He stood in the shadows of one of the country's best-known politicians, dutifully chipping away at crime in New York City while largely steering credit to his boss.
Howard C. Safir, the grim-faced police commissioner under former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani whose exceptional crime-cutting record was stained by a series of police misconduct scandals, is resuming his role as loyal team player, this time, helping Annapolis' police chief attack crime.
Chosen by Mayor Ellen O. Moyer to advise interim Police Chief Michael A. Pristoop, Safir - a longtime Annapolis resident with more than three decades of law enforcement experience - is offering his expertise at a critical juncture for Annapolis. The city of 36,000 is fighting to tame a climbing homicide rate that has surpassed Baltimore's so far this year.
"Let's get one thing clear," said Safir, 66, his Bronx roots evident in his speech. "I'm not the police chief. I'm a citizen of Annapolis who has an interest. The mayor has selected someone who is going to be an outstanding police chief for Annapolis. As I told him, I will do as much or as little as he wants. I have a lot of experience, but I'm not the guy in charge."
Safir declined to have his photo taken for this article, saying he didn't want to upstage the new chief.
Pristoop, a former Baltimore police commander and most recently head of the state Department of General Services, and Safir, a strong advocate of using DNA to reduce crime backlogs, have discussed policing strategies and technological tools that largely mirror a new state-funded crime-fighting initiative in Annapolis. Among the plans being formed are installing closed-circuit surveillance cameras in high-crime areas and instituting more precise crime tracking methods."It would be shortsighted on my part not to take into serious consideration some of the things he has suggested," Pristoop said. "As far as I'm concerned, he's a valuable partner for me, and I respect his opinion."In a brief phone interview, Giuliani steadfastly supported Safir, whom he befriended decades ago when they worked in Washington. (Giuliani was a prosecutor; Safir was head of the U.S. Marshals Service.) Beyond a strong working relationship, the two men have confronted personal difficulties together, both receiving cancer diagnoses days apart about eight years ago. They have both recovered.
