Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Million Dollar Coruption
This Guy thought the badge would protect him...I guess yes if you can afford 37,000.00 penalty to the state. I suppose his first strike is ok,,Next time it will be a criminal charge by the Attorney General.
A hefty salary and side illegal security business help Detective Herman Lamison live in a Southampton house.
Long Island's million-dollar cop, a Southampton village detective who reeled in a whopping $1.3 million annual salary through side jobs.
Officer Herman Lamison already rakes in well over $100,000 yearly for his police work. But he's earned hundreds of thousands more performing secondary jobs for local cash-flush residents - tending to their estates, providing security and generally offering them peace of mind, records show.
And Lamison is not alone.
As NYPD cops groan about their appalling $25,000-a-year starting salary, Lamison and his colleagues, especially those employed by small East End departments, are living like the glamorous residents they've sworn to protect and serve.
He declined to comment. WHAT A SHOCK
They are setting up shop for a reason. Many mansion owners want to hire local cops to check in on their estates during the off season to guard against theft, burst pipes and squatters.
Meanwhile, socialites hire them to provide security for their sprawling summer galas, club owners hire the cops to calm angry neighbors, and celebrities like Jack Nicholson and Martha Stewart employ them as drivers and bodyguards.
The officers' local connections, combined with the credibility of their badges, attracts the attention of wealthy side employers who only touch down during the summer season.
The owner of one Southampton nightclub said he preferred using local cops for security because they knew the local political and cultural terrain.
"You'd rather have a local guy with a badge talking to a pissed-off neighbor than a guy from Jersey here for a quick paycheck," he said. "It makes sense, businesswise. The clubs are sort oder attack right now, so you want as many local friends as possible."
Lamison, it appears, has been very friendly. But while his successful side business, Prime Time Security, has made him rich, it has also brought an uncomfortable spotlight.
He recently had to pay New York state a $37,000 fine because of licensing lapses.
The trouble came to light after Lamison landed the mother of all home-security gigs years ago, when the controversial industrialist Ira Rennert hired his company to perform 24-hour security at his gargantuan, 64-acre, Sagaponack spread.
Lamison's crew was noted for throwing filmmaker Michael Moore off the property during an attempted filming in 1998.
A New York state investigation into Prime Time Security revealed the extent of Lamison's earnings. They canvassed him through last year and provided income reports through 2005, when he made a reputed $1,331,284. Lamison, who was fined for operating without a proper license, had several other Southampton Village cops on his payroll at the time.
Southampton Village Police Chief William Wilson, who himself headed New York Security Group before giving the business up to focus on his new post, said only a few of his 30 officers work second jobs.
He added that his cops are prohibited from working security for any business that has a liquor license, even while off duty.
But several Southampton Village and Southampton Town cops said they had worked freelance gigs at summer hot spots like Pink Elephant and Jet East.
East Hampton Village Police Chief Gerry Larsen would not comment on any secondary work performed by his staff.
Recently published accounts in the New York Times as well..
A hefty salary and side illegal security business help Detective Herman Lamison live in a Southampton house.
Long Island's million-dollar cop, a Southampton village detective who reeled in a whopping $1.3 million annual salary through side jobs.
Officer Herman Lamison already rakes in well over $100,000 yearly for his police work. But he's earned hundreds of thousands more performing secondary jobs for local cash-flush residents - tending to their estates, providing security and generally offering them peace of mind, records show.
And Lamison is not alone.
As NYPD cops groan about their appalling $25,000-a-year starting salary, Lamison and his colleagues, especially those employed by small East End departments, are living like the glamorous residents they've sworn to protect and serve.
He declined to comment. WHAT A SHOCK
They are setting up shop for a reason. Many mansion owners want to hire local cops to check in on their estates during the off season to guard against theft, burst pipes and squatters.
Meanwhile, socialites hire them to provide security for their sprawling summer galas, club owners hire the cops to calm angry neighbors, and celebrities like Jack Nicholson and Martha Stewart employ them as drivers and bodyguards.
The officers' local connections, combined with the credibility of their badges, attracts the attention of wealthy side employers who only touch down during the summer season.
The owner of one Southampton nightclub said he preferred using local cops for security because they knew the local political and cultural terrain.
"You'd rather have a local guy with a badge talking to a pissed-off neighbor than a guy from Jersey here for a quick paycheck," he said. "It makes sense, businesswise. The clubs are sort oder attack right now, so you want as many local friends as possible."
Lamison, it appears, has been very friendly. But while his successful side business, Prime Time Security, has made him rich, it has also brought an uncomfortable spotlight.
He recently had to pay New York state a $37,000 fine because of licensing lapses.
The trouble came to light after Lamison landed the mother of all home-security gigs years ago, when the controversial industrialist Ira Rennert hired his company to perform 24-hour security at his gargantuan, 64-acre, Sagaponack spread.
Lamison's crew was noted for throwing filmmaker Michael Moore off the property during an attempted filming in 1998.
A New York state investigation into Prime Time Security revealed the extent of Lamison's earnings. They canvassed him through last year and provided income reports through 2005, when he made a reputed $1,331,284. Lamison, who was fined for operating without a proper license, had several other Southampton Village cops on his payroll at the time.
Southampton Village Police Chief William Wilson, who himself headed New York Security Group before giving the business up to focus on his new post, said only a few of his 30 officers work second jobs.
He added that his cops are prohibited from working security for any business that has a liquor license, even while off duty.
But several Southampton Village and Southampton Town cops said they had worked freelance gigs at summer hot spots like Pink Elephant and Jet East.
East Hampton Village Police Chief Gerry Larsen would not comment on any secondary work performed by his staff.
Recently published accounts in the New York Times as well..
Comments:
<< Home
Chief Wilson still operates his New York Security Group. He said during his interview for the top spot that he would sell his business if he was appointed chief. He did just that, Slick Willy Wilson sold the business to his wife. He continues to break the law providing establishments that hold liquer licenses with security. This is done with the ticit approval of Mayor Mark Eply.
# posted by 
: 31 July, 2008 22:01
: 31 July, 2008 22:01
Chief Wilson is under investigation by the New York State Department of State Case # 2007-1969
Post a Comment
# posted by : 23 December, 2008 18:47
: 23 December, 2008 18:47 << Home
