Stepping in time
P.A. Police Pipes & Drums band celebrates 40 years
They provide the soundtrack to a Port Authority cop’s career — and in four decades they haven’t missed a beat.
From the day officers graduate the academy, through promotions, fundraisers, weddings and funerals, the Port Authority Police Department’s Pipes and Drums band is there every step of the way.
Now in its 40th year, the band is preparing for another march up Fifth Ave. in Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
But this isn’t just a group of guys who get their kicks sporting skirts and crowing on bagpipes — to them, it’s a legacy they’re proud to continue for another 40 years.
“It’s one of the best feelings to march up Fifth Ave. on St. Patrick’s Day, leading the men of women of the Port Authority Police Department,” said Police Officer Brian Ahern, the band’s pipe major. “It’s an honor and privilege for every one in this pipe band to be able to lead our department and be recognized for who we are.”
The Port Authority’s Pipes and Drums band formed in 1979 with a group of cops who enjoyed Irish music and wanted to take lessons.
“Our department spans two states, so it was hard to get everyone to meet in one place,” said retired Lt. Bobby Bechner, the band’s first drum major, who led pipers and drummers in countless parades. Bechner retired in 2003 but stayed with the band until 2009, when replacement hips and knees prevented him from marching. “We all had the passion in our heart to start something, not just for the Irish, but for the police service.”
Their first practices were in a conference room at the foot of the George Washington Bridge. But no one knew how to play.
“We each chipped in $8 a week for lessons, which was pretty steep since we all had young families,” Bechner, 69, explained. “We sat around a table and learned how to read music then did the scale. Then we practiced marching up and down the room while playing.”
Their first official performance was in 1981, when they played for the Iran hostages as they arrived at LaGuardia Airport.
The years that followed have been an endless parade of, well, parades — as well as graduations, promotions, weddings and funerals.
In the days and weeks after Sept. 11, their bagpipes’ sorrowful drone was heard as 37 PAPD officers, including three of the band’s drummers, were laid to rest.
The music will continue. Each year, the Port Authority offers $1,000 scholarships for high school students who play the bagpipes and plan a career in law enforcement, band manager Officer Matt Westfield explained.
More Port Authority cops are interested in joining the band as well.
“Even though they have no connection to being Irish, it’s something they want to be a part of,” Ahern said.