A veteran NYPD motorcycle cop is calling it quits after 37 years with New York’s Finest — which saw him escort four US presidents and Pope John Paul II in the Big Apple.
Lt. Joseph Bell, commander of the department’s Highway District 5, retired on Wednesday with a traditional walkout ceremony, and even busted a burglar on his way out the door..
“The day before my walkout, my neighbor called and said somebody had broken into a house on our block,” Bell told The Post. “I told him to call 911, and when I got there we saw the guy trying to get away — and we grabbed him.”
It was a fitting cap to a stellar career in the department.
Bell joined the department in 1989, working his way up the ranks through a series of assignments, earning a promotion to sergeant in 1996 and to lieutenant in 2000 — before taking over the elite highway unit.
“I always admired the unit,” Bell said. “I had a cousin who was in highway patrol when I was in the police academy, so I had an inside look at what the unit was about. I respected the professionalism and the work they did — escorting the president of the United States, line-of-duty funerals and riding motorcycles.
“I’ve always been a motorcycle guy,” he said. “I’ve had a motorcycle since I was 8-years old. If the NYPD was going to pay me to ride a Harley-Davidson, I guess that’s a dream job. It’s not really work.”
Those escorts included four presidents — Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W. Bush — as well as Pope John Paul II on a visit to the five boroughs in 1995.
The retired cop called being part of a presidential motorcade “probably the highest honor.”
Bell is also proud of his track record at the NYPD, including a run of three years without a fatal collision during his tenure at the 122nd Precinct on Staten Island, which also saw him crack down on traffic crimes.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella presented him with a proclamation of appreciation.
Bell said the hardest part of retiring is his fellow cops on the force and the camaraderie he has with them.
But he’s got plenty of plans to keep him busy — the car enthusiast hopes to restore a vintage 1962 Corvette, a project he said he’s been putting off, and also plans to travel.
“There was never one day that I was on my way to work and said I didn’t want to be there,” Bell said. “I always looked forward to going. It was awesome. It was a great ride.”
Read the full article here
