by Jesse West
Jack peeked out the corner of the window and stared at the street in front of him. The call had gone back to the station and everyone on duty was informed of the situation and that it was Officer Jack Bogan that was the hostage taker. He watched as 2 other cop cars pulled up. Acosta signaled for one to go to the end of the block and to have the other go back to the beginning of the street blocking it off the one way street. Haynes sat by their patrol car with the radio, still staring at the house. He was shocked at what Jack was doing and he couldn’t figure out why.
The captain was notified of what was going on and he arrived shortly after the 2 patrol cars before. He was in plain clothes which signified that he was home, which made sense to why a lot of people weren’t there due to it being Thanksgiving. Jack might’ve taken this into consideration but if he didn’t, it was still beneficial to him. It would take them awhile to get together a negotiating team, and time is what he needed. He wasn’t going down without achieving his goal. He had a plan and he was sticking with it. He just needed to think of what to do next. He walked away from the window with the curtains closed so no one could see in.
Outside, the captain got out of the car and walked over to Haynes and Acosta. He had his hair slicked back with gel being that it was the holidays but it exposed a lot of his balding head. He didn’t care, he was a police captain in his late 60s, looking at retiring soon. He had no concern with much but his job and not dealing with bullshit from his officers.
“You guys on site?” he asked them as he approached while taking off his jacket.
“Yes, Captain Williger,” Haynes replied, “Officer Bogan is in there with at least one female hostage and he is armed. He would not come to the door and it appears he has blood on his neck and clothes. We are unsure of whether or not he has other hostages in there as well as who the blood belongs to. We responded to a call from the neighbor regarding a gunshot she claims to have heard approximately an hour ago.” He gave the captain a rundown of the situation thus far which is standard protocol for the first police unit on site.
“Has he made any demands yet?” the captain asked while opening the trunk to their car. He took out a bullet proof vest and began putting it on over his plaid shirt.
“No, sir.” Acosta replied “He noticed some movement while waiting but he obstructed our immediate vision.”
“You mean he closed the curtains.” The captain said while he stared at the house.
“On every window it seems.” Haynes added “He doesn’t want us to see in.”
The captain stood there and shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was here because of one of his own officers.
“I don’t know what you’re doing in there, Bogan.” He said to himself aloud. “But you’ve gotten yourself into a world of shit.”
He walked back over to their patrol car and got on the radio.
“Dispatch, this is Captain Tony Williger.” He began giving the commands over the radio. “I need you to get in touch with the negotiator on call and tell him to put his team together. We have a hostage situation over on Bay 14th. Tell him to get down here and give me an ETA when you get it. Also, get in touch with SWAT, we’re probably going to need them here too. Get me any other officers on duty, we need to try and maintain this so I need all the hands I can get.”
The woman over the radio acknowledged the demands given as the captain looked over at Haynes and Acosta then another idea came to him.
“Contact whoever his next of kin is on record…” he paused for a moment “And get in touch with Krauthammer. I want him down here ASAP.”
Haynes and Acosta looked at each other when they heard this.
“Captain, you want to bring his partner out here?” Haynes asked him curiously.
“It might work as a benefit to have him here if shit hits the fan. I don’t need to turn this into a circus, we just need to end it and if he can help then I want him here.” The captain explained and saw how it made sense to them.
A few more cop cars showed up after hearing the call over the radio from dispatch. The neighbors began coming out on the stoops and porches to see what was going on. More lights and sirens were visible through the curtains by those in the house. Jack sat at his chair in the dining room staring at the window, watching all the lights and hearing it getting more and more crowded on that little one way street. He didn’t know what to expect from the captain being that he he’s never seen him in a situation like this in the few years he was in his precinct. Ever since his incident earlier that same year, he was low on the captain’s totem pole.
At Rick’s home, he was sitting with his wife and daughter watching a movie after dinner. Everything was calm and relaxing until the phone rang. He got up to answer it without any expectation of what it was in regards to. As the dispatch officer on the other line explained the situation to him, his face began to drop. He asked where he needed to be and took down the information he needed. His wife was concerned about what the phone call was about.
“Everything ok?” she asked.
“It’s Jackie.” He said “He’s in trouble. I have to go.” He looked at and she saw how worried and concerned he was about his partner. She nodded her head in compliance. He grabbed his coat and left, determined to get there as fast as he could.
At the house, the captain was formulating a plan as best he could with what he had to work with. With more officers maintaining the area from civilians, the few news reporters that showed up, and giving them a decent area to work with. A one way street doesn’t leave a lot of room to station out in front of a home where there is a hostage taker. The fact that this was a New York City Police Officer made it into a magnet for the cameras and microphones of the media. The captain demanded a line directly into the house. Shortly after they were hooked into their lines, he attempted to call in.
In the house, Jack continued to stare at the window even as the phone was ringing. The others were wondering what he was doing. In Jack’s mind, he knew he wasn’t going to answer the phone. His contact was going to be with them on his terms. He understood and knew the protocol and he was biding his time until he had everything the way he wanted in order to continue. Once the phone stopped ringing, he turned on the radio he had still in his possession, got up, and walked over to the curtains. He peaked out to see them as he spoke into the radio. The captain as well as other officers had their radios on as he began to speak into it.
“Good evening, Captain Williger,” he said politely, bringing all of the officer’s attention to the radio on the hood of the car. The captain picked up the radio and looked at it then up at the house. “Usually, this is when you say, ‘Hello’ in return,” Jack continued.
“Bogan,” the captain began, “What are you doing son?”
“You wouldn’t understand captain,” was Jack’s reply.
“Captain Williger!” the captain spun to another officer approaching him.
“Lieutenant Eric Lynn, Head negotiator. This is my second, Lieutenant Isabella Diaz.” The lieutenant was a tall and skinny man with light brown hair. His second was a shorter women with her hair back in a bun. It is normal for negotiators to often come in pairs depending on what the situation demands. Some hostage situations can take hours or days so it is normal to have a backup negotiator in case it becomes too much for one to handle.
“Captain Williger, 62nd Precinct.” They saluted each other and shook hands.
“Who were the officers on site?” Lynn asked.
“Officers Haynes and Acosta.” Williger pointed them out to the Lynn but they had never left the captains side.
“I need a full detail report on what has happened so far and anything else they may know,” Diaz said.
“Yes ma’am,” Haynes said as both he and Acosta nodded in compliance.
They gave the negotiating team a rundown of what has transpired thus far and explained that the officer in the house was Jack Bogan. They told him whatever they knew, expressed that his partner was on his way, and that he was ar
med. They told them that he was suspended a few months ago for beating a suspect on scene after being called in for a domestic violence dispute. It is the negotiators responsible to take all of this into consideration when addressing the hostage taker. They asked who the house belonged to and they explained that this was apparently family members to Jack that he did not get along with.
“Has he attempted to make contact or has anyone attempted to contact him?” Lynn asked the captain this not realizing that Jack was staring at them through the window.
“We attempted to call into the house but there’s no answer.” The captain explained “He just called us over the radio but we haven’t responded yet.”
“That’s how we spoke to him before, as well.” Haynes added on.
Lynn stuck his hand out to ask for the radio. The captain handed it to him and turned back to the house. The negotiator stepped forward with the radio in hand.
“Officer Bogan.” He said over the radio.
“Ahhh, there is somebody out there willing to talk to me,” Jack replied sarcastically, “I didn’t think anyone liked me since I dragged them out here on Thanksgiving.”
“My name is Lieutenant Eric Lynn,” he began speaking into the radio as he stepped up onto the sidewalk approaching the house. “I am the hostage negotiator that you will be in direct contact with for as long as we are here. I am your friend, Jack. You’ve got a lot of friends out here and a lot of fellow officers who are concerned about you.”
Jack was still peeking out of the curtain and noticed he was getting too close to the house. “I’m not sure about all of that but if you could do me a favor and stay on the sidewalk,” he saw Lynn stop in place, “Yeah, right there is good. Just stay on the other side of the fence.” That house had a white brick fence separating the sidewalk from the lawn in front.
“Alright, Jack. I’ll stay right here, if that’s what you want,” Lynn told him.
“Thank you,” Jack replied with a bit of glee in his voice, sarcastic but he knew Lynn would so what he said.
“So, I’m guessing you can see me but I can’t see you, is that right Jack?” he asked him.
“Yup. Pretty much. And that’s how it’s going to stay for now. Is that ok with you Lieutenant?” Jack’s voice showed a bit of aggression.
“However you want to do it, Jack.” Lynn was calm and professional. You can tell he was good at his job. “One thing I don’t get is why you want to talk to us on the radio. Why don’t you just pick up the phone when we call?”
“I don’t like phones,” Jack explained, “With the radio I get a direct link to you and the other officers out there. I can roam through this entire house and take each one of you with me.”
“No portable phone or cell phone?” Lynn asked.
“Nope. Left my phone at home. Didn’t think I needed it anymore,” Jack replied.
“What do you mean you wouldn’t need it anymore?” Lynn asked confused almost as if he was trying to make small talk, “I don’t know many people who go around without their phone.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t need it tonight.” Jack noticed in his voice what he was trying to do and immediately stopped him in his tracks. “So, let’s not beat around the bush cause I’m sure someone out there would rather be back home with their family instead of here worrying about my meaningless ass.”
“I agree,” Lynn complied, “We should get the curtain ready for the show, but I’m sure you know the question on everybody’s mind, Jack.”
“Why?” Jack knew what the question was.
“Correct, Jack. Why are you doing this?”
Jack hesitated for a second.
“Jack?” Lynn was making sure he still had contact.
“You wouldn’t understand Lieutenant,” he began saying, “None of you would understand.”
“I’m not going to push you to explain yourself, these are questions that can be answered in due time but what I do need to ask you for Jack is…” Lynn began but was cut off by Jack.
“Information?”
“Yes,” Lynn answered.
“Well, I have nine people in here with me,” Jack began giving them the information he knew they wanted. Lynn ran back to one of the patrol cars where they had set up on in front of the house.
“Alright, nine people”
“There are four male and five female. Two elderly people, one in bad condition but still breathing.”
“What do you mean bad condition?” Lynn questioned him. He knew he was dealing with a professional as well so he could let himself go with how he presented his questions.
“He’s fine, Lieutenant. He isn’t the one you should be worried about.” As Jack was giving him the lineup, he walked back into the dining room and stared at everyone as he was one the radio with Lynn.
“Who is the one I have to worry about, Jack?” the way he asked made him sound a bit nervous.
“Well, one of them has a gunshot wound to their right hand.” Jack said with no hesitation in his voice. “He’s beaten up pretty bad but he’s ok for now as well.”
Lynn was outside listening to this in a group with the captain, Diaz, and a few other officers who all looked shocked after hearing Jack confess to shooting one of them. After some thought and allowing time to settle in his mind that Jack was going to these measures, Lynn had to make sure everything he said count.
“Jack, you know what I’m going to ask now?”
“Why did I shoot him?” Jack replied.
“Correct.”
Jack knelt down and stared at Bobby, still curled up with his arm in his lap, the bruises on his face had welted, and he was still dripping blood from his mouth and nose. He could barely see but it was good enough to know Jack was staring at him.
“I have my reasons,” was all Jack said to explain himself.
“Alright, Jack,” Lynn said looking at the captain, “I’ll respect that you want to keep it to yourself but you’ve got me curious.”
Jack smirked a bit when he said this.
“Who else?”
“There’s also a female and male, both around forty and three children.”
“Whoa, wait. Children?” Lynn stopped him and asked.
“Yes. Thirteen, fifteen, and seventeen; two girls and a boy.” Jack confirmed as he stood up and turned to the kids.
“You didn’t mention kids were involved,” Lynn said.
“Well, I just did.”
“Jack, you understand this changes things, right?” Lynn asked and for a moment he forgot he was dealing with a cop.
“I know exactly what it does Lieutenant. It gives me exactly what I need to keep you where you are for as long as I want!” Jack took it as a bit of an insult that he didn’t think he knew what the situation called for.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Jack.” Lynn began explaining, “But you have to realize that being that you now have confirmed that you have children in there and you have proven to be willing to do harm to your hostages, it is my duty to take the necessary measures to assure their safety over yours.”
Jack hesitated for a moment as what he was saying was heard loud and clear by everyone else.
“I know, Lieutenant.”
“Good, as long as we’re clear. But Jack, listen to me carefully, I will do everything within my power to make sure you get whatever it is you want or need in order to get everyone out safely.” Lynn wanted to attempt to reassure him.
Jack took a deep breath and said, “Lieutenant, don’t patronize me. I know just as well as you do that in the majority of hostage situations, the hostage taker has a very low percentage rate of making it out alive.”
“That’s not a hundred percent true, Jack. I was involved in a hostage situation up in Brownsville about a year ago. The guy had his wife and kid locked in his apartment on the twelve floor of a high rise building. After almost three days of negotiating and keeping this guy awake through day and night with the fear that we would come in after him, he eventually gave up and surrendered jus
t so he could go to sleep. And all he wanted was for his wife to not leave him for another man. Now, that guy is spending a couple years in jail and she’s out with some other guy like everything is alright in the world. I checked up on that man a few months ago. He regrets ever thinking that what he had done could change things. His son doesn’t even want to talk to him.”
This was a story Lynn was trying to use to shed some light and ease Jack’s mind.
As he spoke, Jack sat back down in his chair and listened to every word. He exited the mindset that he has to be the bad guy and became a cop again for a minute. He was just a cop listened to a tough story told by a fellow cop. He snapped out of it when he was done as if he was in a daydream.
“What are you getting at Lieutenant?”
“The point, Jack, is that whatever it is you’re going through there is always a better solution.”
At this point, Rick had pulled up down the block where the blockade was at the beginning of the street. He couldn’t get passed a few cars so he left his car parked in the middle of the street and ran to where the officers had it blocked off. They almost didn’t recognize him but he expressed who he was and they let him through. He ran up the block, dodging people that who crowding the sidewalk. He noticed a lot of the people were out and focused on one house. He ran up through the sidewalk and the street. He got to the car just as Lynn finished the story he was telling Jack. As he approached them, Jack said something over the radio.
“We’re going to have a long night ahead of us, Lieutenant. Let’s keep ourselves on track.” Jack wasn’t letting him get into his head. He knew what he was trying to do with his story telling but Jack was too determined.
“Alright, Jack,” Lynn said, “There’s someone else here that would like to speak to you.”
Lynn handed the radio to Rick and he began speaking into it.
“Jackie.”
Hearing Rick’s voice didn’t shock him, he knew that he would come down after he heard what was going on.
“Ricky,” Jack began, “What’s up buddy? Glad you could make it. I hope Leah’s not mad at me for taking you away from her.”