
At We the Italians, we've always been thankful to the American police. And through the years, several Italian Americans have traditionally been employed in protecting and serve, all over the US, particularly on the East Coast.
This is why we are proud and glad to be able to interview Inspector Joseph Gallucci, a decorated member of the NYPD Columbia Association, the organization that reunites and represents the Italian Americans employed in the New York Police Department. In thanking him, we actually mean to thank you all our fellow Italians who served and serve defending American people's safety.
Joe, please tell our readers something about you.
Well, I was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, and I am the grandson of Italian immigrants: all my grandparents were born in Italy. The Galluccis come from a small town called Calitri, which is in the province of Avellino. I have been in that town in many occasions and I still have connections to my family that is still there. I've been a member of the NYPD for over 35 years now. I currently hold the rank of Inspector and I'm currently assigned to the counterterrorism bureau.
Was it your dream to become a police officer as a child?
No, becoming a police officer was never in my dreams. My dream was to play Shortstop for the NY Mets. I love baseball and the Mets are my favorite team, so my childhood dream was to play professional baseball, but apparently I wasn't good enough. It was never a dream of mine to become a police officer, not because I thought it wasn't a good career, but I really never gave it much thought because I had no police officers in my family, I'm the first one.
My father was a wood worker and he was actually the vice president of a company that dealt in very rare and exotic hard woods from throughout the world. They were based in South Bronx and sometimes, when I was off from school, when I was growing up, I used to go to work with him, and I'd see these NYC police officers and I just never saw myself as being one of them. I don't know why, but even in my own town I've always had the most respect for the police but I just didn't think I was capable of working in that field.
When I took the police test, I was attending Saint John't University. I also have a Master's degree in finance from Manhattan College. However, when I was in college, I had a friend who I attended school with, and he wanted to be a police officer. He was about to take the exam and he convinced me to do the same. The first time he mentioned it to me I said no. I just didn't think it was me, that it wasn't anything I could be good at, even if I had the most respect for police officers. He convinced me to take the exam with him, and I did well. And 35 plus years later I'm still a member of the police force.
Was your friend Italian American?
No, he was Irish.
This is all wonderful. A very peculiar story. The first member in the family, and the fact that your friend was Irish...
We were both American.
Absolutely. What is the story and the mission of NYPD Columbia Association?
The mission of the NYPD Columbia Association is basically to promote and encourage an understanding of the Italian American heritage amongst its members, members of the NYPD. The organization also provides support, not only to its own members, through its scholarship program; but we also support other organizations, whenever we can. With other organizations, I mean other police department's members within ethnic organizations or police officers who are injured... things of that nature.
The NYPD Columbia Association recently honored me with the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Man of the Year award.
Do you work with other Italian American police organizations? I've seen there are many around the US, is there a coordination?
Yes. We have a very good bond with Italian American associations like ours, for example the one from New Jersey, and we coordinate with them during the year, especially during the month of October, when the Columbus Day Parade in NYC takes place. The group in New Jersey brings over a group of Italian police officers to participate and marches in the parade with us. So, all together, the members of NYPD Columbia Association, the members of New Jersey Italian American Association and the members of the Polizia di Stato that come to NY, march together and we have the honor to open the parade. It means that the people who organize the parade recognize our importance in the Italian American Community. They do not look at us as police officers; they look at us as police officers with Italian roots.
Historically, from Joe Petrosino to these days, the list of Italian Americans in law enforcement is huge ... it is maybe the most popular job among the community, at least in the Greater New York area...
Joe Petrosino was a pioneer in the fight against organized crime. He was the first and only New York Police officer killed in the line of duty outside the United States. He was killed when he was in Italy investigating the Black Hand, the Mafia and organized crime, many years ago, I think it was 1909.
Why, according to you, among the Italian American Community in the Greater NY Area the job in the law enforcement is so popular?
Many Italian Americans here are second and third generation. The generations before them, when they came to this country, were civil servants. They took civil service jobs that were made available to them: they saw it as an important career, a noble career, something that they believed in, that gave them a chance to help other people. It's a very secure career, people can provide for their families: a case like mine is rare, not coming from a family of police officers or firefighters.
It's a tradition in the families...
To become a police officer? Yes. You usually see people becoming police officers because their father or their older siblings, brothers, uncles are police officers.
I heard that a few days ago in Staten Island three brothers from an Italian family became police officers the same day. Do you think it has something to do with the Italian dna, which is made to help people, to give back?
The Italian American people are very warm and very welcoming. Being a police officer is a tremendous opportunity to do that, to help others, to give back to the community. So, yes, I think so.
You are here in Italy because NYPD is helping with security in Rome during jubilee year. First of all, on behalf of We the Italians, thanks for your help! What can you tell us about this?
Let me say that it's been a great honor to be given this opportunity to come here in Italy and work with the Italian police in regards of the Jubilee event. It's a very special event, and this is one of the highlights of my career. Obviously, in New York the NYPD works many many high profile events, this is something on those lines, a special event that has a worldwide recognition. People come from everywhere to Rome for the jubilee.
I gained a lot of personal and professional satisfaction because of this opportunity. What made it even more special was the way we were received. We weren't received as outsiders, we were received as brothers police officers by the Italian police and by the other Italian authorities. I believe they asked us here because they wanted the support. The operation was already in place, and I think it was organized well at every level.
It was a great opportunity to share the way of American policing, it was also an opportunity to see how the Italians do it. There are many common threads, there are some differences on the business, on policing, but we basically work the same way. Whether the police comes from the United States, New York, or Italy, we have a common bond, fundamentally the same mission, and it was interesting seeing police from different countries like Spain and Poland come to Italy to work together.
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