Cracking the Theft Rings: The Story of a Cop at the Port of Halifax - Softcover

Taylor, Billy; Safer, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1452804869 ISBN 13: 9781452804866

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2009

Synopsis

Cracking the Theft Rings: The Story of a Cop at the Port of Halifax by Billy Taylor with Andrew Safer is an unusual portrayal of the seedy side of port life, the theft of cargo, and one cop's crusade to get at the heart of the organized theft rings at the Port of Halifax. In Cracking the Theft Rings, Taylor recounts stories about the wrestling business, the shenanigans of waterfront thieves, and life's enormous challenges - all of which combine to provide a unique bird's eye view of the unvarnished side of port life at the street level. While working his beat at the Port of Halifax from 1958 to 1989, Constable and then Sergeant Taylor took it upon himself to go after the rip-off artists who were stealing shoes, clothing, appliances, lumber, booze - you name it, even when he had little or no back up. Those were the days when a good many cops would look the other way in exchange for a bribe or favour, leaving Taylor and a few others to try to crack the Port's theft rings. Even a $10,000 hit contract didn't slow him down.

About this title

About the Author

Billy Taylor, 76, was born in Halifax in 1932, grew up in poverty, dropped out of school in Grade Six, and became a wrestler. He didn't learn how to read and write until he was 25; his dyslexia was undiagnosed until he was in his fifties. Billy was a professional wrestler in Halifax and rural Nova Scotia in the 1940s and 1950s, and then started his dual career as a cop at the Port of Halifax, and wrestling referee on television. When the National Harbours Board was reorganized in 1968, Sergeant Taylor was the most senior member in Canada, and so he received the #1 badge. Because he attended numerous police training courses, he was knowledgeable in Criminal Investigation and Identification. The challenge of cracking the theft rings at the Port of Halifax is what got him out of bed in the morning. Soon after retiring in 1989, Billy began working as a private investigator, but alcoholism and the death of his wife sent him into a downward spiral. A study in resilience, Billy overcame poverty, illiteracy, dyslexia, alcoholism, and the deaths of his wife, a companion, and a son. He got on the path to recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous, and wrote the first draft of this book in the early 1990s. In Cracking the Theft Rings, Billy recounts one-of-a-kind stories about the wrestling business, the shenanigans of waterfront thieves during his 31 years as a port cop, and life's enormous challenges. It's a fast read, and a unique bird's eye view of the unvarnished side of port life at the street level.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1452804869
• ISBN 13: 9781452804866
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192