Even eight out of ten murder cases are resolved by “plea bargaining.” In such instances, the murderer generally receives a light sentence, and is soon free to repeat his crimes again.

From my own experience I could give you many examples of this “revolving door” court system. But let me select just one. In 1970 a man with a long criminal record ruthlessly stabbed to death a defenseless old man, the owner of a liquor store. Yet this cold-blooded murderer was permitted to plead guilty to manslaughter, and was sentenced to five years, which means he probably served only two or three years. But it was one of the most heinous crimes I have ever investigated!

I desired to advance in the department, and on May 18, 1962, a terrible thing happened that opened the way​—two Brooklyn detectives, named Fallon and Finnegan, were slain in a tobacco store in my precinct, just a few blocks from where I was at the time. In those days murders of police officers were unusual, and detectives from all over the city were called in to work on the case.

The night of the murders I received information from a confidential source that staggered me​—I was told the identity of one of the murderers. I immediately went to the police station and reported the information. Right on the spot I was assigned to help on the case. That very night we were able to establish that one of the suspects was involved in the murders. Later he was apprehended and convicted.