Michael Codella talks about some of the challenges he sees for New York police…

READERSVOICE.COM: Is it any safer for New York police these days, or are there the same old dangers and what new dangers exist?

MICHAEL CODELLA: I think today cops here in New York have different concerns.  While crime and shooting are down, technically, the people committing those crimes, and the criminal element in general, have a lot less respect for the police.  Cops nowadays have been prosecuted and left out to dry for just trying to do their jobs. 

Cops have been treated extremely unfairly by our current mayor and his administration. The supposed “progressive agenda” is really an anti-cop, anti law-abiding and anti-law enforcement agenda.  There seems to be no middle ground as far as protecting people’s individual rights, and enforcing the law goes. 

Cops have to be overly protective of people’s rights in order to not end up fired or indicted.  Disrespecting authority and cops is the “in” thing in New York, and the administration is fine with that.  Cops have a very difficult job right now, as evident by the low number of arrests and prosecutions.

RV: While you were in the police you went to Brazil to learn Juijitsu. How did you find out about it?

MC: While I was a cop back in the 80’s, and even before then, I trained and studied several different martial arts. I loved boxing and was introduced to the sweet science at an early age.  From there my quest for the perfect fighting art brought me to a variety of disciplines. Everything from Filipino stick fighting, to a Hawaiian martial art called Kajukenbo, to finally the art I thought suited me best, Brazilian/Gracie JiuJitsu, and specifically Renzo Gracie JiuJitsu. 

I discovered Gracie Jiujitsu simply by reading about this incredible family from Brazil who seemingly had this open challenge to all comers to fight in no rules fights. For years this family was undefeated and simply dismantled all these mysterious and sacred martial art systems that everyone thought were unbeatable. 

I had the chance to go to Brazil, and the opportunity to train at the home of the Gracies, Gracie Barra [The association is called Gracie Barra]

At the time there were no Gracie academies in NYC, so I was unable to train their JiuJitsu until Renzo Gracie, the grandson of Grandmaster and creator of Brazilian JiuJitsu, Carlos Gracie, opened a school here in New York, and in New Jersey. 

Renzo and I became great friends and after many years of training under Renzo, I was proud to be promoted to Black Belt under this legendary fighter back in 2007.

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