The Glass

21st Precinct Sergeant Waters. Yeah, that's right. Oh, is our policeman working over there? What do you want to know for? Well, how does what they're doing concern you? Yeah Yeah Well, you'll just have to bear you are in the muster room at the 21st Precinct the nerve center a call is coming through

You will follow the action taken pursuant to that call from this minute until the final report is written in the one twenty four room at the twenty first precinct alright yeah we'll be through there right away as soon as possible yes yes yeah i'll welcome twenty first precinct it's just lines on a map of the city of new york

most of the hundred and seventy three thousand people wedged into the nine tenths of the square mile between fifth avenue in the east river wouldn't know if you asked them that they lived or worked in the twenty first whether they know it or not The security of their homes, their persons and their property is the job of the men of the

21st Precinct. The 21st, 160 patrolmen, 11 sergeants and four lieutenants of whom I am the boss. My name is Canelli, Frank Canelli. I am Captain in command of the 21st. I was working my night tour, 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. but in fact I had been on the job for three consecutive days.

The election had come on a day which, according to my duty chart, would normally have been time off. But as is required, I had been on the job since I signed the blotter at 7.38 am on Monday.

For every man in the department, the regular duty chart went out at 8 pm on Monday night. Then they were on the job guarding the poles and the voting machines and then tabulating for 16 hours straight.