PSYCHO SUICIDE KOP
KILLS EX-GIRLFRIEND AND HIMSELF


By Michele Berger



    On June 10, twenty-five year old Bliss Verdon was gunned down
by her ex-boyfriend, Rodney Dilbert, near a subway station at
Roosevelt Avenue and 77th Street in Queens. After unloading up to
seven bullets from his 9mm on Bliss as she spoke on a pay phone,
Dilbert then turned his gun on himself, committing suicide in
front of horrified rush-hour bystanders.
    Dilbert had been stalking Bliss for months, making harassing
calls and sending threatening letters after she chose to end
their eight month relationship. Despite her going through the
proper channels in filing complaints against Dilbert, Bliss'
requests for police protection were ignored. Though it is not
uncommon for authorities to dismiss a claim of domestic violence
and harassment or act when it is too late, what is particularly
disturbing about this case is that Bliss' assailant was an active
member of the New York Police Department. And the gun he used to
end her life was issued to him by an agency who claims that their
purpose is "to protect and serve," not to hunt and kill.
    Bliss had never imagined that Rodent's obsession for her
would come to such a tragic end. She was not afraid of his
behavior, but rather saw it as an inappropriate and irresponsible
way for an officer to behave. In May, when Dilbert's calls became
intolerable, Bliss called 911 for assistance. Sergeant John
Taggert was sent to her apartment in Queens. As she explained the
situation to Taggert, Dilbert called again. Taggert spoke with
him, as he told Bliss, "cop to cop," threatening to have him
arrested if he continued harassing Bliss. According to one
source, Dilbert said, "I read you loud and clear."
    From there, Taggert should have followed proper procedure by
notifying Dilbert's immediate supervisor as well as the Bureau of
Internal Affairs. Taggert failed to do so, leaving Bliss to fend
for herself. The harassment continued until Bliss filed a formal
complaint on May 29 at the 115th precinct. By then, Dilbert's
behavior had become increasingly agressive and unstable. On June
6, Bliss directly contacted Dilbert's supervisor, Captain Stephan
Savas, for assistance. Like Taggert, Savas apparently did not
take Bliss seriously, and he failed to do anything for her
protection.
    After Bliss' death, a police investigation and pending
lawsuit against the city led to Sergeant Taggert's dismissal from
the force. In his defense, Taggert claimed that he had no
knowledge that Dilbert was a cop. Though no criminal charges were
brought against him, Taggert will lose his pension and retirement
benefits. An NYPD prosecutor at his administrative trial called
Taggart's lack of action a "misguided effort to protect a fellow
officer."
    This case does little or nothing to change the system of law
enforcement which relies on excessive force and oppression of
women and minorities. Though Bliss repeatedly appealed to the
system of which Dilbert was a member for help, the police
department instead demonstrated that it is more concerned with
protecting its ranks from civilian inquiry than it is with public
safety and well being.     Despite the fact that police officers
have a higher rate of incidents of divorce, domestic violence and
substance abuse than any other occupation, a complaint against a
cop is often viewed more as an annoyance than a serious matter.
This applies to officers with a history of erratic or violent
behavior, like Dilbert.
    At one point in his four year career as a cop, Dilbert was
relieved of his weapon and put on suicide watch. With this
episode in his background, any harassment complaint should have
resulted in immediate action. At the very least, the NYPD should
have confiscated his weapon until the complaint was resolved.
    Civilians should not have to rely on the inefficient and
corrupt police department for dealing with complaints against
officers. Existing agencies, such as the Department Advocate and
the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) are known for their
lack of action and objectivity in dealing with police abuse.
These agencies are staffed by cops and are closely tied to the
police department whose officers' actions they are supposed to
investigate.
    Bliss and I were friends for eight years. I watched her grow
from a young Gothic animal rights club-girl into a beautiful,
highly-educated and driven adult. Ironically, at the time of her
death, Bliss had been working with president Clinton's Americorps
violence prevention program at New York University, and she had
an avid interest in international politics. I am deeply saddened
at the loss of her life, but I am even more outraged at the
system which allowed a sociopath like Rodney Dilbert to rob the
world of her brilliance.
    (For readers' information, the telephone number for the
Department Advocate, which handles legal problems, is
212-374-5147. The Civilian Complaint Review Board telephone
number is: 212-442-8833.)