“Witnesses against Friedman called him 'a stand-up guy' who had 'brass balls.' For this he deserves a cer­tain grudging respect — and about 10 years in prison”

“The fact is that Koch has protected Bess Myerson because he has long recognized that there is no way that a damaged Myerson wouldn’t also damage him. And perhaps turn on him”

“To the ruling class, Larry Davis is society's nightmare, a horror-film monster who keeps coming back every time you think you’ve put him away for good. But to the powerless, Davis is a resistance fighter ... ”

The fundamental question about the Koch administration is no longer why the mayor gave power to so many crooks, but exactly what happened years ago when whistleblowers, law enforcement investiga­tors, and private citizens first tried to warn him

“When the dark side of Donald Ma­nes — everything from the cash to the mob to the orgies — began to surface, he tried to kill it with a knife”

“There will be a Mexico when this is finished. But if they only clean up the physical mess, then we are doomed.”

For 1991 alone, total revenues coming in to the PBA came to $63 million. The cop on the beat might well ask, “Where did it all go?”

Thanks to concessions won by Hart­man, within a few years Long Island cops would take it for granted that they earned more than FBI agents.

Patrolman Phil Caruso and lawyer Richard Hartman built the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association into an arrogant, insular, and wealthy institution that stands above the law and beyond scrutiny. Where is the $63 million a year in tax funds and union dues going? Only their friends know for sure.

“People have got to understand that it’s just as patriotic to try to keep your country from dying, as it is to die for your country.”