The Lt. Det. Joseph Petrosino Association in America honored the late NYPD Detective Doug LeVien with the Jack and Helen Como Award at their annual awards dinner held on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach. This year’s event has marked the 110th anniversary of the day when NYPD Lt. Det. Giuseppe (Joseph) Petrosino was gunned down while on an undercover operation, leaving behind a legacy of a love of America and Italy, as well as his dedication to law enforcement and his belief that everyone has the right to live a life free from fear and intimidation.

In that same vein, this year, the organization honored the late Det. LeVien to remember the significant contributions he had made during his life as a New York City Police Detective. After serving in the Marines, a young LeVien made history when he posed as a crooked cop and wore a wire to collect evidence in the corruption-busting “Gold Bug” investigation, and when he infiltrated the Sicilian Mafia in New York City as wiseguy “Tommy Russo.”