NYPD On September 11, 1959, Serpico joined the
New York City Police Department (NYPD) as a probationary patrolman, and became a full patrolman on March 5, 1960. He was assigned to the
81st precinct, then worked for the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) for two years. He was then assigned to
plainclothes undercover work, working in Brooklyn,
Manhattan and
the Bronx. until he met another police officer, David Durk, who helped him. He believed his partners in the BCI knew about his secret meetings with
internal affairs investigators. Finally, Serpico contributed to an April 25, 1970, front-page story in
The New York Times on widespread corruption in the NYPD, which drew national attention.
Shooting and public interest On February 3, 1971, Serpico was shot during an arrest attempt at 778 Driggs Avenue, in the
Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Four officers from the Brooklyn North police command had received a tip that a drug deal was about to take place. Two policemen, Gary Roteman and Arthur Cesare, stayed outside while the third, Paul Halley, stood in front of the apartment building. Serpico climbed up a
fire escape, entered by the fire escape door, went downstairs, listened for the password, then followed two suspects outside. Police arrested the young suspects, and found one had two bags of
heroin. Halley stayed with the suspects, and Roteman told Serpico, who spoke
Spanish, to make a fake purchase in an attempt to get the drug dealers to open the door. The party went to the third-floor landing. Serpico knocked on the door, keeping his hand on his
revolver. The door opened a few inches, just far enough to wedge his body in. Serpico called for help, but Roteman and Cesare ignored him. He then fell to the floor and began to bleed profusely. Roteman and Cesare refused to make a "
10-13" dispatch to police headquarters, indicating that an officer had been shot. An elderly man who lived in an adjacent apartment called emergency services, reporting that a man had been shot, and stayed with Serpico. The circumstances surrounding Serpico's shooting were quickly called into question. Serpico, who was armed during the raid, had been shot only after briefly turning away from Echevarria, when he realized that Roteman and Cesare were not following him into the apartment, raising the question whether he had actually been taken to the apartment by his colleagues to be murdered. There was no formal investigation. On May 3, 1971,
New York Metro Magazine published an article about Serpico, "Portrait of an Honest Cop," a week before he testified before the Knapp Commission of an NYPD lieutenant accused of taking
bribes from gamblers.
Testimony before the Knapp Commission In October and December of 1971, Serpico testified before the Knapp Commission:
Retirement Serpico retired on June 15, 1972, one month after receiving the NYPD's highest commendation, the
Medal of Honor. There was no ceremony; according to Serpico, it was simply handed to him over the desk "like a pack of cigarettes." In 2014, Serpico stated that the department still had not issued him the certificate that normally would accompany the medal. In December 2021,
Eric Adams, then mayor-elect of New York City and a former NYPD officer, said "[Serpico's] bravery inspired my law enforcement career" and said that he would ensure that the omission was corrected. On February 3, 2022, exactly fifty-one years after the shooting, Serpico received the certificate, which he greeted with an improvised "
21-gun salute" made with the sound of popping
bubble wrap. When it was decided to make the movie about Serpico's life,
Al Pacino invited him to stay at a house that Pacino had rented in
Montauk,
Long Island. Pacino asked Serpico about why he had stepped forward, to which he replied, "Well, Al, I don't know. I guess I would have to say it would be because... if I didn't, who would I be when I listened to a piece of music?" Serpico has credited his grandfather (who had once been assaulted and robbed), and his uncle (a respected policeman in Italy), for his own sense of justice.
Effect on the NYPD As a result of Serpico's efforts, some have claimed that the NYPD has drastically changed. The Commission has become a permanent advisory body, and in its 2018 report while noting that there has been progress on NYPD corruption and transparency, offered thirteen suggestions covering a range of reporting, transparency and adjudication procedures. In its 2022 interim response report, the NYPD responded to five of these suggestions, rejecting three as inappropriate or unnecessary. Serpico disagrees that the Commission has made a meaningful difference to NYPD culture, stating in 2010: "An honest cop still can't find a place to go and complain without fear of recrimination. The
blue wall will always be there because the system supports it." but Eugene O'Donnell, professor of police studies at
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said in 2011 that "he becomes more of a heroic figure with every passing year." ==Later life==