Happy Birthday, Frank Serpico

April 14, 2009 @ 10:27AM

Happy Birthday, Frank Serpico

By Carlos Miller -...

For ten long years, New York Police officer Frank Serpico filed complaints with his superiors against his corrupt colleagues, only for them to go unheeded.

Finally, he went to the New York Times which published a series of in-depth articles beginning on April 25, 1970 that revealed a wide series of corruption within the police department.

One year later, he was shot in the face by a drug dealer in what appeared to be a setup by fellow officers, according to Wikipedia.

The circumstances surrounding Serpico’s shooting quickly came into question. Serpico, who was armed during the drug raid, had only been shot 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, bringing into question if Serpico had actually been brought to the apartment by his colleagues to be executed.

He survived but lost his hearing in his left ear.

Today, on his 73rd birthday, he is known as the fist police officer in the United States to testify openly about widespread, systematic cop corruption-payoffs amounting to millions of dollars.

It is no wonder why he is still hated by many cops.

Comments

Anonymous

3 years ago

Frank Serpico still does great work advocating for those who take risks to bring corruption to light, people who he calls “lamplighters”.

(see http://www.frankserpico.com/)

Thankfully, that spirit still lives on and there are officers, albeit few, out there who take great risks to bring the truth to light, even at great cost to themselves.

Thanks for posting this Carlos!

Anonymous

3 years ago

Must see….

http://www.infowars.com/reporters-from-infowarscom-were-harassed-and-thr...

Anonymous

3 years ago

Are you really citing to Wikipedia?

Anonymous

3 years ago

Yes, why?

Anonymous

2 years ago

How I wish Serpico were around today to see what corruption has evolved, especially at the Bushwick presincts.I am so sorry for the pain you endurred at the hands of these “police”. The motto “to serve and protect” is a joke to them. In July I too was not only falsley arrested by the same police, but the police “woman”, Officer Bristol who arrested me called me Hew, as well as the booking officer, Officer Ridriguez, who conveniently disappeared. When it came time for my phone call, they picked up the phone then dropped it and smashed it and said “uh not good reception here”(this was my first arrest and I told them I was calling a lawyer). Officer Bristol took me in a room and put her hands where they did not belong. I cried and screamed. Officer Rodriguez said the more I screamed the longer I would have to wait to be released. I am still traumatized. How can these pieces of crap get away with this???

Anonymous

2 years ago

I am so sorry for the pain you endurred at the hands of these “police”. The motto “to serve and protect” is a joke to them. In July I too was not only falsley arrested by the same police, but the police “woman”, Officer Bristol who arrested me called me Hew, as well as the booking officer, Officer Ridriguez, who conveniently disappeared. When it came time for my phone call, they picked up the phone then dropped it and smashed it and said “uh not good reception here”(this was my first arrest and I told them I was calling a lawyer). Officer Bristol took me in a room and put her hands where they did not belong. I cried and screamed. Officer Rodriguez said the more I screamed the longer I would have to wait to be released. I am still traumatized. How can these pieces of crap get away with this???