DOC mystery photo #17:
Can you name, left to right, those in 1979 Recruitment 8.5x11 Promo Card?


Hint: One or more may be identified in photo captions on card's "inside" pages (below).

In the spring and summer of 1979, the NYC Department of Correction sought to drum up recruitment to its ranks by publishing and distributing an 8.5x11-inch "card" that invited those interested in pursuing a worthwhile future to file applications to become Correction Officers.

When the letter-size card was opened wide (as pictured above), the front and back "covers" formed a single 17x11 inch b&w group photo reflecting the diverse nature of the DOC uniformed force. The large font text read: Become a Correction Officer: A Future Worth Filing For.

The left "inside" page of the card displayed photos of two officers, one male and one female (as pictured left).

Below the photo of C.O. Marion Smith, posted to the Correctional Institution for Women on Rikers Island, appeared a quote attributed to her that read, in part: "It takes a special kind of woman to do this job. Your reserves of sensitivity and compassion are called on continually."

Next to her apppeared a photo of C.O. David Schoenfeld, assigned to the Correction Academy. Below his picture was a quote attributed to him that read, in part: "This is the most challenging and rewarding law enforcement job in the City of New York . . . . you've got to use your brains instead of force."

Above their photos and attributed quotes were listed the job requirements in all-caps:

"To Become A Correction Officer:

  • YOU MUST BE AT LEAST TWENTY YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT AND UNDER TWENTY-NINE YEARS ON THE FIRST DATE OF FILING. TIME IN THE MILITARY CAN BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR ACTUAL AGE
  • YOU ARE A U.S. CITIZEN AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT
  • YOU MUST PASS A PHYSICAL FITNESS AND MEDICAL EXAM
  • YOU MUST PASS A TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE AND A WRITTEN TEST
  • YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY
  • THERE IS NO HEIGHT REQUIREMENT"

The right "inside" page of the card displayed a photo of Captain Reginald Thorne (as pictured right) and above him an attributed quote that read in part: "I can't think of any other job where you can start at such a high salary with only a high school diploma and work your way up to a position where you will be making over $40,000 a year."

Next to him and his attributed quote appeared black-bordered text boxes noting that the "filing opens June 19, 1979 [and] ends July 13, 1979" and that those interested should "call 349-6503 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 12 midnight for additional information."

Above his photo and attributed quote were listed some of the job benefits, also in all-caps:

  • "YOU WILL EARN $15,247 TO START AND $19,341 AFTER THREE YEARS. YOU GET TIME AND ONE-HALF FOR OVERTIME AND A 10 PERCENT NIGHT DIFFERENTIAL. THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROMOTION ARE EXCELLENT.
  • AFTER ONE YEAR AS A CORRECTION OFFICER, YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A PROMOTION TO CAPTAIN. THE STARTING SALARY FOR A CAPTAIN IS $22,552 A YEAR.
  • YOU WILL RECEIVE TWENTY DAYS OF PAID VACATION TO START AND TWENTY-SEVEN DAYS OF VACATION AFTER THREE YEARS. YOU HAVE YOUR CHOICE OF MEDICAL AND HOSPITALIZATION PLANS AND MEMBERSHIP IN A PENSION SYSTEM.
  • YOU WILL RECEIVE A UNIFORM ALLOWANCE OF $264 A YEAR."


Above is this site's Mystery Photo #1 which, according to information contributed by viewers, was taken circa 1982 on Rikers Island and shows members of the DOC Recruitment Unit. Click to access. Use "back" button to return.
Although the 1979 recruit-ment card, with its group photo conveying DOC's rich diversity, appears to have been created a few years before the DOC recruit-ment "team" photo that was this web site's first designated "Mystery Photo," the likelihood is that many of the same people knowledgeable about that image may have light to shed on this earlier recruitment group photo too. Click the image immediately above -- Mystery Photo #1 -- to access its page containing considerable information about those in the color photo and about DOC past recruiting drives. Use your browser's "back" button to return to this page.

Anyone with additional information on "Mystery Photo #17" at the very top of this page is invited to email us at the e-address below.

-- NYCHS webmaster


NYCHS@NYC.RR.COM

To NYCHS home page.