8/26/05 - Grand Central Overpass
Josh and I went to the pedestrian bridge after leaving the Central Terminal Building and met up there with Eric to get the US Airways N109UW new scheme on its rwy 13 departure.
We saw it pushback and we knew it was coming any minute, when we heard on the scanner that the tower called for a military closure for rwy 13 departures. We looked in the skies and saw nothing.
I then looked to other side of the overpass and saw two big older white guys walking across towards us. I thought right away that they might be plain-clothed officers, but didn't sweat it until I knew for sure.
They came up to us and being very subtle, showed us their badges and asked what we were up to. Josh then asked who they were, apparently having not seen his badge and they showed them again.
I explained what we were doing. I gave them my card and my ID, and I also showed them some magazines with my work in it and they seemed very pleased.
They didn't even take our ID back to the car to check it. We told them we were there for the new US Airways scheme, and they hung out for a minute until it departed. They almost seemed interested in watching us do our thing.
Once it departed,t hey told us to have a nice day, even apologizing for the interruption.
These guys were very kind and this is a great example of how such encounters should go. They came, no attitude, asking a direct question, and we answered in a cooperative tone, and took a friendly step by offering our card and ID before they even needed to ask. We showed example of our work and these officers were smart enough to realize that we were no threat.
They didn't need to apologize, not sure why they did. I understand why they came and we all resolved it together.
I'd lie to add that these guys looked especially rugged, kinda like Harley bikers. Yet they were among the most polite officers I've met yet. They had nothing to prove.
Summary
Spotter Names: Phil Derner Jr, Josh Akbar, Eric Dunetz
Airport: LGA
Location: Grand Central Parkway Walking Overpass
Date: 8/24/05
Start Time: 4:00pm
Duration: 5 minutes
Preemptive Course of Action: None
Agency or Agencies Involved: NYPD
Primary Officer Name: -
Badge Number: -
Misc.:
Obnoxious Remarks: None
Case Number: -
Other Information:
