Heal the Healers Profile: Oscar Smith

Just to let you know you're still doing a good job out there. Not many cops get praise for their work. That would make them not feel so guilty. Because that's the whole thing, it's the guilt. I remember working in the 7th Precinct for a day, down by the Williamsburg Bridge. My partner and I go down there, and they hand us a map. This call came in that a kid had gotten into a building and knocked this little Chinese lady down in a hallway and took her purse. And we were right around the corner, but because I didn't know the area, we ended up three blocks away. I could have caught that kid. It just stays with you.

PH: What stands in the way of somebody suggesting something like that at a precinct, putting that kind of group in place?

OS: Because you're going to be basically made out to be a jerk. Some self-help guru. You're basically going to get booed off the stage.

PH: Even though nine out of ten people in the precinct probably think it's a pretty good idea.

OS: Exactly.

PH: Do you have some kind of routine during the day to take care of yourself, to take care of your mind and body?

OS: I get up early and go for a run and swim. I'll jump in and swim around Governor's Island. I make my peace with God while I'm out swimming. Now that I'm in the scuba unit, the guys always make fun of me on the flight deck or the helicopter pad. I get up every morning to watch the sun rise. And I say the Lord's Prayer in the morning and at night. The guys will say, "There he is, saying his prayers again."

That's my way of being back in touch with my inner self, my spirit. I also do that by being part of nature. I've actually gotten some of the other guys into swimming with me.

PH: Were in you involved with the helicopter crash in the Hudson?

OS: I was on the beach the day that happened. I was lying there with my wife, and I got a phone call from my base, saying there was a helicopter that crashed with a plane. My partner and I were working on recovering the debris, and we found a cell phone, and the pilot's wallet. It's sad, because here's someone's life, and you're looking through their wallet. He had his driver's license, aviation card, credit card, things like that. Their personal property is in your hands, and you just think, "There's history behind this."

PH: Are you ever able to turn off? Are you ever able to just shut it all down?

OS: No, because it's real. It's gets your adrenaline going. When I get the call about something that's happened and I'm getting briefed, or I'm on the helipad, or on the deck of the boat, I get that nice adrenaline rush because I want to go out there and really make a difference. I want to help someone.

PH: What are you most proud of in your work?

OS: The people I help. Knowing I left an impression on them. Like when people sit down and they tell a story about a bad cop, someone will say, "You know, I met this one cop, and he was fantastic." And that one good story will hopefully pass on to other people.