Department of Homeless Services Police Officers Ryan Watson, left, and Cedric Brown, stand by their agency badge

Fake Gun

On April 19 around 6:30 p.m., then special officer Cedric Brown, who was recently promoted to sergeant and transferred to Charles H. Gay Men’s Shelter, was working at the 30th Street Men’s Shelter in Manhattan when a male client entered the facility carrying a black plastic bag. Brown instructed him to place his belongings in a plastic bin for inspection, but the client threw the plastic bag into the trash can. When Brown asked the client why he did that, the man replied that the bag contained blue jeans he no longer wanted.

After telling the client there was a laundry service at the shelter and that he would need a change of clothes, Brown lifted the bag out of the trash and noticed it was unusually heavy. Brown asked his co-worker, Special Officer Ryan Watson, to Xray the bag. The X-ray revealed the outline of a firearm wrapped in the blue jeans. It turned out to be a black imitation air pistol without the bright orange markings required by the New York State toy-gun law. Cautious not to alarm the client, Watson signaled Brown and notified his supervisor. Brown arrested the client for possession of a weapon.

Drug Bust

On May 23 around 2:14 p.m., also at the 30th Street Men’s Shelter, Special Officer Paul Porto was scanning the personal items of a client when he noticed a bulge in his pocket and asked him to take out whatever was causing the bulge. The man refused, and instead stepped out of the building. He returned about five minutes later.

As he was being scanned with wand, a brown paper bag wrapped in tape fell out of his hoodie pocket. Porto picked it up and asked if it was his. The client replied, “Yes, it’s medication.” Officer Crystal Morales asked Sgt. Joel Pichardo for scissors to cut open the bag for inspection. Pichardo recalled that when they opened the bag, they found 15 bundles containing 148 envelopes of heroin with a street value of about $2,000.

Envelopes of heroin and identification confiscated from a client by DHS police are photographed at the 30th Street Men’s Shelter.

On further investigation, they found that the man had outstanding warrants for criminal possession of a controlled substance.

After placing the client under arrest, the officers searched his locker and found 52 more heroin envelopes along with nine hypodermic needles, two bottles of alleged methadone, a medication bottle of urine, two rubber tie-downs, a straw, and caps to cook heroin.