[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1295-E1296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LEGACY OF LT. JOSEPH PETROSINO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS R. SUOZZI

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2019

  Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and 
legacy of Giuseppe ``Joe'' Petrosino, NYPD Badge No. 285. 110 years 
ago, Lt. Petrosino was assassinated in Sicily while investigating 
organized crime and became the first NYPD officer killed overseas in 
the line of duty.
  Born in Padula (Sa.), Italy on August 30th, 1860, Lt. Del. Petrosino 
rose to fame in New York for cracking down on organized crime 
throughout the city. ``The Detective in the Derby'', as he was known in 
Little Italy, was the architect of the Bomb Squad, the Canine Squad, 
and the Undercover Squad and his techniques are still used by law 
enforcement today.
  Petrosino and his family immigrated to the United States from Padula 
(in the province of

[[Page E1296]]

Salerno, Campania) in the 1870s. In 1883, he joined the NYPD and became 
the first native Italian-language speaker in the department's history. 
During his service, Petrosino grew close to then-police commissioner 
Theodore Roosevelt and rose through the ranks of the service. In 1895, 
he was promoted to Detective Sergeant and was placed in charge of the 
department's Homicide Division, making him the first Italian-American 
to lead this department.
  Petrosino's career reached it pinnacle in 1908 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 
activities of organized crime groups.
  Unfortunately, Lt. Petrosino's life was cut short by an assassin in 
Piazza Marina, Palermo, Italy on March 12, 1909, while he was 
collecting evidence to be used against the mafia. Lt. Petrosino's body 
was returned to New York and a funeral was held on April 12, 1909; over 
250,000 people were in attendance. New York City declared the day of 
his burial a holiday to allow its citizens to pay their respects.
  A small plaza just north of the old NYPD Headquarters at 240 Center 
Street in Manhattan was renamed in his memory, but his true legacy 
lives on in the hearts and minds of his surviving family members: 
granddaughter Susan Burke, grandnephew Assistant District Attorney 
Joseph Petrosino, NYPD Officer Joseph Petrosino, and, in Italy, 
grandnephew and founder of the Joe Petrosino International Association 
Nino Melito-Petrosino.
  Lt. Petrosino's mark extends far beyond New York City. Over 100 years 
after his death, The Lt Det. Joseph Petrosino Association in America 
continues the tribute to an NYPD and Italian icon by forming a trinity 
with the Joe Petrosino International Association in Padula (Sa.) Italy 
and the Joe Petrosino Association in Sicily, Italy; this trinity 
continues to perpetuate his memory, his values, and his fight against 
crime.
  I would like to thank the board members of the Lt. Det. Joseph 
Petrosino Association in America for their tireless advocacy for New 
York police departments; Cav. Joseph Mattone, Dr. Joseph Scelsa, and 
James Lisa, Chairman of the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Association in 
America. I would also like to recognize Robert (Bob) Fonti, President 
of the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Association in American, Vincenzo Lamanna, 
President of the Associazione Internazionale Joe Petrosino, Padula 
(Sa.) Italy, and Anna Maria Corradini, President of the Association 
``Joe Petrosino'' Sicilia, Palermo, Italy.
  Fighting crime, unfortunately, sometimes requires the sacrifice of an 
untold number of men and women in blue. We thank them and their 
families for putting themselves in harm's way on our behalf.

                          ____________________