The ANNOTICO Report
Members of US Law Enforcement who give their lives
in the "Line of Duty"
are inscribed on a Memorial in Washington D.C.
The Italian Americans who are "mememorialized" and whose
names are chiseled
on the marble walls at the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial in
Washington, D.C. include: Francis "Frank" LaSala, Captain
Kathy Mazza,
Inspector Anthony P. Infante, Jr., Superintendent Fred
V. Morrone, Joseph
Cavagnaro, George Zientara, John DeCarli,Randy
J. Schipani, Michael
Schiavina,Sam Renaldi, Joseph Zanella, Frank Genovese
along with hundreds
of other Italian-American police officers.
Of course one who deserves special mention is Joseph Petrosino,
whose feats
were legendary.
The Order of the Sons of Italy in America's $50,000 investment
in the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was the largest
donation from a
non-law enforcement organization.
[RAA: Did ANY other Ethnic group make a Contribution??
Did OSIA negotiate a
"Special Recognition for Italian Americans in return??
Is a Book of the
Italian Americans available at least ??]
Currently underway is a Campaign to Build the National
Law Enforcement
Museum. When it opens in 2009, the Museum will be the
largest and most
comprehensive of its kind in the world. Located across
the street from the
Memorial, this "glimpse behind the badge" will feature
25,000 square feet
of exhibits commemorating law enforcement's past and
present.
Details of those named here, follow in article below,
and their pictures
are at the URL address.
THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT LEGACY
by Craig W. Floyd
June 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Whether we live in New York, San Francisco,
Philadelphia, Boston, or Newark, most of us know a fearless,
Italian cop
with a warm smile and a brave heart.
An officer like FRANCIS "FRANK" LA SCALA, who was just
doing his job that
day fourteen years ago, January 10, 1987.
As an emergency service officer for the New York City
Police Department,
Frank LaSala had confronted death many times before.
So when the call came
that a building was on fire across from his stationhouse,
the 12-year
veteran didn't hesitate.
He plunged through smoke and flames to rescue the dozen
or so people
trapped in the building. But in saving the lives of others,
he sacrificed
his own: He collapsed on a third floor landing, overcome
by a fiery blast.
Frank suffered second- and third-degree burns over 55
percent of his body.
He was 34 years old when he died.
American officers of Italian descent like Frank LaSala
can lay claim to a
proud history in the country's law enforcement profession.
Captain KATHY MAZZA — the first female commander of the
New York/New Jersey
Port Authority Police Academy — was also just doing her
job on September
11, 2001, when she hurried into Tower One on a rescue
mission.
So were Inspector ANTHONY P. INFANTE, JR., and FRED V.
MORRONE,
Superintendent for the NY/NJ Port Authority P.D., both
of whom rushed to
the scene and were last seen shepherding people down
the stairs as they
climbed up.
JOSEPH CAVAGNARO died in a car accident after being forced off the road.
In 1928 GEORGE ZIENTARA was shot by a robbery suspect.
JOHN DECARLI was
shot by a milk thief; he left behind five children. Their
names, along with
hundreds of other Italian-American police officers, are
chiseled on the
marble walls at the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
The Memorial itself was built largely because of the efforts
of former
Congressman MARIO BIAGGI — an Italian-American who was
New York City's most
decorated cop when he retired from the force in 1965,
wounded 10 times in
the line of duty and rising to the rank of detective-lieutenant.
Mario Biaggi was elected to Congress in 1969 and is credited
with
successfully moving the bill creating the National Law
Enforcement Officers
Memorial through the House of Representatives. The Memorial
legislation was
just one of his many achievements during a 20-year congressional
career,
but none would make him prouder.
Along with Mario Biaggi, two individuals who also led
the way were New York
City Patrolmen's Benevolent Asociation (PBA) President
Phil Caruso, and the
City's Detective's Endowment Association (DEA) President
Tom Scotto.
When funds were short and the future of the project was
in jeopardy, both
union leaders pledged a financial commitment of $20 per
member for each of
their organizations.
With more than 20,000 members and important corporate
friends, Phil Caruso
and the PBA brought in more than $500,000 to build the
Memorial, more than
any other local police group, and the second highest
donation overall.
The DEA easily met their goal, and Tom Scotto matched
the donations from
his members with private donations from the community,
including
significant contributions from some of Wall Street's
strong police
supporters.
The Order of the Sons of Italy in America's $50,000 investment
in the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was the largest
donation from a
non-law enforcement organization.
Italian Americans across the country pitched in as well,
including John
Garavaglia, a lieutenant with the Arvada, Colorado Police
Department. John
canvassed his state and raised thousands of dollars from
the Colorado law
enforcement community. He may not have had the resources
available in New
York, but nobody put more heart into the effort.
A Legacy of Service and Sacrifice: JOSEPH PETROSINO
One of the legendary police crusaders against gang-related
violence in this
country was Joseph Petrosino. As a member of the New
York City Police
Department, Officer Petrosino devoted most of his career
to fighting a
group of extortionists who called themselves the "Mano
Nera," or Black Hand.
In 1905, he formed the Italian Squad, a small group of
plainclothes
policemen who infiltrated the Black Hand. Over the next
four years the
squad reduced crimes against Italians by 50 percent.
They arrested
thousands of criminals and deported more than 500 to
Italy.
In 1909, the New York City Police Department sent Detective
Petrosino on a
secret mission to Italy to collect evidence against the
Black Hand. The
news of his mission reached Italy before his ship did,
and less than a
month after he arrived in Sicily, the 48-year-old police
hero was
assassinated.
When his body was returned to New York, the funeral procession
lasted five
and a half hours and was attended by a crowd of more
than 250,000 people.
Of all the tributes that Joseph Petrosino has received,
one stands out
above all the others: It is the hundreds of brave Italian-American
law
enforcers who have followed in his footsteps and carried
on his tradition
of combating gang-related crime and violence in this
country with supreme
courage and the highest levels of professionalism. They
have helped to
ensure that Joseph Petrosino's sacrifice was not in vain.
A Few of the Italian-American officers who made the ultimate sacrifice
RANDY SCHIPANI
Officer
Atlanta, Georgia
On the morning of May 8, 1992, Officer Randy J. Schipani
was involved in a
"routine" traffic stop. The driver-a 15-year-old boy
who friends said "was
living too fast for his age and wanted to kill a cop
and die"-was speeding.
Within a few short moments of the traffic stop, Officer
Schipani was shot
and killed. He was 34 years old and left behind a wife.
MICHAEL SCHIAVINA
Officer
Springfield, Massachusetts
On the night of November 12, 1985, 28-year-old Michael
Schiavina and his
partner approached a parked ear to conduct a routine
investigation. Gunfire
blazed from the vehicle, hitting Officer Schiavina in
the chest and his
partner in the face. Neither officer survived. Their
assailant later
committed suicide after being tracked down by police.
"He was just a big,
big guy with a big, big heart," said a friend about Schiavina.
"I never saw
him without a smile on his face."
SAM RENALDI
Town Marshal
Rocklin, California
Town Marshal Sam Renaldi of the Rocklin, California Police
Department was
killed on February 19, 1914, after responding to a disturbance
call.
Marshal Renaldi lost his life that day in a shootout
with a local saloon
keeper. He was 26 years old.
JOSEPH ZANELLA
Officer
Verona, Pennsylvania
Officer Joseph Zanella was shot and killed on September
19, 1969, after
stopping a suspicious individual for questioning. Unknown
to the officer,
the man was an escapee from a nearby state prison. The
man shot Officer
Zanella through the heart.
FRANK GENOVESE
Deputy
Palm Beach County, Florida
Deputy Genovese was a member of the SWAT team when a
disturbance call came
in on June 3, 1982. A disgruntled Vietnam War veteran
was threatening to
set off a bomb. During negotiations, the man spotted
Genovese on a
neighboring rooftop. He fired. The bullet struck Deputy
Genovese in the
forehead, killing him instantly. Frank was 25 years old.
Giving a Voice to their Valor: The Campaign to Build the
National Law
Enforcement Museum
We must never forget the courage and dedication of our
nation's law
enforcement officers. That's why the NLEOMF was established
in 1984, and
the Memorial created in Washington, D.C. Engraved on
the Memorial are the
names of more than 16,500 officers known to have died
in the line of duty
since 1792. New names are dedicated every year during
National Police Week.
Permanently and silently, the Memorial tells an important
story of service
and sacrifice. But, as one law enforcement leader recently
said, "The
Memorial focuses on the end of the story… We need to
tell the rest of the
story."
That's why we have launched A Matter of Honor: The Campaign
to Build the
National Law Enforcement Museum. When it opens in 2009,
the Museum will be
the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the
world. Located across
the street from the Memorial, this "glimpse behind the
badge" will feature
25,000 square feet of exhibits commemorating law enforcement's
past and
present.
Help us respect, honor, and remember the service of all
law enforcement
officers, past, present, and future. Invest in the construction
of the
National Law Enforcement Museum.