Joseph Petrosino
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giuseppe "Joe" Petrosino (August 30, 1860 - March 12, 1909) was an NYCPD officer who was a pioneer in the fight against organized crime. The various crime fighting techniques that Petrosino pioneered during his law enforcement career are still practiced by various agencies in the fight against crime.
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[edit] Early Years
At age 14, Petrosino and his family emigrated to the United States from Padula (in the province of Salerno, Campania), a village in southern Italy. At age 23, he joined the NYCPD. During his service, he would become friends with Theodore Roosevelt, who was police commissioner of New York City at the time. Roosevelt would promote him to Detective Sergeant in charge of the department's Homicide Division, making him the first Italian-American to lead this division.
The pinnacle of his career came when he was promoted to Lieutenant and placed in charge of the Italian Squad, an elite corps of Italian-American detectives specifically assembled to deal with the criminal activities of organizations like the Mafia, which Petrosino saw as a shame to decent Italians and his native country.
[edit] Enrico Caruso
One notable case in Petrosino's stint with the Italian Squad was when the famous Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, who was performing at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, was being blackmailed by gangsters who demanded money in exchange for his life.
It was Petrosino who convinced Caruso to help him catch those behind the blackmail.
[edit] William McKinley
A second notable case in Petrosino's stint with the Italian Squad was his infiltration of an Italian-based anarchist organization that assassinated King Umberto I of Italy. During his mission, he discovered evidence that the organization intended to assassinate President William McKinley during his trip to Buffalo.
Petrosino warned the Secret Service, but McKinley ignored the warning, even after Roosevelt, who had by this time become Vice-President of the United States, vouched for Petrosino's abilities. As a result, McKinley was assassinated by Leon Czolgosz during his visit to Buffalo's Pan-American Exposition on September 6, 1901.
[edit] Arrest of the Don
Petrosino's investigations into Mafia activities led him to Don Vito Cascio Ferro, the godfather of the Mafia in New York. In 1903, Petrosino arrested him on suspicion of murder, but Cascio Ferro was acquitted. He later returned to Sicily, where he became increasingly involved with the Sicilian Mafia.
In 1909, Petrosino made plans to travel to Palermo, Sicily, on a top secret mission. However, because of the incompetence of Thomas Bingham, New York's police commissioner, the New York Herald published the story of Petrosino's mission on February 20, 1909, just days before his departure. Even though he was aware of the danger, Petrosino headed to Palermo as planned. However, this decision would prove fatal.
[edit] Death
On March 12, 1909, after arriving in Palermo, Petrosino received a message from someone claiming to be an informant, asking the detective to meet him in the city's Piazza Marina to give him information about the Mafia. Petrosino arrived at the rendezvous, but it was a trap. While waiting for his 'informant,' Petrosino was shot to death by Mafia assassins.
Vito Cascio Ferro was arrested for Petrosino's murder but was released after an associate provided an alibi. However, he later claimed to other crime figures that he had killed Petrosino, which helped propel him into the position of capo di tutti capi (boss of bosses).
On April 12, 1909, Petrosino's funeral, which was attended by 250,000 people, was held in Manhattan. New York City declared the day of his burial a holiday to allow its citizens to pay their respects.
[edit] Retrospectives
Petrosino's story would be discussed on the 2-hour History Channel program Godfathers, which featured commentary concerning his life by Mario Cuomo, former governor of New York, and Bernard Kerik, former police commissioner of New York City.
[edit] Honors, Awards, Recognitions
- A small park in Greenwich Village, New York City, formerly known as Kenmare Square, was named after Petrosino in 1987. Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino Square Park
- The Joe Petrosino Prize for Investigative Reporting was named after Petrosino.
[edit] External links
- Candida Martinelli's Italophile Site - Article on Joe Petrosino
- Buhner.Com - A Martyr to Duty: Remembering Giuseppe “Joe” Petrosino, the Original “Untouchable”
- The Joe Petrosino International Association
- Officer Down Memorial Page - Entry on Joe Petrosino
- American Film Institute - Movie Entry: The Adventures of Lieutenant Petrosino
- InfoHub Specialty Travel Guide - Tourist information on Petrosino's birthplace of Padula, Italy
- American Organized Crime: Joe Petrosino
- Petrosino Find A Grave
