At the opposite end of the spectrum from Al Swearengen is a quiet yet forceful managerial type, and one that has served as a management role model for more than a generation.
Capt. Francis Xavier Furillo was the boss of Hill Street and the guy who held everyone together. Largely imperturbable, incredibly tough, yet hugely sympathetic, he is the first man you choose to have with you in a crisis.Assistant DA: Are you kidding? Frank, there's a lynch mob out there.
Furillo: I know there's a lynch mob out there. I think I can use it.
Individual integrity is paramount in his world. Patriarch of the precinct, he is a betterer of society, incorruptible and idealistic at heart. He's as white hat as they come -- and a snappy dresser. His button-down suits project his by-the-book image, but he knows when to take off that vest and roll up his shirt sleeves. He handles hostage situations personally. You think you have it rough protecting your staff? Look at his job. He has to manage down by sending his officers into a hostile work environment every day. He has to be constantly vigilant for signs the job is getting to his staff.
Sgt. Mick Belker: How do we know that? He had it all ahead of him, and you threw his life away. His death is on your head.
Furillo: They all are, Mick.
Meanwhile, he also manages up against bureaucracy, injustice and self-serving superiors. (For a case study in truly bad management, look at Furillo's boss, Police Chief Fletcher Daniels.)
Furillo, before a police corruption commission: Officer Delgado has served this city for more than 29 years. After 9 years of service, he lost all seniority because he took a year's leave of absence [Ed. note: Delgado had a breakdown.] Today, he is still six months shy of a 20-year pension. If you pull the string on him now, he gets 40 percent of a 15-year disability ... you can't even feed a dog on that. I have Officer Delgado's record: four medals of valor, five humanitarian citations, three shootouts. Are we now simply to discard Officer Delgado? Yes, we've been carrying him until his retirement. I would feel only shame if we'd done any less. Then along comes this commission with cynicism and a hunger for headlines. Whatever we did for Art Delgado, I take responsibility. Why don't you prosecute me? Smear me in the press? Destroy my reputation if you can. But I'll not sell out Art Delgado. Now, am I dismissed?
And yet, he's also a real human being who is endearingly flawed. He has a failed marriage and struggles with the issues that come from being a divorced dad. He has a secret romance with the district attorney. (Well, it starts out as secret. They get married in the third season.) He struggles with the human condition.
Furillo: Smart move, LaRue. You went out on an important operation in a unit with no brakes. How do you explain that? Maybe I can explain it for you.
Detective J.D. La Rue: Hey. Wha ... wha ...
Furillo: [removes bottle from LaRue's shirt] You're a drunk, my friend. And because you're a drunk, you're a screwup. And I'm through waiting for you to change. You got a couple of choices, pal. Either this, or you call a Lieutenant Johnson down at Division and you say to him, "I'm a drunk, and I want to change." You got that? "I want to change." Otherwise, you're out of this police department, and I mean now.
It took LaRue a while to get into Alcoholics Anonymous. At his first meeting, guess who he saw there.
I just loved this show. And it holds up pretty well, (with the notable exception of David Caruso as the leader of a gang that look more like Lucky Charms leprechauns than threatening thugs.) Get thee to a hulu and watch!
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