Ozzi Thompson

   IN THE SPIRIT OF A LEADER

ONE YEAR LATER:

AFRICAN AMERICAN  DAY PARADE SEPTEMBER 16, 2007

Retired Housing Police Officer Oswald Thompson, who served with distinction in NYCHA’s former Housing Police force for 27 years, died on September 11, 2006 at age 79. Prior to his retirement in 1986,  Ozzie, as he was affectionately known, served for decades as a community affairs officer in Harlem, where he achieved  success promoting better relations between the city’s police and the black community. Founder of Harlem’s first Tenant/Police Community Council, and consistently detailed to elite police squads, he was awarded numerous citations and medals from NYCHA’s Housing Police, which merged with the NYPD in 1994.

After retirement, “Harlem’s favorite community cop” brought his passion for community policing and public safety to New York’s political chambers as a highly respected community advocate, and later to the city’s cable TV network as producer and host of his

own call-in program “Community Cop.”  While widely respected for putting a human face on law enforcement and peacefully resolving volatile situations, Ozzie’s security expertise was highly sought. A certified security trainer and personal protection specialist, he spearheaded protective details for Percy Sutton, former Mayor David Dinkins, the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Nelson Mandela.

As reported in New York’s media, and the Guardian Chronicle.Com , an outpouring of

friends and colleagues filled Harlem’s Salem United Methodist Church along with Ozzie’s family on September 18, to commemorate a life dedicated to public safety and social harmony. “Ozzie was the epitome of what police who serve the community is all about,” said Father Lawrence Lucas, who presided at the funeral services.

Former Mayor Dinkins addressed mourners that included New Yorkers from the neighborhoods where Ozzie served, as well as prominent politicians such as Representative Charles Rangel, State Assemblyman Keith Wright, Councilman Charles Barron, and ReverendAl Sharpton. “Everyone here knows Ozzie’s remarkable work in law enforcement,” he said. Ozzie was a charter member in the African American Civil Service Workers, founding member of the Grand Council of Guardians and the National Black Police Association, Vice President of the Council of Police Societies, and serviced in various positions within the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

Andrew Roane:

NYC Correction Guardians Association              Past Executive Board Member/ Ret NYCD

Sends this words to the Guardian Chronicle    

    In the course of your busy day..stop for a moment and think about what a great man Ozzie was..Great not in wealth..but in all the people in the law enforcement he touched( including myself)..his love for the Harlem community..and the Black family..

    Rest on Soldier..the torch will always burn for you,

    Andrew