“There are people who hate cops, and people who love it, but then you look at all these TV shows like 21 Jump Street, NYPD Blue and SUV, and you see people really love this stuff,” says Stephen Barounis, who was on the job with the NYPD for 27 years. Now he plans to open a “police-themed bar” called 53rd Street Station House in the old home of Rock & Rose, which was owned, ironically enough, by the folks behind Sing Sing. “I have to soften the edge though,” says Barounis. “I don’t want to bring up bad memories. I want to bring up nostalgic, creative memories, and not the day you got arrested.” To that end, the first-time bar owner says he’ll keep things light, by decorating the dining room with artifacts such as a 1968 squad car and big mugshot of Lindsay Lohan. Oh, and by handing out “faux missing person packets as souvenirs.” [DNAinfo]
