By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

Space limits my opportunity to really be comprehensive on this one.

More than half of this page is devoted to a column by Peter Vallone Jr., the Council chairman of the Public Safety Committee expressing his unyielding commitment to maintaining the size of the police force.

I have a different mission today.

Sheldon Leffler, former Queens City councilman, has been indicted on charges of stealing taxpayer money by filing false claims for public matching funds in his 2001 campaign for Queens Borough President.

Better times for Leffler: pictured with Schenkler during an August 2001 Beep interview. Photo: Dee Richard

NYC Campaign Finance provided four to one matching funds for up to $250 per person or $1,000. Sheldon is accused of accepting forty $250 money orders ($10,000) from Hollis landlord Rita Stark with different names and filing each for $1,000 City matching funds – claiming he was entitled to some $39,000 more than the Campaign Finance law allowed. Additionally, he is accused of accepting more than the $3,500 individual maximum allowed. In total, 13 counts ranging from conspiracy to grand larceny, from possession of forged instruments to filing false documents as well as election law crimes have been handed down in regard to the $10,000.

I’ve known Sheldon for decades. I’ve run into him and his wife Joy at restaurants, movie theaters and Queens political and charitable dinners. He and Joy were nice enough to show up when I was the Salvation Army’s honoree at their annual awards dinner several years back.

During his Beep campaign, I had the opportunity of spending several hours in my office with him during an extensive interview.

Sheldon has always been interesting and pleasant. Friends we’re not but he certainly is an acquaintance I’ve known for sometime who I respected for his hard work, intelligence and integrity.

Yes, in years past, if you asked me to describe how the Harvard-educated Leffler was perceived of in Queens political circles, I would have responded “independent, honest and perhaps slightly out of step with the mainstream politician.” But “honesty” would have been there.

That’s why I was shocked to hear of the accusation by Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau. Now I’m not convicting Sheldon, who has pleaded “not guilty.” I wish him a fair trial with the opportunity to present his side and if convicted, I hope he has a merciful judge.

But, I don’t believe that DA Bob Morgenthau seeks frivolous indictments and therefore accept the fact that things don’t look good for Leffler.

My commentary is two-fold.

First and foremost: this is another illustration that our election system is too dependent on money and results in the corruption of too many. Sheldon Leffler did not seem to be an evil or corrupt politician. On the contrary, he was independent and honest. If he did commit this act, credit it to his inability to keep fundraising pace with his Beep opponents.

An excuse?

Absolutely not.

A condemnation of the process?

Perhaps.

Secondly – less important, but something that has gotten my dander up – is the fact that Leffler was hauled into court in handcuffs.

Sheldon deserves no more consideration than any other person accused of a non-violent crime. Unless the police or prosecutor have reason to believe the alleged perpetrator may grab a gun or start throwing punches, there is no need for handcuffs. Certainly there is no need for handcuffs before the cameras.

The legal system should not attempt to embarrass or demoralize those accused of crimes.

Sheldon Leffler was a danger to no one a little more than a week ago when DA Morgenthau had him paraded into court like he was a violent and dangerous criminal.

Sheldon is not.

If he is guilty, it is the pathetic result of a bright, out-of-step politician who lost his way in a system that has also lost its way.

He deserves to be punished.

He also gets our pity.

Justice must be merciful and the system needs to be fixed before it claims others.

Sheldon, I wish you justice and strength.

Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr.
On The New York City Cop Out

By PETER F. VALLONE, JR.

In 1990, the City Police force stood at 31,545 personnel. Crime was running rampant in our streets. Our officers were stretched too thin to combat the wave of violence. 

A visitor from Utah, Brian Watkins, was stabbed in the subway while defending his mother from a vicious gang of thugs.

City Council Speaker Peter Vallone decided “enough was enough,” and took action.  He and the Council  initiated the “Safe Streets/Safe City Program” (SS/SC). They then pitched the idea to Mayor David Dinkins, and the two began the long arduous process of convincing Albany to allow NYC to use a dedicated tax for a sole purpose: public safety. The program was signed into existence on Feb. 11, 1991.

The SS/SC program provided for the needs of the entire criminal justice system, including enhancing prosecution abilities, expanding jail capacity, improving probation services, increasing funding for legal aid and alternatives to incarceration, expansion of school security and after-school programs, expansion of employment training programs, and senior citizen services. 

But most importantly, the program called for an increase in police officers up to 38,310. This number was further supplemented in 1997 by Federal money under the COPS program, which allowed New York City to hire additional police officers, bringing the total up to 40,710.

As a result of the SS/SC program, the work of Mayor Dinkins and Mayor Giuliani, and most importantly, the efforts of the New York City Police Department, crime has dropped an unprecedented 60 percent since 1991.  During that period, New York City was reborn.  It reached economic and social heights never before seen. 

But change is on the horizon. The NYPD now hovers around a level of approximately 37,000 personnel. The Federal funding which allowed us to increase the numbers of police officers has been eliminated.

The New York City budget crisis has led to the possibility of the first police layoff since 1975. 

New York City cannot allow this to happen.

The level of certain types of crime — such as quality of life crime and rape — began to stop decreasing, and actually increased. The public is aware of some of the recent violent rape incidents — such as the one in Flushing Meadows — Corona Park — but may not be aware that at a recent City Council hearing into the issue, we learned that there were over 100 more rapes in 2002 than there were in 2001.

In early January, a tourist was viciously stabbed on a New York City subway platform, an incident reminiscent of the Brian Watkins stabbing, the catalyst for the SS/SC Program.  

Layoffs in the NYPD cannot be allowed to happen.  

But, I do not personally believe that this is a real possibility. Instead, talk of these layoffs will be used as a smokescreen to cover what is actually going on – a huge decrease in the numbers of police personnel through attrition.

During this last year, the police lost more personnel (4,000) than any time in the history of New York City. 

This is due to many factors — the age of many police officers who joined the force in the 80s — many are leaving for better paying jobs in nearby jurisdictions and many are able to retire based on the high overtime pay they received as a result of Sept.11, 2001. 

The incoming class of recruits was originally intended to have 2,400 officers. During the last budget negotiations, that class was reduced to 900. 

During the next budget proposal to be submitted by the Mayor in early February, an option I expect to be discussed is the further reduction of this class, its delay, or its complete elimination. 

As a result — without a single layoff — the City has effectively reduced its police force by 4,000 police officers. 

Following this pattern, in two years we would be down to a level of police officers not seen since prior to the SS/SC program. 

The incoming class of police officers cannot be cut any further nor can it be delayed. It must reach the level of police required by SS/SC: 38,310. 

The number is the cornerstone upon which our City was made safe and must be maintained. 

The City can look to other sources to fund this endeavor. 

We need to be clear about what we need from the State – we do not need “aid” or “a handout,”  we need our own City taxpayer money to be returned to us from Albany.

New York City sends billions more to Albany than it receives in return. That inequity needs to be immediately changed. 

In addition, the Federal Government must once again reinstate the COPS funding and completely reimburse the City for its expenses related to 9/11.

Incredibly, we are owed close to one-half a billion dollars in police straight time and overtime directly related to Sept. 11. FEMA apparently believes that this money does not fall into its antiquated “guidelines” set up to deal with hurricanes. 

The Public Safety Committee has been leading the fight for this Federal money.

I am working directly with Senator Joe Lieberman, whose Federal committee has oversight over FEMA.

In addition, we need money to be allocated from the Homeland Security Bill directly to New York City.

Our police force now has the added responsibility of protecting us from terrorists and no city needs these funds more than ours.

The Federal Government failed in its responsibility to protect New York on Sept. 11.

We must not allow it to fail in its responsibility to make us whole. 

However, if we do not receive additional funding, then New York City must fund the NYPD within the confines of its own budget.

I have scheduled an emergency hearing for Feb. 11 — exactly twelve years to the day from the date that the historic SS/SC program was signed — and I invite the public to be part of this investigation.

Without layoffs and without notice to the public, the City has been slowly and stealthily dismantling the program, which made it what it is today. 

If we allow this to happen, the consequences will be far-reaching, and disastrous.