>>> AS PART OF THE ONGOING

SERIES CHASING THE DREAM,

POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN

AMERICA, WE HAVE AN INSPIRING

STORY THAT TRULY ILLUSTRATES THE

LUCK OF THE IRISH.

LUKE WATERS WILL MAKE YOU THINK

TWICE ABOUT UNDOCUMENTED

IMMIGRANTS LIVING AMONG US.

AS A YOUNG MAN IN DUBLIN LUKE

DREAMT OF COMING TO NEW YORK FOR

A CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.

BUT AS HAPPENS OUR COMPLEX

IMMIGRATION SYSTEM GOT IN THE

WAY OF HIS AMERICAN DREAM.

IN HIS MEMOIR ACTION "NYPD

GREEN," IRISH BORN DETECTIVE 25

YEARS ON THE MEAN STREETS OF NEW

YORK, WATERS DESCRIBES HIS LIVE

FROM THE DAYS OF LIVING ILLEGAL

TO THE NIGHTS FIGHTING CRIME.

HE JOINS ME NOW WELCOME, LUKE.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> FIRST, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT

SINCE WE MENTIONED YOUR

IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE, WHAT WAS

YOUR EXPERIENCE COMING TO NEW

YORK?

>> LISTEN, IT WAS A GREAT

EXPERIENCE, JENNA.

YOU KNOW, I CAME FROM IRELAND AS

AN IMMIGRANT, AS YOU KNOW, IN

THE 1980s.

AND JUST -- LEAVING IRELAND

WHERE YOU KNOW WE HAD NOTHING.

>> UM-HUM.

>> I MEAN, UNEMPLOYMENT WAS 25%.

THERE WAS NO HOPE, NO PROSPECTS

FOR A YOUNG PERSON IN IRELAND

BACK THEN.

BUT COMING TO NEW YORK AND

GETTING OFF THE AIRPLANE AND

COMING INTO NEW YORK CITY, I

MEAN, IT WAS JUST A FANTASTIC

FEELING WITHIN YOU.

YOU WALK OUT OF JFK AND SEE THE

HUGE BIG CARS.

AS AN IMMIGRANT, LIKE, THIS IS

FANTASTIC.

AND THEN YOU GO INTO NEW YORK

CITY AND YOU JUST LOOKING UP AT

HAD THIS HUGE BIG CITY.

AND YOU CAME FROM IRELAND.

IT'S LIKE A HUGE BIG CHRISTMAS

TREE FULL OF LIGHTS.

THAT'S THE WAY I DESCRIBE IT.

>> UM-HUM.

>> IT WAS A POSITIVE FEELING IN

NEW YORK BACK THEN BECAUSE OF

WHERE WE CAME FROM.

WHEN I GOT INTO NEW YORK CITY

THAT DAY, I REMEMBER THE PILOT

HAD SAID EARLIER ON THE PLANE,

YOU KNOW, PUT YOUR WATCHES BACK

FIVE HOURS TO LOCAL TIME.

I REMEMBER SAYING TO MYSELF HE

SHOULD HAVE SAID PUT IT FORWARD

20 YEARS.

THAT'S WHAT IT FELT LIKE.

>> WOW.

>> THAT WAS A GREAT FEELING.

WHEN YOU GOT TO THE NEW YORK AS

AN IMMIGRANT BE, YOU KNEW THIS

WAS YOUR HOME AND YOU WERE

WELCOME HERE AND ACCEPTED HERE.

AND I SUPPOSE AS IMMIGRANTS BACK

THEN YOU KNOW, WE ALL WORKED.

>> UM-HUM.

>> WE WORKED VERY HARD BECAUSE

WE WANTED TO WORK.

AND WE PAID OUR TAXES AND WE

LIVED WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE

AMERICAN DREAM.

THAT'S WHAT I DID.

>> SPEAKING OF THE AMERICAN

DREAM, FOR A LOT OF IMMIGRANTS

THAT STARTS WORKING AT THE

BOTTOM YOU DIDN'T STEP OFF THE

PLANE INTO THE NYPD.

THERE WAS JOBS IN BETWEEN.

>> I THINK MOST IRISH BACK IN

THE 80s EITHER WORKED IN BARS,

RESTAURANTS RESTAURANTS OR

CONSTRUCTION.

EVENTUALLY YOU PROGRESSED ON TO

YOU KNOW THE POLICE DEPARTMENT

OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OR THE

MILITARY.

BUT I ENDED UP WEATHER IN THE

BARS.

AND YOU KNOW, I -- A COUPLE OF

FUNNY STORIES ACTUALLY AS AN

IMMIGRANT BACK THEN I WORKED IN

ONE CAR CALLED BREWS ON 34th

STREET, RIGHT OFF LEXINGTON

AVENUE.

AND I WAS IN THE BAR ONE

PARTICULAR DAY.

AND MY IDOL GROWING UP WAS TELLY

SAVALAS, KOJAK.

FROM CHILDHOOD I WANTED TO BE A

COP IN IRELAND.

NEVER DREAMT OF BEING A COP IN

AMERICA.

BUT I'M SITTING IN THE BAR ONE

DAY.

AND IN WALKS TELLY SAVALAS.

I'M LIKE, THIS IS -- THIS IS MY

IDOL HERE.

AND HE SITS UP AT THE BAR AND

SAYS TO ME, KID, GIVE ME A

MARTINI STRAIGHT UP WITH A

TWIST.

AND I SAYS DO YOU MIND IF I

SHAKE YOUR HAND?

I SAYS, I WAS A BIG FAN GROWING

UP.

AND HE GOES, YOU'RE A FAN, HE

SAYS WELL WHO WAS MY CAPTAIN.

>> VERY QUICKLY I SAYS CAPTAIN

McNEIL.

>> HE SAYS WHAT DO YOU KNOW KID,

YOU ARE A FAN.

NOW GIVE ME A MARTINI STRAIGHT

UP WITH A TWIST.

>> I GIVE HIM HIS DRINK.

FOR ME AS AN IMMIGRANT, JENNA

COMING FROM IRELAND THIS WAS

HUGE FOR ME.

IT WAS HUGE.

AND I HAD A BRIEF CONVERSATION

WITH HIM.

AND HE STARTED TO TELL ME THAT

YOU KNOW HE WAS THE SON OF GREEK

IMMIGRANTS.

AND HE STARTED TELLING ME HOW HE

GREW UP.

HE HAD TO SELL NEWSPAPERS AND

SHINE SHOES MAKING A LIVING.

>> UM-HUM.

>> AND WHAT STRUCK ME THE MOST

ABOUT HIM WAS HE TOLD ME HE WAS

JUST AN ORDINARY KID WHO LED AN

EXTRAORDINARY LIFE.

BUT ON THE BIG SCREEN.

>> WOW!

>> MANY YEARS LATER WHEN I

ACHIEVED MY DREAM OF WHAT HE DID

WHERE I SAW ON THE BIG SCREEN

THAT WAS MY DREAM.

I REMEMBER SAYING TO MYSELF, YOU

KNOW, I WAS JUST AN ORDINARY KID

TOO WHO ENDED UP IN AN

EXTRAORDINARY JOB.

>> SPEAKING OF YOUR

EXTRAORDINARY JOB, YOU

EVENTUALLY DID GET TO JOIN THE

NYPD.

FIRST OF ALL, I MEAN THAT WAS A

LIFELONG DREAM OF YOURS.

HOW DID YOU GET TO JOIN THE

POLICE DEPARTMENT?

>> WELL HOW DID I GET TO JOIN

IT?

I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL I WAS A

UNITED STATES CITIZEN BEFORE I

COULD APPLY.

>> UM-HUM.

>> I DID APPLY.

AND LUCKILY ENOUGH BACK IN 1993

I GOT CALLED TO GO FOR THE

POLICE ACADEMY, WHICH WAS THAT

WAS MY DREAM FROM CHILDHOOD

THAT'S ALL I WANTED, NOTHING

ZBLEELS WAS THAT THE HAPPIEST

DAY FOR YOU.

>> I'LL NEVER FORGET THE DAY

WALKING IN THE DOORS OF THE

POLICE ACADEMY, HEAD SHAVED,

NICE AND TRIM, SLIM, A LOT MORE

HAIR THEN THAN I HAVE NOW.

AND I'LL NEVER FORGET THE DAY.

IT WAS A DREAM.

I EVEN LOOK BACK OVER MY 20-YEAR

CAREER, THERE WASN'T ONE DAY I

COULDN'T HAVE WORKED WITHOUT

EVEN GETTING PAID FOR IT.

IT WAS THAT EXCITING.

I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT.

IT WAS A FANTASTIC CAREER.

AND I ENCOURAGE ALL YOUNG IRISH

IMMIGRANTS, IMMIGRANTS FROM

EVERYWHERE TO JOIN THE NYPD.

>> WOW!

PUP ONE OF THE THINGS I THOUGHT

IT WAS INTERESTING TAKING AWAY

FROM YOUR BOOK AND CONVERSATIONS

WITH YOU WAS YOUR VIEW ON THE

BEST PRACTICES FOR POLICING.

BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE NYPD CAN

GET A NEGATIVE RAP.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE SOME OF

THE BEST WAY HE IS FOR THE

POLICE DEPARTMENT TO CONNECT?

>> POLICE OFFICERS ALL AROUND

THE WORLD, THEY ALWAYS GET THE

WORST RAP.

EVERYBODY LIKES TO BLAME THE

POLICE ON EVERYTHING.

AND THAT'S THE WRONG THING TO

DO.

BUT I FEEL THAT FIRST OF ALL THE

POLICE DEPARTMENT -- DSH THE

NYPD FIRST OF ALL JENNA IT'S ONE

OF THE BEST POLICE DEPARTMENTS

IN THE WORLD.

IT'S THE MOST DIVERSE AND IT HAS

THE BEST LEADERSHIP RIGHT NOW

THAN IT'S EVER HAD.

WHAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS

TO DO MORE IS COMMUNITY

POLICING.

WE NEED A LOT MORE COMMUNITY

POLICING.

TIFRPG IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT

FOR BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND THE

POLICE TO GET CLOSER TOGETHER.

TODAY MORE THAN -- THIS IS THE

MOST IMPORTANT THING I FEEL THEY

SHOULD DO.

LIKE, WHAT THEY DO WITH THE

COMMUNITY POLICING WHEN I WAS A

COP WAS THEY WOULD SEND THE

COMMANDERS IN THE PRECINCTS TO

GO AND MEET WITH THE COMMUNITY

LEADERS.

AND TO ME I THINK YOU SHOULD BE

SENDING THE COPS AND THE

DETECTIVES WHO ARE ON THE STREET

EVERY HOUR OF THE DAY DEALING

WITH THE COMMUNITY, NOT THE

COMMANDERS.

>> UM-HUM.

>> THERE SHOULD BE MORE OF A

BUILDING A BETTER BRIDGE THERE.

BECAUSE WHEN I WAS A DETECTIVE I

FELT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR

ME -- I ASPEN MOST OF MY CAREER

AS A DETECTIVE IN HOMICIDE AND

DEALT A LOT WITH THE COMMUNITY.

BUT I FELT IT WAS EXTREMELY FOR

ME TO DO MY JOB TO GET NO KNOW

ALL THE LEADERS OF THE

COMMUNITY, REGARDLESS OF WHO THE

LEADERS WERE.

REVEREN

REVERENDS, RABBAIS, THE

TEACHERS.

THE CHILDREN LOOK UP TO THE

LEADERS.

WHENEVER I HAD A PROBLEM I

RECALL GOING TO LIKE REVEREND

DIAMOND ONE OF THE REVERENDS IN

THE SOUTH BRONX WHEN A COUPLE OF

KIDS GOT KILLED IN THE

NEIGHBORHOOD.

I WOULD GO TO HIM AND HE WOULD

GO TALK WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND THEY WOULD COME BACK AND

WE'D ALL TALK TOGETHER.

THAT'S HOW YOU WORK.

THAT'S HOW YOU GET TO KNOW THE

PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY.

AND THAT'S HOW YOU SOLVE CRIME,

WORKING TOGETHER.

IT'S THE ONLY WAY FORWARD.

>> THAT -- THAT IS REALLY

POWERFUL.

AND I THINK WE'D ALL LIKE TO SEE

MORE OF THAT IN NEW YORK AND

CITY HE IS AROUND THE COUNTRY

PHILLIP LUKE, THANK YOU FOR

JOINING ME MP THE BOOK "NYPD

GREEN" IS AMAZING AND GIVES A

UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

ON BEING AN GRIPT ESPECIALLY IN

NEW YORK CITY THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.