The Retired Guardians Fraternal Association takes great pride in illuminating Brother Charles Casey in our Spotlight for June 2007. Charles was born on December 25, 1938 in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. He is a graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Following graduation, Charles traveled to New York City where he began playing in numerous Latin and Jazz bands before forming his own ten member band. He performed with his band from 1960 to 1967. During that time he also worked briefly for the United States Postal Service.

Charles joined the New York City Transit Police Department in October 1968. During his career he worked in uniformed assignments in Districts 10, 20, 22 and 3. He worked plainclothes in District 3 A/C, Citywide Anti-Crime, in the Black/Hispanic Anti-Crime Unit and Detective Districts in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.

In 1978, after being promoted to sergeant, Charles supervised the District 3 Anti-Crime Unit in the capture of the infamous subway killers, Willie Boskett and Herman Spatts, who were wanted for questioning in murders and attempted murders on the transit system. This highly publicized case resulted in the Governor and the legislature enacting a law to provide more efficient and severe penalties for youths involved in such crimes. Today that law is known as the New York State Juvenile Offender Law. In 1980, while still supervising Anti-Crime in District 3, the unit recorded the highest arrest record of any anti-crime unit in the department and was awarded the first Transit Police Unit Citation. In 1983, Charles was promoted to Detective Sergeant. He supervised all district detectives. He was later reassigned to the prestigious Robbery Squad. The Robbery Squad assignment included the investigation of all token change booth robberies.

In 1985 Charles was promoted to Lieutenant and reassigned within the Detective Bureau. He was subsequently promoted to Detective Squad Commander and became the first African American to supervise the Major Case and the Transit Manhattan District Attorney’s squads. Following the merge, Charles retired from the NYPD in 1995.

Charles has been married to Glenda for 46 years and has two sons, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He is proud to have been a lifelong member of the Guardians and Retired Guardians. He and Glenda can usually been seen at the reunions and Annual Dinner Dance. They divide their time between their homes in Greenville, North Carolina and Amityville, New York. Charles can be reached via E-mail at charlglen@suddenlink.net.