Serpico (The Cop Who Defied The System)

SERPICO is a fine true crime retelling of the story of Frank Serpico (Detective NYPD, retired) who battled against endemic corruption among New York's Finest in the 1960s. Peter Maas, who brought us THE VALACHI PAPERS, has written a satisfying but somewhat lightweight recounting of the facts and circumstances of Serpico's career. Maas misses, mostly, in failing to involve the reader fully in the tremendous emotional travail that Serpico felt during his long, frustrating, and ultimately inconclusive one man crusade against police corruption. As a New Yorker, this reviewer has respect for "The Finest." Serpico was hardly the only honest cop in New York circa 1966. But he was one of the only cops to seek to exorcise the demons that beset the police force, root and branch. In this era of high goverment scandal, SERPICO is an important book. Frank Serpico became a Patrolman in 1960, and as he was transferred around the City on various assignments came into contact with cops who routinely shook down criminals---mostly small numbers men and bookmakers with fuzzy Mafia connections---for tens of thousands of dollars per month per precinct, while allowing them to operate. The 1960s fixation on illegal gambling as a major urban problem is an almost charming quirk of this book. The practice was so typical that his fellow officers automatically put Serpico "on the pad." When he refused to take graft he became an object of suspicion. This sense of mistrust was not lessened by Serpico's eccentric (for a cop) lifestyle. Rather than espousing the usual working middle class values of the police community, the life of cigarettes, coffee, doughnuts, wife, kids, and a house in the suburbs, Serpico was a gadfly who loved opera and the ballet, lived in Greenwich Village at the height of the Summer of Love, smoked a pipe, drank tea, traveled internationally, spoke several languages, grew a beard, and, while in plainclothes, affected the dress of the street people and informants with whom he interacted. In addition, Serpico had no "rabbis," no protective contacts within the Department, and did not cultivate the company of most other cops. The truth is that Serpico probably could have served out his career well, but without dramatic distinction, had his fellow officers not been so intent on bringing him into the fold in relation to graft, and had they not become threatening after his refusal to involve himself. Maas does not point to any one incident that convinced Serpico to become an anti-corruption zealot. Rather, Serpico's zealotry grew as his repeated attempts to report illegal activities were rebuffed by the NYPD administration and then the City bureaucracies. Whether intentionally or not, Maas sketches Frank Serpico as almost unbearably self-righteous and looking for a fight as he intentionally busted "protected" criminals, had sometimes dangerous confrontations with other cops, refused to be the fall guy for several internal whitewash investigations, an

A really unbelievable story how an NYC cop blew the whisltle on police corruption, continued to work with those same cops and dealy with red nyc tape. I bought this book just prior to photographing Frank Serpioco and he signed it which was pretty cool. Some criticisms of the book are that there are no photos. it is always interesting to see images of the bed guys and what Serpico looked like compared to the Al Pacino image I have of him. Also--some of the detailed Knapp Commission discussion became pretty boring to read through. As with the Donnie Brasco book, the discussion of the good guys(lawyers, commisioners) became tedious. It if for me, more interesting to read how the bad guys were caught and what bad things they were doing that got them caught.

Serpico! The name that brings chills to my bones. Serpico and Donnie Brasco are my two heroes in the world of criminal justice. Serpico's life mission is not just cleaning out the bad guys, but bad guys posing as good guys, COPS! And the way he risks his life in the process, simply tells a story of a moral beam behind the corruption of the so called blue wall of silence.

Peter Maas artistically tells a story of a man who always wanted to be a "good cop." Unfortunately, the dream is shattered when Frank Serpico confronts wide-spread corruption in the NYC Police Department. The famous Knapp Commission is a result of Serpico's complaints about corruption on the force. Unfortunately, Peter Maas's story could be told about many large urban police departments. Make no mistake about it, corruption, bigotry, and racism are all a part of law enforcement. It was the case back in the 60's - 70's, and it is still the case today. Consequently, Peter Maas's story about "one good cop" fighting a sea of corruption is still relevant today. The story drags at times. But, otherwise, it is quick reading. It is definitely a story that needs to be read. Hence, I recommend this book. Police corruption is still a current topic. But, more importantly, Serpico's story is one of hope. At least there is "one good cop" out there trying to make a difference. And, knowing this, has made a difference in the way I view law enforcement professionals. That is, they are not all bad.

So you want to be a New York City cop? Read this book and make your decision. Even if your aspirations are not towards law enforcement in the big city, read it anyway. This true story takes the reader from the idealistic beginings to the hopeless conclusion of Frank Serpico's police career that spanned eleven years. From the fitting of his first police uniform, heart pounding rides in Brooklyn radio cars, plainclothes assignments, repeatedly explaining to fellow cops that he is not on the take, feeling his frustration and sometimes elation at every small battle he encounters and one brick wall after another in the way of trying to make things right in a city that sometimes doesn't know it's left, from it's right. Anyone who has taken on a unpopular cause will relate to the desparity and loneliness that was felt by Frank Serpico during a great deal of his career. This book was well researched and well written and is still fresh twenty five years after it was first published. It is very detailed and a true depictation of the everyday life of a cop in New York City.