sick at that afternoon. That night got arrested again
for burglary, breaking into people's houses. This is your largest investment where your
children's sleep. Oh yeah, the largest investment for most most Americans. Right,
it is your car? Yeah right? The whole stolen car thing go
down to four four, three hundred whatever last year. Nuts. Oh,
the car thing drives me crazy, only because the person who gets screwed on
that is the person's car with stone. I mean, you are. Last
week we arrested two people for two stolen cars here in Fairport. Uh huh,
Joe, how old was the one? Thirteen? Thirteen? Thirteen years
old? No shit, I think he was ever taking a jail. I
think he was ever doing it. None, never left his home. Yeah,
boo, okay, Oh do you do okay, do you do with
the thirteen? I don't. I don't that that. I don't know,
right, And I get it a little bit. But what's happening in the
home. There is no home. Huh there there really isn't a home.
You know what I mean? That there's a old man would have been tap
dancing on my you're old who? My old man? You're old who?
Yeah? I got it, you know what I mean. Well, here's
the thing, Like, Okay, so I I don't live with I have
a fourteen year old son. I do not live with my fourteen oun son.
He comes to visit, he'll be here and met him. He'll be
here at the end of the week. But you know that that is a
concern of mine at times. But I'd staying in contact. And his mom's
pretty tough, and he's got an uncle close by who was a West Point
guy, so he's a little more structured and stuff. So I which was
all part of my reason for letting them, you know, sign the paper
to move out of state was I wanted to make sure that there was going
to be structure and things that were going to work. But I think that's
really important. Yeah, yeah, I mean the single parent, you know,
the mom that's working a bunch of jobs to try to keep food on
the table and stuff like that, she can, yeah, doing the best
she can. But at the same time, you can't look to the police
or the government or anybody else. Once we start relying too much on Like
we want to talk about independence, you got to have independence yourself. You
got to rely on yourself. And Pete, I'm a hugehuge fan of the
term a hand up, not a handout, right. I love things like
Habitat for humanity. One of the reasons I love it was sweat equity.
You got to get in there and you got to paint. You got to
do that. And they've done stats much like you were talking about the police,
they've done stats on the graduation rates for people from those homes, families
from those homes, and how pride back into the pride thing all that.
I've always believed that if you are shown an effort. Someone's going to meet
you halfway because everybody wants to help, right It just you know, a
rising tide floats all boats. But this idea of well, you know I
need a nanny state, No, we don't. You don't want that.
You don't want that, and it makes everybody else's job harder. And we've
gotten sort of to that in New York State. I feel like, you
know, it's funny you talk about pride, and another word of mine is
loyalty, right, And everyone says loyalty when they say loyalty, especially in
a funny blue suit that we wear, right, Yeah, it was like
a loyalty there. It means they're crooked. There's loyally Now, it's not
what I'm talking about. Loyal to each other, yes, is one of
those things. But loyal to the law, loyal to the citizens, loyal
to what you're doing, right, all that loyalty. Loyalty is the greatest
thing in the face of the planet. It really is. Yeah, So
those words I think, yeah, we get away from but we need to
bring him back or at least take pride and what we're doing every day.
So I don't know, I always think with like, you know, a
thirteen year old kids stealing a car. You wish you could those powers could
be used for good. I don't know if the kid knew how to steal
the car, if he was just an accomplice with somebody in the car.
I don't know what this story is. But one of the things that I
think, you know, you'll hear about social media and it's taken over and
kids, the influence that kids are getting and all this stuff. Well it's
self esteem. But how do you build self esteem by things like sports getting
better? You know, my fourteen year old kid loves to go out and
where he loves making money. So if he can make more money, it
keeps him out of trouble. He's washing windows for people. He's doing this
right, makes him feel good. All dad, you won't believe how much
money I got playing basketball, getting better, getting better all the time,
joining this AAU team, going to the all these things. It starts you
believe in yourself and you see that you know reps in life. You get
better and better and better. It's yeah, And if you could just show
a young person that there is a way out. You don't have to be
this way. You want to be in trouble all the time. Nobody likes
to be in trouble. You want to be scared, you want to be
hiding from Why are we doing that? Yeah? You could do you could
do more? Does Fairport? I always thought this was a great thing in
certain towns. And I don't know what Fairport steals, but they used to
have where the police, like you have any fucking time, uh would have
coach teams or just something to build that rapport. So it's not the enemy
used to be when I was a kid. Find someone in the uniform.
If you're lost, if you feel unsafe, find a person in a uniform.
Right, I think that still holds true, Right, Yeah, I
think it does, but I don't know. And as much as we say
it's depleted. Joe always talks about you can walk up to someone in the
uniform and talk about or have level of trust, a certain level of trust.
Yeah, for the most part, you know what I mean. You
can walk up to a stranger at a park in uniform. You're out walking
the bare, Yes, I'm from a call or something to talk to someone.
There is a certain level of trust still, and you know, I
wouldn't know we're all, you know, downtrodden and say, well, this
went wrong and this needs to change how they're raised, because there's certain families
where they're raised to trust the police, and then the certain family were the
bad guy. I've we've run into some of those kids are not to be
feared. We're the bad guy, right, you know that's tough. I
don't know how to I don't know how you overcome that when that's where your
starting point is, right, I don't know. Yeah, going back to
the coaching stuff, I coached. I coached for CYO, for the the
church or Yeah, a couple of other guys coached football. Yeah, one
guy coaches baseball and stuff like that. But I think they're their sons or
daughters teams, you know. Yeah, but it stills to know that police
officers do. But what they do for the still we still do charity events.
We work with you know, the schools, although that's kind of falling
off because of twenty twenty, right the relations ships were broken then, but
we're still trying to mend that. But yeah, we're definitely woven into the
fabric of this community. Yeah, and that's the nice thing about being a
smaller unit, right, So people do know you, and and you're expecting
to get out and walk and shake hands and talk. I mean that's what
you're supposed to do. You're supposed to know your beat. So will you
be in the parade. We'll be in the parade, yes, yep.
Look yeah, I always think that you're coming to the Paradeville. I will
not be. I'll be with a friend of a mutual friend of ours.
Gotcha, Okay, I don't want to help down at the lake. I
figured that out. Yes, well that's always fun, you know. But
I used to love when I was a kid because I grew up in small
town America and we used to do two parades with the high school band.
There was Pine Plains, New York. You never heard of it, Pine
Plains, Hine Plains, New York, Yo. Yeah, never heard of
it. It was the largest school district in New York State per square mile,
with the probably the smallest population. I think there were sixty five kids
in my class and sixty he graduated five, didn't Yep. That was a
graduation where my father came up to me goes, I don't know whether to
shake your hand or kick your ass. Dumber than you got every award up
there. You practically had a drool and you got nothing. And if it
wasn't for my mom's dad, my grandfather who came over, it's graduation day.
He got out. Don't worry about it. He got out, he
got out. It's all good. It was all good. All right.
One final question? Yeah, what's more American than a hot dog? What
do you put on your hot dog? Chief? What's on the hot dog?
Yeah, of course it's going to be a hot dog? Right?
Yeah. Shout out to Kevin Salva. He is the CEO there I believe
of. He's a local Fairport yes, reason I know. Wow, He's
supported our police activities, supported good best Cop Tacticle competition we had years ago.
Kevin Salva. You guys probably don't know him, but he is a
Fairport guy, wonderful human. He works at a high level. I don't
know what is exact titles. He might be the CEO now, okay,
of his wiggles and if you don't know what's wiggles, then please move to
Syracuse. So, uh, I'm just a ketchup guy. Just a ketchup
guy, that's it. I used to always make fun of people who put
ketchup on hot talks. You can't do that. It's mustard. But I
would put mustard with ketchup. But you got a Chicago thing, right,
They only they don't serve ketchup, and I don't think they do. Think
you're right, you're right. But now now, I used to love,
like the the beef hot dogs and my grandfather would get from New York City
a fourth of July and I always put mustard and sometimes relish on there and
all that. I would be about six or seven of those and then jump
in the pool. Well, I'm I am a very uh a plain guy.
I really, I just am everyone laughs, but just a plain dude.
I don't know, all right, Joe, what do you got?
I do not like swiggles. I don't like that casing. Wow, wow,
I don't know. Yeah. I like ballparks, okay, all right,
all park, ketchup, relish and mustard. Okay, yeah, I
follow you, Bill. I would be mustard, relish, depending and sometimes
if you can get that chili dog. I love hot sauce on there.
Really. Oh yeah, man, I'll go the hotter the better, the
hotter the better. I remember I grew up near Woodstock that's where Pine Plains
is, and we used to tube down the Ahsapis River and we'd all get
chili dogs before your mouth would be on fire, and then you'd jump in
the river and getting that tube which before everybody people. I don't know if
you're going to agree with this, but the passification of America, it's a
term I've heard. I'm not asking you about this, but when I would
too, when I would tube the river, Joe, they didn't have wooden
seats in this. It was just your ass and the rocks. And now
they got wooden seats in there, and I go, what, No,
it's not the same. Give me the fucking tube when we go never mind.
Sorry, Fourth of July, gentlemen, always a pleasure. Thank you
for coming in. Happy fourth to you, and I really appreciate all you
do. Thank you seriously. Thanks for what you guys just done before we
signed Officer. Thank you for always helping us with our podcast too, So
I really appreciate that popcast. You can do it without you, well,
I'm I'm I'm honored to do it, to be quite honest with you,
and uh, just smile, Joe. That's all in November. Happy for
the July. Stay safe and don't call nine one one on your neighbor's flight
off fireworks, everybody arrest, Welcome me. Holdtal didn't know what to do.
I'm trying to TV. Don't do a letter to you, dang ye. Stay