On Being a Police Officer

Ep. 67 – NYPD Det. Tom Smith on 9/11, Joint Terrorism Task Force, Rescuing an American Hostage in Afghanistan, Stopping a School Shooter – Part Two


Listen Later

Ep. 67 – In Part Two of my interview with NYPD Det. Tom Smith (Ret.) we discuss 9/11 and how the day unfolded for him; what it was like working rescue and recovery at Ground Zero and later at the landfill to identify belongings and remains and the unique emotional toll of trying to identify those we lost.

After 9/11, Tom was assigned to the elite FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) for which he held a Top Secret/SCI clearance. As he says in the interview, “The responsibility was enormous…You have to prevent 9/11 from ever happening again. You are now responsible not only for New York, but the world.”

While with JTTF, Tom was deployed in 2009 to the war zone in Afghanistan to coordinate the rescue of a New York Times journalist who had been kidnapped by an Al-Qaeda affiliated group. Tom and the JTTF team were able to create and execute a plan to bring this American hostage home. 

Then in 2018, Tom’s JTTF partner alerted him to a school shooter threat at the high school in upstate NY where Tom was living and working. The high school was the very one his son and daughter were attending. Tom and his partner investigated and built a case that led to the arrest of the would-be shooter finding, among other evidence, the list of students he planned to kill on the last day of school, all of whom were friends of Tom’s kids.

We close by reflecting on his 30-year career, the inspiration he drew from his NYPD Detective father, the support of his wife and family. And just how much a thank you means.

We of course talk about their true crime podcast the Gold Shields Show which Tom co-hosts with his good buddy retired NYPD Sgt. Dan Murphy. They reached their 100th episode in 2024 and launched Season Three in January 2025 with some incredible guests. You can find them on all podcast platforms. Links below.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part One of my conversation with Tom. We cover the early days of his career with NYPD starting in 1990 on patrol in Harlem. Within a few years he joined the anti-crime team and later Narcotics where he became a detective. He then moved into Gang Investigations in 1998 and then the Robbery Unit in the Bronx in 1999.

I want to add that Tom was recently inducted into the National Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame and presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Quite an honor – a deserved one. Congratulations, Tom.

Website

www.thegoldshieldshow.com

Instagram:

@thegoldshieldsshow

Facebook

LinkedIn

YouTube

Tom also is involved with:

Impact Solutions

Wheelchairs For Warriors

Thanks for listening to On Being a Police Officer. YOU are what keeps me going.

Find me on my social or email me your thoughts:

Instagram: on_being_a_police_officer

Facebook: On Being a Police Officer

YouTube: Abby Ellsworth Channel

[email protected]

www.onbeingapoliceofficer.com

©Abby Ellsworth. All booking, interviews, editing, and production by Abby Ellsworth. Music courtesy of freesound.org

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

On Being a Police OfficerBy Abby Ellsworth

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

35 ratings


More shows like On Being a Police Officer

View all
The Joe Rogan Experience by Joe Rogan

The Joe Rogan Experience

225,542 Listeners

Order of Man by Ryan Michler

Order of Man

8,924 Listeners

Jocko Podcast by Jocko DEFCOR Network

Jocko Podcast

30,755 Listeners

Fieldcraft Survival by FieldCraft Survival

Fieldcraft Survival

3,712 Listeners

Things Police See: Firsthand Accounts by Steven Gould: Police Officer, Background Investigator

Things Police See: Firsthand Accounts

1,209 Listeners

Shawn Ryan Show by Shawn Ryan

Shawn Ryan Show

42,502 Listeners

Black Rifle Coffee Podcast by Black Rifle Coffee Podcast Network

Black Rifle Coffee Podcast

3,289 Listeners

Street Cop Podcast by Street Cop Training

Street Cop Podcast

958 Listeners

The Police Applicant Podcast by Ken Roybal

The Police Applicant Podcast

203 Listeners

Unsubscribe Podcast by UnsubscribePodcast

Unsubscribe Podcast

93 Listeners

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar by iHeartPodcasts

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

9,706 Listeners

Shots Fired Podcast by Kyle Shoberg

Shots Fired Podcast

169 Listeners

The Antihero Podcast by The Antihero Podcast

The Antihero Podcast

563 Listeners

Change Agents with Andy Stumpf by IRONCLAD

Change Agents with Andy Stumpf

636 Listeners

Tate Speech by Andrew Tate by TATE SPEECH

Tate Speech by Andrew Tate

259 Listeners