Tony Awards 2010 Special Interview: Midtown North & South NYC Police Precincts

Today, we are talking to three members of the NYPD - Officer Bekim Kalicovic, Sergeant Andrew Lopez and Detective Martin Speechley - who work in the theatre district and whose precinct will be receiving a Special Tony Honors this season for their stupendous work protecting and serving the theatre community.

The following is a an interview conducted with on-the-beat in the theater district Officer Bekim Kalicovic and Sergeant Andrew Lopez overseen by Detective Martin Speechley. It was a pleasure to talk with these valiant, honorable men and shine some light on some behind-the-scenes direction and choreography. We also discuss the recent bomb scare incident and the most chaotic stage door experiences of the last twenty years. It is because of the tried and true men and women in blue of the NYPD that the show does, indeed, go on.

PC: What is it like working the theatre district everyday?

BK: It's New York City. People are very courteous and very inviting and very cordial to us. They're very appreciate of what we do. They consistently tell us how well of a job we do so it's very rewarding. At the same time, it's very demanding. New York has a lot of people. You're dealing with large crowds of people all at the same time. Trying to enforce the rules and regulations while still trying to protect the crowd sometimes becomes very demanding. But, as I said, it's all very rewarding.

AL: I've been a theater cop for twenty years. I was a theater officer in Shubert Alley in Midtown South. I was there for nine years. I got promoted in ‘99. I went to Midtown North I did a brief stay over in the 23rd precinct. For the last eleven years I've been a Theatre Sergeant in Midtown North. There are twenty-seven theaters we are responsible for in Midtown North including landmarks like Carnegie Hall, Roseland, City Center, The Ed Sullivan Theater. This is what we do on a daily basis. There's eleven theater cops, one to each block, and when all these theaters are full we have roughly forty thousand people inside of all the theaters.

PC: Could you tell me how things have changed before and after Guiliani?

AL: The Theatre District was always safe. We had a cop on every block. From that aspect it didn't change. It got a little edgy after 8th Avenue, though. That was a dangerous area there. Now, it's tourist-friendly and there are police all over the place. They do a great job. We have major stars in the theatres on any day. Denzel Washington, Angela Lansbury, Nathan Lane, Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth. People wait outside, they want autographs. It's really busy, we try to set up police barriers and do it the best we can. At the same time, we have to let the vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow smoothly in the area.

PC: What's the craziest stage door scene you've seen so far?
Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman?

AL: Number one of all time has to be THE PRODUCERS with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. That was insane, the crowds every night. More recently, no question, Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman in A STEADY RAIN. Julia Roberts in THREE DAYS OF RAIN, that drew a tremendous crowd. Now, with Denzel Washington in FENCES at the Cort Theatre we have to have two or three officers come over to help with the crown control. He draws some crowd!

PC: Could you both tell me about the bomb scare and give me a step-by-step account of how you reacted and how you kept everyone calm?

BK: I was right on the scene when the bomb scare happened. I know more on the crowd control aspect and I just explained to everybody at first that there was a police investigation that was occurring because I didn't know all the aspects of what exactly was occurring. I didn't want to mislead anyone or give them any false information. I told them there was a police investigation going on at the time and they were investigating a fire in a car. People had a lot of questions, many questions, but, for the most part, people did remain calm. The coordinated effort between the NYPD, the FDNY and other agencies was very successful. It was unbelievable the way everything was handled and how everything came to and finished up. It was just amazing. No one got hurt - thank God - and the bomb was disabled and we're back to safety and we're back to normal.

PC: Do you have anything to add Sergeant Lopez?

AL: Where the car was situated at the time, it came over the radio that it was on the borderline of Midtown South and Midntown North. 45th Street is the dividing line between the two precincts. So, the car was actually parked adjacent on 45th Street to 1515 Broadway, the Viacom Building. So, when we got the call, I was on 48th Street attending to the theaters and we heard over the radio that there was a car fire. So, you know, this happens quite often in the city so we thought the FDNY was going to handle it. Then, as time went on, the radio started escalating with activity. It jumped from a car fire to calls for ESU, emergency service, to come in. First, they called for the Fire Department and they responded. The officers on the scene for Midtown responded, Jason Mandarin and Donny Shroeder. Recently, they met the president and were thanked personally for what they did. It was no longer just a car fire, it was a lot more than we thought. So, they responded, and when we got that ESU was coming... We started backing people up. We closed streets. But, as it started escalating to severity, when we realized what we had going on, we eventually moved everybody. From south of 42nd Street and north of 47th Street was completely frozen from 8th Avenue to 6th Avenue. We had tremendous police help. We had police officers all over the place. There is no similar agency in the world who could do what we do. We did an absolutely astounding job and I'm really proud of what we did.

PC: You certainly should be proud of your amazing work and a commendation couldn't come in better form than a Tony Award!

AL: Absolutely. We're taking all precautions. We're on top of it. I'm very comfortable being out there and I think everyone should totally feel free come and see the city. It's a great city. All the theatres are basically filled. We're doing really well here.

PC: How did you get involved in working the Theatre District, Officer Kalikovic?

BK: I initially come up to Midtown North right after my impact training at Midtown South in January 2006. I went into the quality of life unit which had been scheduled as the theater unit. From then on, I worked with all the theatre police officers and theatre personnel working on Broadway. I took a great liking to my job and dealing with these people on a daily basis. I was very comfortable dealing with these people, the police people, the crowds, everyone that there was. I told Sergeant Lopez how I was very comfortable with it and when there was an opening I asked if I could possibly go into his unit - which he welcomed me into - since we had worked so well together and had such a great relationship thus far. We worked very well together. It was in May 2007 that I came into this unit and, like I said, I work side-by-side with Sergeant Lopez and the other ten members of this unit. It's been a great time. Like I said, it's been very demanding, but, again, it's very rewarding at the end of day. I get a lot of thank-yous everyday from people. Many thank-yous. Hundreds of thank-yous

PC: And thank you for keeping the order. But, speaking of chaos, what was the most chaotic event either of you oversaw?

BK: Sergeant Lopez is also in charge of dealing with the large concert halls like Roseland. At anytime, there can be upwards of 3500 people at any one time. I remember when TWILIGHT came out, there were just thousands and thousands and thousands of people out there. Most of them kids. I learned, Sergeant Lopez taught me to make sure to keep your eyes on the crowd, never have your back turned. He showed me how to set up barriers, how to control the crowd in a safe and orderly manner so no one gets hurt: not the crowd, not the stars, not the police officers, not the pedestrians walking down the block. He also show me also how to coordinate everything in such a hectic environment so that it is not hectic, so that it actually runs smoothly. The traffic runs smoothly, the pedestrian traffic runs smoothly and the crowd gets to see the stars. And, again, the stars are safe at the same time and the police officers are safe and able to do their jobs.

PC: Are there any other experiences that stick out in your experience?

BK: Whatever situation may occur in the future, I am very confident the NYPD can handle what ever comes our way.

AL: Just to add to what he said, that day with the car bomb, a lot of people don't realize this: there were people inside all those theatres. And the shows all went on. They might have been 30-40 minutes late, but the shows went on. That night, we had to empty out all the theatres into alternate routes. In an hour, an hour and a half amount of time, we were able to do it. I can't thank the NYPD enough.

PC: What shows have you seen and what did you like?

AL: I've seen so many shows. JERSEY BOYS is a great show. I liked MAMMA MIA!. There's a bunch of them. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is a load of fun, it's selling out. It's a great show. BILLY ELLIOT is another great show. You know, I've seen so many shows in the past, going back to DREAMGIRLS. THE PRODUCERS was an outstanding show. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, the longest running show, when I first came on the job in ‘90 that was my first. PHANTOM is a great show. Tourists still love it. It still regularly sells out.

BK: My girlfriend wanted to see THE LION KING so I took her to see it. I thought it was going to be a kiddie show, but I actually ended up enjoying it very much as an adult. I actually got into the show and it was an amazing show. The performances were beyond amazing.

PC: I hope you get to see Julie Taymor's next show then, SPIDERMAN, it should be something!

AL: One last thing: I have to announce that Officer Kalikovic is being promoted to Sergeant any day now, so we're gonna lose him!

PC: Congratulations, what a great accomplishment.

BK: Thank you.

PC: Lastly, what does winning the Special Tony mean to your precinct, do you think? Do you know where it will be displayed? What are your feelings about it?

AL: Truthfully, the whole command is very proud. I'm sure they'll put it someplace where everyone can get a visual on it. I'm sure it will be someplace everyone can have access to it.

BK: The Tony Award is like icing on the cake. The theater district has always been very thankful to us. Always telling us how great of a job we do, always showing us appreciation, always coming out to say hello to us, always being friendly to us. So, it really is the icing on the cake for us.

AL: You know, we have a great rapport with the theatre district and the three main Theatre Owners. The Shuberts, The Jujamcyns and the Nederlanders. The late Mr. Schoenfeld, we had a great rapport with him, he was always on our side. He is sorely missed.

PC: And the police force is the icing on the cake for the theatre community. It's because of you order reigns. Is there anything you'd like to add, Detective Speechley?

MS: No, there's nothing I need to add. These guys have done a fantastic job.

PC: Thanks so much, all of us in the theatre community really appreciate everything you all do for us everyday.

AL: You're quite welcome.

BK: Thanks, Pat.

MS: It's been a pleasure.

PC: Indeed.