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Frank Serpico

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Frank Serpico
Serpico in 2013
Born
Francesco Vincent Serpico

(1936-04-14)April 14, 1936(age 88)
Brooklyn,New York City,U.S.
NationalityAmerican, Italian
Other namesPaco
Known forWhistleblower on police corruption and subsequent shooting
Police career
DepartmentNew York Police Department
Service years1959–1972
StatusRetired
RankDetective
Badge no.19076[1]
Shield no.761
AwardsNYPD Medal of Honor
Other workLecturer

Francesco Vincent Serpico(born April 14, 1936) is an American retiredNew York Police Departmentdetective,best known forwhistleblowingonpolice corruption.In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a plainclothes police officer working inBrooklyn,the BronxandManhattanto expose vice racketeering. In 1967, he reported credible evidence of widespread police corruption, to no effect.[2]In 1970, he contributed to a front-page story inThe New York Timeson widespread corruption in the NYPD, which drew national attention to the problem.[2]MayorJohn V. Lindsayappointed a five-member panel to investigate accusations of police corruption, which became theKnapp Commission.

Serpico was shot in the face during an arrest attempt on February 3, 1971, at 778 Driggs Avenue, inWilliamsburg, Brooklyn.The bullet severed an auditory nerve, and left bullet fragments lodged in his brain. The circumstances surrounding Serpico's shooting were quickly called into question, raising the possibility that Serpico had been led to the apartment by his colleagues to be murdered. There was no formal investigation,[3]but Edgar Echevarria, who had shot Serpico, was subsequently convicted of attempted murder.

Much of Serpico's fame came after the release of the 1973 filmSerpico,in which he was portrayed byAl Pacino,based on the book of the same name byPeter Maas.On June 27, 2013, the USA Section of ANPS (National Association of Italian State Police) awarded him the "Saint Michael Archangel Prize". During the ceremony, he gained Italian citizenship, and received an Italian passport.

Early life[edit]

Serpico was born inBrooklyn,New York City,the youngest child of Vincenzo and Maria Giovanna Serpico,Italianimmigrants fromMarigliano, Naples, Campania.At the age of 17, he enlisted in theUnited States Armyand was stationed for two years inSouth Koreaas an infantryman. He then worked as a part-time private investigator and a youth counselor while attendingBrooklyn College.[4]Serpico later received aBachelor of Sciencedegree fromCity College of New York.[5][6]

Career[edit]

NYPD[edit]

On September 11, 1959, Serpico joined the New York City Police Department (NYPD) as a probationary patrolman, and became a full patrolman on March 5, 1960. He was assigned to the 81stprecinct,then worked for the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) for two years.[7]He was then assigned toplainclothesundercover work, during which he eventually exposed widespread corruption.[4]

Serpico was a plainclothes police officer working inBrooklyn,the BronxandManhattanto expose vice racketeering. In 1967, he reported credible evidence of systemic police corruption, and saw no effect[2]until he met another police officer, David Durk, who helped him. Serpico believed his partners knew about his secret meetings with police investigators. Finally, he contributed to an April 25, 1970 front-page story inThe New York Timeson widespread corruption in the NYPD, which drew national attention to the problem.[2]MayorJohn V. Lindsayappointed a five-member panel to investigate accusations of police corruption. The panel became theKnapp Commission,named after its chairman,Whitman Knapp.[8]

Shooting and public interest[edit]

Serpico was shot during a drug arrest attempt on February 3, 1971, at 778 Driggs Avenue, inWilliamsburg, Brooklyn.Four officers from the Brooklyn North police command had received a tip that a drug deal was about to take place. Two policemen, Gary Roteman and Arthur Cesare, stayed outside, while the third, Paul Halley, stood in front of the apartment building. Serpico climbed up the fire escape, entered by the fire escape door, went downstairs, listened for the password, then followed two suspects outside.[9]

The police arrested the young suspects, and found one had two bags of heroin. Halley stayed with the suspects, and Roteman told Serpico, who spoke Spanish, to make a fake purchase in attempt to get the drug dealers to open the door. The police went to the third-floor landing. Serpico knocked on the door, keeping his hand on his revolver. The door opened a few inches, just far enough to wedge his body in. Serpico called for help, but his fellow officers ignored him.[9]

Serpico was then shot in the face by the suspect with a.22 LRpistol. The bullet struck just below the eye, lodging at the top of his jaw. He fired back, striking his assailant,[3]fell to the floor, and began to bleed profusely. His police colleagues refused to make a "10-13"dispatch to police headquarters, indicating that an officer had been shot. An elderly man who lived in the next apartment called the emergency services, reporting that a man had been shot, and stayed with Serpico.[9]When a police car arrived, aware that Serpico was a fellow officer, they transported him in the patrol car toGreenpoint Hospital.[3]

The bullet had severed an auditory nerve, leaving him deaf in one ear, and he has since suffered from chronic pain from bullet fragments lodged in his brain. He was visited the day after the shooting by Mayor John V. Lindsay and Police CommissionerPatrick V. Murphy,and the police department harassed him with hourly bed checks. He later testified before the Knapp Commission.[10]

The circumstances surrounding Serpico's shooting were quickly called into question. Serpico, who was armed during the drug raid, had been shot only after briefly turning away from the suspect, when he realized that the two officers who had accompanied him to the scene were not following him into the apartment, raising the question whether Serpico had actually been taken to the apartment by his colleagues to be murdered. There was no formal investigation.[3]Edgar Echevarria, who had shot Serpico, was subsequently convicted of attempted murder.[11] On May 3, 1971,New York Metro Magazinepublished an article, "Portrait of an Honest Cop", about him, a week before he testified at the departmental trial of an NYPD lieutenant accused of taking bribes from gamblers.[12]

Testimony before the Knapp Commission[edit]

In October, and again in December 1971, Serpico testified before the Knapp Commission:[9]

Through my appearance here today... I hope that police officers in the future will not experience... the same frustration and anxiety that I was subjected to... for the past five years at the hands of my superiors... because of my attempt to report corruption. I was made to feel that I had burdened them with an unwanted task. The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist, in which an honest police officer can act... without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers. Police corruption cannot exist unless it is at least tolerated... at higher levels in the department. Therefore, the most important result that can come from these hearings... is a conviction by police officers that the department will change. In order to ensure this... an independent, permanent investigative body... dealing with police corruption, like this commission, is essential...[13]

Serpico was the first police officer in the history of the New York City Police Department to step forward to report, and subsequently testify openly about, widespread,systemic corruptionpayoffs amounting to millions of dollars.[14]

Retirement and activism[edit]

Serpico retired on June 15, 1972, one month after receiving the New York City Police Department's highest honor, theMedal of Honor.There was no ceremony; according to Serpico, it was simply handed to him over the desk "like a pack of cigarettes."[15]In 2014, Serpico said that the NYPD still had not issued him the certificate that normally would accompany the honor.[16] In December 2021,Eric Adams,the mayor-elect of New York City and a former NYPD officer, said "[Serpico's] bravery inspired my law enforcement career" and said that he would ensure that the omission was corrected.[17][18]On February 3, 2022, Serpico received the certificate, which he greeted with an improvised "21-gun salute"made with the sound of poppingbubble wrap.[17][18][19]

Following his retirement in 1972, he went toSwitzerlandto recuperate, spending almost a decade living there and on a farm in theNetherlands,and traveling and studying.[15]

When it was decided to make the movie about his life calledSerpico,Al Pacinoinvited the officer to stay with him at a house that Pacino had rented inMontauk, New York.Pacino asked him about why he had stepped forward, and Serpico replied, "Well, Al, I don't know. I guess I would have to say it would be because... if I didn't, who would I be when I listened to a piece of music?"[20]He has credited his grandfather (who had once been assaulted and robbed), and his uncle (a respected policeman in Italy), for his own sense of justice.[21][22]

He returned to the U.S. briefly in June 1974 to deliver a nomination speech forRamsey Clark,candidate forUnited States Senator,at theNew York State Democratic Party's convention inNiagara Falls.Clark was nominated, but lost the general election to incumbent RepublicanJacob Javits.

While travelling in Europe from 1979 to 1980, Serpico lived in Orissor College inCorwen,Wales;[23]he was one of the founders and Director of Orissor (which had been known as the Old Union Work House and, more recently, as Corwen Manor: his signature appears on the deeds). He was well known in and around Corwen and frequently mixed in the town's pubs. After a disagreement with Orissor, he stayed for a few weeks in a B&B before returning to New York City in 1980.

Serpico still speaks out aboutpolice brutality,civil liberties,and police corruption, such as the attempted cover-ups followingAbner Louima's torture in 1997 andAmadou Diallo's shooting in 1999.[24]He provides support to "individuals who seek truth and justice even in the face of great personal risk," calling them "lamp lighters"; he prefers that term in place of the more conventional "whistleblower,"which refers to alerting the public to danger,[25]in the spirit ofPaul Revere's midnight ride during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[26]

In an October 2014 interview published byPoliticoentitled "The Police Are Still Out of Control... I Should Know," Serpico addresses contemporary issues of police violence.[27]

In 2015, Serpico ran for a seat on the town board ofStuyvesant, New York,where he lives, his first foray into politics,[28]but was not elected.[29]

Among police officers, his actions are still controversial,[30]but Eugene O'Donnell, professor of police studies atJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice,said in 2011 that "he becomes more of a heroic figure with every passing year."[31]

On August 19, 2017, Serpico gave a speech which was broadcast live onFacebookas he stood with NYPD police officers in New York City on the bank of the East River at the foot of theBrooklyn Bridgein support ofColin Kaepernick,for his protests alleging a culture of police brutality. Serpico said, "I am here to support anyone who has the courage to stand up against injustice and oppression anywhere in this country and the world."[32]

Effect on the NYPD[edit]

As a result of Serpico's efforts, the NYPD was drastically changed.[15]Michael Armstrong, who was counsel to the Knapp Commission and went on to become chairman of the city's Commission to Combat Police Corruption, observed in 2012, "the attitude throughout the department seems fundamentally hostile to the kind of systemized graft that had been a way of life almost 40 years ago."[33]Also in the late 1970s and early 1980s, vice laws were generally not enforced to prevent police corruption. Consequently, bookmakers and drug dealers often operated openly out of storefronts, while prostitutes openly advertised and often plied their wares in various "red-light" sections of the city.[34]

Personal life[edit]

On June 15, 1972, Serpico left both the NYPD and U.S. to move to Europe. In 1973, he lived with a woman named Marianne (a native of theNetherlands), whom he wed in a "spiritual marriage"; she had two children; Marc and Jessica. She died from cancer in 1980. After her death he decided to return to the United States.[9]

His only child, son Alexander, was born March 15, 1980. Serpico contested a child support order, claiming that the mother told him she was on the contraceptive pill (an allegation she denied, but her friend testified against her). He lost his case on appeal and a tribunal ruled he had to pay $945 per month.[35]Serpico was represented in his suit byKaren DeCrow,former president of theNational Organization for Women.[36]Alexander died of a suspected drug overdose on May 12, 2021.[37]

On June 27, 2013, the USA Section of ANPS (National Association of Italian State Police) assigned him the "Saint Michael Archangel Prize", an official award by the Italian State Police with the Sponsorship of the Italian Ministry of Interior. Francesco Serpico is now an Italian citizen: during the same ceremony, he received his first Italian passport after extended research by the president of ANPS USA, Chief Inspector Cirelli, who established thejus sanguinis,allowing him to gain Italian citizenship.[38]

Depictions in media[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Maas 1973,pp. 49, 268.
  2. ^abcd"Serpico Testifies".New York.2007.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2012.RetrievedOctober 25,2007.
  3. ^abcdSerpico, Frank (October 23, 2014)."The Police Are Still Out of Control".Politico.com.Archivedfrom the original on October 28, 2014.RetrievedOctober 29,2014.
  4. ^ab"Biography".Frank Serpico.com.2007. Archived fromthe originalon October 12, 2007.RetrievedOctober 24,2007.
  5. ^Daley, Robert (1973).Target Blue: An Insider's View of the N.Y.P.D.New York, NY: Delacorte Press. p. 37....Serpico got his B.S. degree from City College long after he became a cop.
  6. ^Burnham, David (June 19, 1970)."Policeman Tells Trial of Payoffs".The New York Times.New York, NY. p. 1.Archivedfrom the original on February 20, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 20,2020– via TimesMachine....Patrolman Frank Serpico, a 34‐year‐old City College graduate who has been on the force for more than 10 years.
  7. ^"Cops have their say".Inter gate.2007. Archived fromthe originalon August 22, 2007.RetrievedOctober 25,2007.
  8. ^Burnham, David (May 22, 1970)."Lindsay Appoints Corruption Unit".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 7, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 2,2017.
  9. ^abcdePhalen, Kathleen F. (January–February 2001)."Frank Serpico: The fate that gnaws at him".GadflyOnline.com.Archivedfrom the original on February 17, 2022.RetrievedOctober 25,2007.
  10. ^Marcou, D. (September 1, 2015).Law Dogs: Great Cops in American History.Thunder Bay Press.ISBN9781620260098.
  11. ^"The Man Who Shot Serpico Is Convicted in Brooklyn".The New York Times.June 1, 1972.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2018.RetrievedJuly 22,2018.
  12. ^"Frank Serpico".New York Magazine.May 3, 1971.Archivedfrom the original on July 25, 2022.RetrievedJune 25,2022.
  13. ^"Excerpts From the Testimony by Serpico".The New York Times.December 15, 1971.
  14. ^Burnham, David (April 25, 1970). "Graft Paid to Police Here Said to Run Into Millions".The New York Times.
  15. ^abcKilgannon, Corey (January 22, 2010)."Serpico on Serpico".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2017.RetrievedOctober 14,2013.
  16. ^McShane, Larry (February 4, 2014)."Frank Serpico has yet to receive 1972 Medal of Honor certificate from NYPD".Daily News.New York.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 6,2022.
  17. ^abAssociated Press(February 4, 2022)."NYPD honors whistleblower Frank Serpico — 50 years late".AP News.New York City.Archivedfrom the original on February 5, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 6,2022.
  18. ^abAnnese, John (February 3, 2022)."Frank Serpico finally gets his formal Medal of Honor certificate from the NYPD".Daily News.New York.Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 6,2022.
  19. ^Pavia, Will (February 4, 2022). Written at New York."Frank Serpico finally gets his Medal of Honor from New York police after 50 years".The Times.London.Archivedfrom the original on February 5, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 6,2022.
  20. ^Grobel, Lawrence (2008).Al Pacino.Simon & Schuster.p. 32.ISBN9781416955566.
  21. ^Pehme, Morgan (September 5, 2012)."Doing the Right Thing".cityandstateny.com.Archived fromthe originalon October 17, 2013.RetrievedOctober 14,2013.
  22. ^Doino Jr., William (September 9, 2013)."Serpico's Stand".First Things.Archivedfrom the original on September 15, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 17,2016.
  23. ^Jones, Mari (August 25, 2019)."Frank Serpico reveals how he ended up in a 'cult-like' group in Wales after exposing NYPD corruption".Daily Post (North Wales).Archivedfrom the original on February 6, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 6,2022.
  24. ^Tyre, Peg (September 23, 1997)."Serpico resurrects his decades-old criticism of NYPD".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on June 19, 2017.RetrievedOctober 25,2007.
  25. ^Cooper 2013.
  26. ^Offstein, Evan H. (2006).Stand Your Ground: Building Honorable Leaders the West Point Way.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 86.ISBN9780275991432.Archivedfrom the original on January 20, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 1,2018.
  27. ^Serpico, Frank (October 23, 2014)."The Police Are Still Out of Control".Politico.Archivedfrom the original on August 30, 2015.RetrievedDecember 8,2014.
  28. ^Kilgannon, Corey (September 8, 2015)."Serpico, Seeking Seat on Town Board, Sees Corruption and Pledges to Fight It".The New York Times.p. A24.Archivedfrom the original on July 15, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 3,2017.
  29. ^Bekiempis, Victoria (November 4, 2015)."Frank Serpico on Lost Political Bid: 'It Will Save Me a Big Headache'".Newsweek.Archivedfrom the original on September 4, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 3,2017.
  30. ^Shaer, Matthew (September 27, 2013)."134 Minutes with Frank Serpico".New York.Archivedfrom the original on October 3, 2013.RetrievedOctober 14,2013.
  31. ^Iverac, Mirela (October 3, 2011)."Decades After Breaking the Blue Wall of Silence, Ex-Cop Frank Serpico Enjoys the Quiet Life".WNYC.Archivedfrom the original on February 28, 2018.RetrievedOctober 14,2013.
  32. ^Bonesteel, Matt (August 19, 2017)."Frank Serpico joins NYPD officers for rally in support of Colin Kaepernick".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on August 27, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 4,2017.
  33. ^Roberts, Sam (June 30, 2012)."Rooting Out Police Corruption".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 21, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 27,2014.
  34. ^Dombrink, John (1988)."The Touchables: Vice and Police Corruption in the 1980s".Law and Contemporary Problems.51(1): 201–232.doi:10.2307/1191720.ISSN0023-9186.JSTOR1191720.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2019.RetrievedAugust 28,2020.
  35. ^"Serpico Loses Battle Over Child Support in Court of Appeals".The New York Times.May 4, 1983.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2019.RetrievedJune 20,2019.
  36. ^Arndt, Bettina(February 17, 2001)."Whose sperm is it, anyway?".Sydney Morning Herald.Archived fromthe originalon September 3, 2021.RetrievedOctober 18,2022.
  37. ^Moore, Tina (May 11, 2021)."Serpico's son dies of apparent drug overdose, police say".Archivedfrom the original on May 11, 2021.
  38. ^"Serpico diventato italiano; cittadinanza allex decttive della polizia di New York"[Serpico became Italian: citizenship to the New York police detective].America Oggi(in Italian). June 29, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on June 10, 2016.RetrievedJuly 9,2013.
  39. ^abThompson, Tony (August 25, 2001)."Peter Maas".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on September 26, 2015.RetrievedMay 24,2015.
  40. ^Maas, Peter; Serpico, Frank (2005).Serpico: The Classic Story of the Cop Who Couldn't Be Bought.New York: Perennial.ISBN978-0-06-073818-1.
  41. ^ab"Serpico: The Deadly Game (1976)".British Film Institute.Archivedfrom the original on December 5, 2023.RetrievedDecember 5,2023.
  42. ^"Big Picture, Small Screen: 20 Movie-Based TV Shows From Worst to Best".Rolling Stone.April 21, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on February 3, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 2,2017.
  43. ^"Frank Serpico".IMDb.November 1, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on March 25, 2018.RetrievedMarch 25,2018.
  44. ^ab"Bums: Making a Mess All Over the City".IMDb.November 15, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on June 23, 2019.RetrievedApril 20,2019.

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External links[edit]

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