Florida Bar News
August 15, 2005

From pinching the perps to defending the detained

New York City cops become Ninth Circuit PDs

A trio of former New York City cops went from making arrests in the Big Apple to defending the arrested in Orange and Osceola counties.

Reasons for their dramatic career changes include realizing through personal experience that not everyone arrested is guilty, to wanting a complete criminal law experience, to being seriously wounded during a robbery, to falling in love with Orlando during a trip to Disney World.

And Ninth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Bob Wesley welcomed their rare law enforcement experience to his team with open arms.

“The former officers understand both sides of the system, which is an added value for our team,” Wesley said.

There are more than 39,000 police officers employed in New York. What made these three former cops go from making arrests to defending the arrested? They have unique stories.

Gerod Hooper is a native of New York City and comes from a family of cops. He worked for NYPD from 1968 to 1988 with experience in many departments, including organized crime. He rose to lieutenant then became a prosecutor in 1981 after graduating from St. John’s University College of Law.

He became interested in law after his brother and partner were charged with assault and battery stemming from a drug raid that went bad in the ’70s. Hooper’s brother was tried and found not
guilty. His brother’s partner was convicted, losing his police benefits and going to prison. Hooper felt the difference was the quality of representation his brother had.

“This experience taught me that not everyone is guilty of what they’re charged with and that it’s important to have competent lawyers,” Hooper said. “My police background provides me with special insight on the arrest and charging procedures. Whether those procedures are followed correctly can make a big difference in a case.”

He moved to Florida in 1990, first working for the public defender in Monroe County, then moved to Ft. Lauderdale as a personal injury attorney. Hooper has been with the Ninth Circuit Public Defender’s Office since 2003. Hooper says he sometimes misses police work, but says it’s for younger people.

“I ran a marathon three years ago, but I don’t think I can jump over fences chasing down bad guys anymore,” Hooper said.

In her eight years with the NYPD, Tina Smith was a patrol officer and detective in the Organized Crime Control Bureau. Her reason for going into police work?

“I wanted to see a change in my community and I wanted to see others of my race represented on the police force,” said the Jamaican-American, who spent a number of her formative years
growing up in the South Bronx.


She also now has fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer and says she gets a complete picture of the law with her police background and her experience as a criminal defense
attorney.

Smith has been in professions that serve as perennial fodder for prime-time television. However, she doesn’t spend much time in front of the tube.

“I don’t watch cop shows or shows about lawyers,” Smith said. “I always see mistakes in these programs, such as an officer not wearing a vest or some foolhardy thing that wouldn’t happen in real life. Actually, it ends up that I watch whatever my son wants to watch.”

Adam Alvarez is a native New Yorker who went into law enforcement because he wanted to work in public service. An 18-year veteran on the force, the NYPD sergeant went to New York University’s School of Law while working full time. The summa cum laude knew he wanted to continue his public service and, like Hooper, worked as a prosecutor for a time.

A year ago Alvarez fell in love with Central Florida while vacationing at Disney World. With the move to Orlando, he switched to criminal defense.

“Not everyone is guilty,” said the one-time officer. “My police work helps me determine if there was actually probable cause for the arrest of my clients. And while there have been instances of lawyers being attacked by their clients, I doubt I’ll get shot like I did while I was a police officer.”

In 1996, two days before his 33rd birthday, Alvarez was seriously wounded while responding to a robbery. His recovery took a year.

While Alvarez loves his new life in Central Florida, he still considers himself a displaced New Yorker.

“That’s okay, though, because it’s like old-home week when I go into our courthouse here,” he said. “I’ve run into at least three other former NYPD cops working in the courtrooms.”

“Everyone needs balance in their lives, as shown by the current career choices of these assistant public defenders. Their previous law enforcement experience is a benefit to our clients,” Wesley said. “We’re happy to have these folks on our force now.”