“Haunts Me!” - NYPD Terror Detective on 9/11, Epstein & Interrogation Mastery | Tom Smith • 401

Tom Smith notes a significant shift in policing from his start in 1990 to today. Historically, police were respected due to family upbringing emphasizing law and order. Today, media villainizes police, and social media amplifies incidents, making it harder for officers to act decisively, even in self-defense. In the 90s, officers were trained to 'never lose a fight' and were allowed to use necessary force.

Smith states, 'It's very different. The mindset's different, policies are different, laws are different, you know, and the way the public looks upon the police are different. And that's because of the media, you know, you get villainized.' He also mentions academy training: 'You're not allowed to lose a fight under any circumstances. You cannot lose a fight.'

Smith emphasizes that effective communication is the most crucial skill for a detective. He advocates for treating all individuals with respect, regardless of their background, and building rapport before delving into the case. His technique involved engaging suspects in casual conversation (e.g., sports) for 15-20 minutes to relax them and catch them off guard, making them more receptive to sharing information.

Smith advises, 'If there's one thing that you have to do and have to learn is your communication skills. If you can't talk to people, you're not going to be successful.' He describes his method: 'I would never walk in there talking about the case. My thing, I would walk in talk about sports for 20 minutes... it catches them off guard and it gets them like very relaxed.'

Smith's experience on 9/11, from hearing the news in his car to arriving at Ground Zero, underscored a fundamental shift. The immediate aftermath involved chaos and a realization that 'the world changed.' Post-9/11, the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) expanded significantly, becoming the largest in the country. A critical improvement was enhanced inter-agency information sharing, a stark contrast to pre-9/11 failures where agencies withheld crucial intelligence.

Smith recalls, 'watching military planes fly around New York City was looking up and watching these things bank around New York going, 'All right, this is not the same. The world's not the same anymore.'' He highlights the JTTF's growth and the improvement in information sharing: 'The information sharing got much better and agencies started to work together and share information.'

Despite the intense and often traumatic nature of his work, Smith did not experience PTSD in his waking life but suffered from vivid nightmares where his gun often malfunctioned. His primary coping mechanisms included a long commute home to decompress, talking with his wife (a guidance counselor), and actively coaching youth sports. He stresses the importance of having an 'outlet' or 'release from this madness' for police officers.

Smith describes, 'My thing in my life was nightmares. I would have horrific nightmares... my gun never worked.' He credits his commute and wife: 'That hour plus ride home in the beginning of my career kind of set it in motion of getting it out of my head before I got home.' He advises young cops: 'You need an outlet. You need a release from this madness.'

Smith argues that addressing generational cycles of crime requires significant investment in education and community programs, particularly for youth and adults. He criticizes politicians for ignoring these issues because 'kids get ignored because why? They don't speak up. So they're easy to get pushed to the side.' He advocates for diverse programs beyond sports to tap into varied interests and provide alternative paths.

Smith states, 'Schools, education, absolutely. That's where it starts.' He criticizes the lack of change: 'The New York City educational system has been the same since God knows when. Nothing's changed.' He suggests, 'You have to just have a network of different things that kids can tap into in a community. Don't just focus on sports.'