Friday, November 30, 2012

Was The Photo of an NYPD Officer Helping A Homeless Man A Publicity Stunt?



This photo has gone viral, and has made front page news all over the country.  We are told this is a photo of an NYPD police officer who had just given a shoe-less, homeless man a new pair of boots.  We are also told that this photo was taken by a tourist from Arizona, visiting Times Square, who just happened to capture the apparent act of generosity on camera, and then sent the picture to the NYPD, who posted the picture on their Facebook page.

While watching the various news video interviews of Officer Larry Deprimo, the police officer in the picture, I noticed a few interesting things about this whole story.  First, in the different interviews conducted, Officer Deprimo always has a new part of the story, that makes this story seem more and more "movie-like".  In one interview Deprimo claims he heard people laughing at the homeless man with no shoes, and that prompted him to go into a shoe store and tell the clerk, "I don't care about the price, gimmie whatever it is, that you have the best of!"  In another interview Officer Deprimo talks about how he had two pairs of socks on, combat boots, and his feet were still freezing, which made him feel more sympathy for the shoe-less, homeless man.  Deprimo also claims to have, afterward, offered the homeless man to come and "grab a cup coffee" or get "something to eat", to which the homeless man supposedly declined, and replied with "I love the police."  Also, the lady who took the picture, claims that the officer didn't see her taking the picture, and she just snapped the flick and left.  She says she didn't say anything to the officer, but still managed to get the picture to the NYPD.  If you were writing a script, it couldn't come out much better than this. 

Now let's examine the facts.

Jennifer Foster
First, let's take a look at Jennifer Foster, the lady who claims responsibility for taking the picture.  Who is she?  Well none of the video interviews that I have come across, mention much about her, other than her being a "tourist from Arizona".  The New York Times article about this story actually says Foster works as "a civilian communications director for the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona."  Yes, this lady is in law enforcement and works in the Public Safety Communications Division.  Is it just a coincidence? Maybe, let's keep examining. 


INCONSISTENCIES

Here is a list of the inconsistent stories told by the various parties involved:

In this first video below, Officer Deprimo describes the events as follows:

"I ran into the store and explained to them that there was an elderly gentleman with no shoes or socks on and I said I would like to buy a pair of boots, something that's going to last a while, I don't care what the price is. I ran outside and grabbed the elderly gentelman and said "listen, I have a surprise for you", so I brought him to sketchers, I sat him down, and asked what shoe size he was, he said he was a size twelve, and I ran back in there, paid, and brought the shoes and the socks out, I had knelt down, and that is when Jennifer had taken the picture."


So Officer Deprimo is saying he told the man he had a "surprise" for him, brought him to Sketchers, sat him down, and made him wait outside, instead of having him try on the boots in the store.  However, this story is inconsistent with the other accounts, as I will show. 

In this second video interview, below, at 1:53, Officer Deprimo says he "knelt down and surprised" the man with the boots.  How surprised could the man have been, when you just told him you had a "surprise" for him, already brought him over to Skechers and asked him his shoe size?  And again, you make him wait outside?  I picture some poor homeless man, not allowed in the store, watching through the glass. 

However, at 2:23 in the same video, the lady who took the picture, Jennifer Foster, says that she saw Officer Deprimo walk up to the homeless man, with the boots, told the man that he had bought him size 12, all weather boots, and THEN the man sat down to put them on.  So according to her story, the homeless man was standing, and then sat, unlike Officer Deprimos story who said he surprised the homeless man who was already sitting.  This may seem like a minor detail, but you think they would remember such a major part of the story. 

Also in this video, Jennifer Foster stresses the fact that "he did not see us, he did not see me" taking the picture.  But according to her story, she was watching the cop, from a close enough distance to clearly hear the conversation, for a significant amount of time, without the officer noticing her standing there, or snapping a picture.  Anyone who has attempted to record the police with cameras or recorders knows how quickly police notice their surroundings. 



Lastly, the store clerk at Skechers says at 1:37 of this video interview with CBS, "we guessed on his size", when discussing how him and the officer decided on which pair of boots to buy.  The officer never says anything about guessing, and how can the clerk guess a shoe size of someone they don't see?

How about the homeless man?  What is his story.  Well one website is claiming that this "bum" is a well known con man in that area, and claims "The guy sits around, as homeless people tend to do, only he's shoeless. All day long, unassuming good Samaritans and tourists buy him socks and fresh kicks. Then, after the do-gooder walks away—feeling like Johnny Philanthropist—the homeless dude takes the socks and shoes back off, stuffs them in his bag that's BRIMMING with other shoes, and begs for more. He then go on to tell me that this goes on EVERY DAY."  The website even posts a picture of a man with no shoes, who they claim is probably the same guy, earlier in the year, who, from a distance, resembles the homeless man.



(UPDATE: Homeless man confirmed to be a con-man, The New York Times found this man, still shoe-less, and he now says he wants "a piece of the pie" because the photo was posted online "without permission."  Also, The New York Daily News now finds that the homeless man is actually not homeless at all. For the past year, Jeffrey Hillman has had an apartment in the Bronx paid for through a combination of federal section eight rent vouchers and Social Security disability and veterans benefits)


The NYPD has come under fire lately for many situations, including some that I have documented.  I believe this incident to be a complete publicity stunt, to try to get a better image going of the NYPD.  I am not saying that this type of story is impossible, but highly unlikely.        

9 comments:

  1. I think you are completely neurotic to think that the NYPD would go that far out of their way for PR? Not really...

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    Replies
    1. Well tell me this Brian, if the residents of that area immediately recognized the homeless man, as the known con artist they see daily in their travels, how do the police, who walk up and down that street everyday, not recognize him as well?

      On top of that, the lady who took the picture just happen be in law enforcement?! Not to mention the conflicting stories. Sorry bro, I'm not neurotic, I just know that this is most likely engineered to try to shine some positive light on the NYPD, who have been in the news for such horrible acts against our liberty as of late. I will even be posting a new article today, exposing the NYPD quota. Stay up Brian.

      Delete
  2. Poor Brian just wants to believe there is still someone out there protecting him and his family. sadly, that is no longer the overarching goal og the police in the world, definitely not the NYPD. sorry to be the bearer Brian. Comp stat. That is all.

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  3. I never take the time to post comments as I don't even have time to do so generally. But when this story was posted it touched my heart. And not because I am in some sort of fantastical haze about the NYPD. I recognize that there are bad cops. As a matter of fact that is all we hear about. But for the most part, they are service providers who risk their lives for us every day. Similar to the military, they take this job knowing there is a very high probability that they could get killed on the job. Much more than I have at my desk job that is for sure. So with that comes respect in my book. Yes not all of them deserve but let's face, they would still be the first person you called if you were in danger. I am sure you are thinking that my response might be another ploy that the NYPD is using to defend their name, but in fact it is not. I am just a girl who was raised by a (now retired) NYPD office, I am the niece of an NYPD Deputy Commissioner, and I am the cousin of several NYPD officers of different rankings. All of whom are remarkable people who got into the job to serve their communities. My father in the 80's did a similar things several times over with multiple different homeless people. Buy them coffee, give them his shoes, old coats, clothes, he would even bring in my toys and drop them off at a shelter to help other homeless families. But no one had camera phones then so no one could call it propaganda. No one knew about it at all actually except for us, and those people on the receiving end. It just made my father an awesome person. So in the event that this is fake, I really don't care, I don't view this as a misrepresentation of the department, I believe all the negative press that it CONSTANTLY gets is.

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    1. police were more community conscious then, beat cops got to know people. What's screwey is that this is such a big deal in the press and on the net, and that it's focused on a policeman when these acts of kindness happen all the time, everywhere, by all varieties of people of color, nationality, age, sex and class...yes, class...even poor people help others. No wonder the "newspeak" can't be taken for truth.

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  4. The girl whose family are cops, REALLY? Your opinion is unbiased? I agree wholeheartedly that some very good people become cops. But let's face it, the profession is for those who believe that what we see as desperate acts of people who have been oppressed and made to feel absolutely powerless in their lives for whatever reason, actually deserve punishment. There is nothing magnanimous in a cop who lives in a goddamn Mac mansion buying a supposed homeless man shoes, in fact it is an act of pity that perpetuates the powerlessness. Look into restorative justice. There the word justice actually rings true to its definition. Our justice system makes people into criminals and cops into despots. Tell those of us who have been locked up for holding cops accountable for their behavior, that they are mostly "good people", and the reaction you will get will be an honest wave of disbelief. Most cops become corrupt, cynical, or downright despotic, drunk on the power their blue wall gives them over others.

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  5. NEW LEAD !!! re -- Was The Photo of an NYPD Officer Helping A Homeless Man A Publicity Stunt?

    Dear Dan Bloom


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    ReplyDelete
  6. Sunday, December 2, 2012
    Shoeless beggar in NYC photo goes viral, now questioned as fake news

    UPDATED

    @pinalcountyaz.gov>
    Date: Mon, 03 Dec

    Mr. Bloom,

    I was forwarded your below email. The answer to your question and response to your blog is no the photo was not set up or a fake photo. Ms. Foster was on vacation with her boyfriend [and not her "husband" as media first reported] when she took the photo. She never notified the NYPD Officer of the photo nor had she ever meet the officer before last Friday when they met for the first time on the "Today Show" in New York. I have known and worked with Ms. Foster for nearly 17 years. Her integrity is never a question. Ms. Foster is known for recognizing individuals who do good deeds whether they be one of her dispatchers or a deputy on the street.

    Tim Gaffney
    PS: She was there with her boyfriend not ''husband'' [as NYT incorrectly reported]. Her job does not involve PR and even though mine does, I didn't know anything about the conference nor did she. She was there solely as a tourist. Thanks again for clearing up this issue. Sorry if I sound defensive but if you knew Ms Foster as I do you would understand how ridiculous this allegation against her is.
    Tim Gaffney


    Director of Communications/Grants
    Pinal County Sheriff's Office
    971 Jason Lopez Circle
    Florence, Arizona 85231

    ReplyDelete
  7. and quite right, Miss Foster who has not answered my emails allowinmg her PR assistant to answer for her, was NOT a "tourst" and she was not in NYC with her husband as the NY POST reported or DAILY NEWS, but it was her boyfriend. confirmed now. and yes, the NYT id's her at PR lady at COP shop in arizonz whose father also happened to do similar things like the NYPD officer int he story, helping the homeless. WAS she maybe attending a PR conference that week in NYC? What was her real mission in NYC, a tourist in cold winter? from arizona. somethign fyunny here, and find her boyfiend and ask him, her email is jennifer.foster@pinalcountyaz.gov

    ReplyDelete