Posted on 01/26/2010 6:23:50 PM PST by nickcarraway
He looked like some sort of fur trapper, this bearded man walking through the snowy woods here in upstate New York. But then, Frank Serpico has always been known for his disguises.
Anyone who has seen the celebrated 1973 film “Serpico” knows that he often dressed up — bum, butcher, rabbi — to catch criminals. His off-duty look was never vintage cop either, with the bushy beard and the beads.
This is the man whose long and loud complaining about widespread corruption in the New York Police Department made him a pariah on the force. The patrolman shot in the face during a 1971 drug bust while screaming for backup from his fellow officers, who then failed to immediately call for an ambulance. The undaunted whistle-blower whose testimony was the centerpiece of the Knapp Commission hearings, which sparked the biggest shakeup in the history of the department.
Four decades later, Frank Serpico is still bearded, handsome and a flamboyant dresser. At 73, he seems spry enough to chase down and collar a perp; on that wintry walk through the woods, he interrogated a man carrying a sled, and followed a trail of blood drops in the snow until it disappeared. Not long before, he had sniffed out a dumper of garbage on his property and reported him to the police.
Mr. Serpico still carries the detective shield he was awarded as he left the department on a disability pension and, often, his licensed revolver, with which he takes target practice on his 50-acre property not far from this Columbia County hamlet. He also still carries bullet fragments lodged just below his brain from the drug shooting; he is deaf in his left ear, and has nerve damage in his left leg.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ping
His own man.
Also if FReepers haven't seen the original movie please see it. One of Pacino's best.
One of Pacino’s best.
**********************
Undeniably so and the book is a good, fast read, too.
Sad,sad story from a true American Hero!
It took amazing courage to do what he did.
“
Also if FReepers haven’t seen the original movie please see it. One of Pacino’s best.
“
I’ll second that.
And that photo of the real Serpico in the previous post is some portrait.
Interesting story of a complex man. I have never seen the movie on Serpico.
It’s violent but captivating. I’ve seen it several times.
The man is a hero for all time. The courage to live your life, to offer your life up for justice and honesty. To never betray your morals even if it takes your life. And they spit on him...
Great movie and a great man.
ping
ping
These days, the only busts taking place on Driggs are of the occassional drunken hipster riding his skateboard into traffic. Amazing how said nabe has changes over the past 15 years.
Frank looks like a Chechen Rebel, but always remained true to himself, and never made a career out of being a professional PITA a la Cindy Sheehan and Jimmy Carter. I am happy to see him living a happy retirement in a beautiful part of the state.
Ditto on both counts. Much of the movie, btw, was filmed in my current neighborhood.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.