Editorial for March 6, 2008 edition:


Captain’s choice

You don’t need a criminal justice degree to know that steering the ship in the toughest of Northeast Philadelphia’s four police districts is no piece of cake. Kudos to Capt. Frank Bachmayer, top cop in the 15th district, upon whom the Fraternal Order of Police has bestowed its Commanders Award, which honors the men and women in blue for superior work.
Capt. Bachmayer is extremely worthy of the prestige and respect that accompanies this honor, and residents and merchants throughout the Northeast should congratulate him.
It would be easy for this captain, or any captain, for that matter, to sit in the policeman’s version of an ivory tower at Harbison and Levick, but that’s not Capt. Bachmayer, whose steady hand at the helm helped his troops and the entire community get through the tragedy of the cold-blooded murder nearly two years ago of the district’s popular community relations officer, Gary Skerski.
Tributes from those who know the captain best and who attended an awards banquet, including Officer Skerski’s widow, the FOP president, and the district’s advisory council vice president, make a compelling case for his fitness for the award, although the man himself is modest in giving credit to his officers, the advisory council and Town Watch groups. Still, it takes a special type of commander to inspire and motivate the human wheels that run a successful law-enforcement engine.
Now, Capt. Bachmayer might want to start a mission that could, should and would make his job a bit easier: Persuade the Nutter administration to split the 15th into two districts. The need is there. The Northeast could use a few dozen more good cops — just like Frank Bachmayer. ••

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