Frank Serpico

Francesco Vincent Serpico, born on April 14, 1936, is a retired detective from the New York Police Department who became a prominent figure in exposing corruption within the force. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he served as a plainclothes officer across Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan, actively investigating vice racketeering. In 1967, he presented credible evidence regarding systemic corruption in the NYPD, but his allegations went largely ignored. However, in 1970, Serpico played a key role in a groundbreaking New York Times article that brought national attention to the issue, leading Mayor John V. Lindsay to establish the Knapp Commission to investigate the claims.

On February 3, 1971, Serpico was seriously injured during an arrest attempt in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, when he was shot in the face. The bullet damaged his auditory nerve and lodged fragments in his brain. Questions arose regarding the circumstances of the shooting, with concerns that his colleagues had set him up; however, no formal investigation took place, and Edgar Echevarria was later convicted of attempted murder.

Serpico gained wider recognition after the release of the 1973 film "Serpico," starring Al Pacino, which was based on Peter Maas's book. On June 27, 2013, he received the "Saint Michael Archangel Prize" from the USA Section of the National Association of Italian State Police, where he was also granted Italian citizenship and his first passport.