Page 16 - November Issue 10 24 14_Neat
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THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A CAMPUS POLICE DETECTIVE:
“An Exclusive Interview with James ‘Jimmy’ Rago”
Name: James “Jimmy” Rago, “If you
call me James, it triggers lashbacks to
Catholic grade school where the nuns
would pull my sideburns on a regular
basis”
City of Birth: Philadelphia, PA. “My initial
reaction was to tell you what part of Philly. When
people from Philly engage with others it usually
comes down to neighborhoods such as,
South Philly, Roxborough or ‘the’,
northeast.
Courtesy of Jimmy Rago of Temple University Police
If you interact with someone from Philly, it gets broken down by neighborhoods and
intersections; Brickyard, K&A, ‘the bottom’. Philadelphians as a rule are proud of their
heritage and the traditions. It’s really a large city made up of many small town people. “
Occupation: I am a Police Detective
EIJ: “When you did irst began your career in law enforcement?”
Det. Rago: November 16 , 1981
th
EIJ: “What has changed in the world of policing, since the time you
have started as a law enforcement oficer?”
Det. Rago: Everything, the premise is still the same, catch the bad guys, make
the world a better place; but the mentalities of criminals have changed- they
are more vicious and less fearful of the system. Demographics of the victims
have changed. Twenty or thirty years ago, even criminals respected certain
members of society. It would be so infrequent to hear of an older person being,
robbed, or a pregnant woman being shot (that happened twice in
the last 30 days in this city, both resulting in homicides). No one dared to
burglarize a house of worship or attack the clergy. The mailman could always
deliver the mail without fear even in the roughest of neighborhoods. Crimes
like this would cause the community to unite, maybe even take matters into
their own hands.
16
“An Exclusive Interview with James ‘Jimmy’ Rago”
Name: James “Jimmy” Rago, “If you
call me James, it triggers lashbacks to
Catholic grade school where the nuns
would pull my sideburns on a regular
basis”
City of Birth: Philadelphia, PA. “My initial
reaction was to tell you what part of Philly. When
people from Philly engage with others it usually
comes down to neighborhoods such as,
South Philly, Roxborough or ‘the’,
northeast.
Courtesy of Jimmy Rago of Temple University Police
If you interact with someone from Philly, it gets broken down by neighborhoods and
intersections; Brickyard, K&A, ‘the bottom’. Philadelphians as a rule are proud of their
heritage and the traditions. It’s really a large city made up of many small town people. “
Occupation: I am a Police Detective
EIJ: “When you did irst began your career in law enforcement?”
Det. Rago: November 16 , 1981
th
EIJ: “What has changed in the world of policing, since the time you
have started as a law enforcement oficer?”
Det. Rago: Everything, the premise is still the same, catch the bad guys, make
the world a better place; but the mentalities of criminals have changed- they
are more vicious and less fearful of the system. Demographics of the victims
have changed. Twenty or thirty years ago, even criminals respected certain
members of society. It would be so infrequent to hear of an older person being,
robbed, or a pregnant woman being shot (that happened twice in
the last 30 days in this city, both resulting in homicides). No one dared to
burglarize a house of worship or attack the clergy. The mailman could always
deliver the mail without fear even in the roughest of neighborhoods. Crimes
like this would cause the community to unite, maybe even take matters into
their own hands.
16
