Isaiah Laing (right) kisses Olivia 'Babsy' Grange on the cheek at the launch of the former policeman's book 'Point Blank Range: A Bad Man Police - The Isaiah Laing Story', at the Police Officers' Club, Hope Road, St Andrew. - photos by Winston Sill
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Davina Henry, Staff Reporter
"I am a dead man here talking to you," said former police constable (before rising through the ranks and becoming a detective) turned show promoter and now co-author Isaiah Laing at Wednesday's launch of his autobiography, Point Blank Range: A Bad Man Police - The Isaiah Laing Story.
And Laing's partner in the annual Sting Boxing Day concert, Josef Bogdanovich, has already set his sights on turning the novel into a movie.
"We're working on it. It's going to be a Hollywood kinda production. There are lots of ingredients that go into movie production - budget, star quality, the promotion. Movie is a big business. I have a movie background and I personally would love to get back in the movie business, and I think this will be an exciting venture," Bogdanovich told The Gleaner after the launch at the Police Officers' Club, Hope Road, St Andrew.
Though Bogdanovich is undecided about who could play the lead role, Laing has already offered up his services to play himself. "A lot of people want to play Laing. Maybe, I will play the role of myself in the movie. I did that in Shottas and I think I did good job, so I might do that again," he said.
Describing himself as a "deep rural country boy" who disguised himself on several occasions in order to apprehend criminals (though he is adamant that he never wore a dress), Laing stated that he was not the run-of-the-mill cop. "I was not an ordinary policeman doing regular police work. I went beyond the call of duty especially for Jones Town people ... I had to put a stop (to the crime and violence), and I did. I really did," Laing said.
Present at the launch were notable former and current police officers, including Reneto Adams, Cornwall 'Bigga' Ford and Errol 'School Boy Richie' Richards, whom Laing invited at one point, to share the podium with him.
behind the name
Explaining why he chose the title Point Blank Range for his autobiography, the former high-profile detective said he was probably the only police officer, with the exception of Bigga Ford and Keith 'Trinity' Gardner, who was shot at on several occasions from point blank range.
The launch of the 362-page novel co-written by Dr Vernella Fuller brought out several of Laing's high-profile associates who sang the praises of the hard-to-put-down book.
"Laing took three shots, which is testament to his courage and commitment to his job. Those are two of his most outstanding traits - courage and fearlessness. That's why he was so effective as a police man.
He is a gentleman of integrity, a loyal friend and a good man to have in your corner," Entertain-ment Advisory Board chairman, Kingsley Cooper, said.
Guest speaker Dr Sonjah Stanley-Niaah, told the audience that Laing is an enigma. She also pointed out another possible meaning for the title. "The title of the book speaks to the way we take aim at the police both literally and figuratively," Stanley-Niaah said.
Former Member of Parliament Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, who is also quoted in the book, stated that derelict conditions often facilitate a life of crime.
"It's not an excuse for crime, but conditions sometimes breed a certain kind of individual. Laing has been a mixture of a good cop and a bad cop. He is a hard man fi dead," she said.
"The launch was good. Everything ran the way we expected it. Everything was on track. I'm very happy and I just want to thank everyone for their support," Laing said.
