Analysis Of Serpico

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If the name Serpico sounds familiar, it may be remembered from a movie. Serpico is portrayed in the 1973 movie directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino. This movie may be loved by many but it’s important to realize that its characters are real men and the story line is very real. Although most police officers work very hard to do their jobs within ethical standards of the law, it is often not hard to find some type of corruption within a department. Who is the real Frank Serpico? According to the New York Times, Serpico was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1936. He longed to be a police officer from an early age and dreamed of wearing the uniform. When Frank turned 18 he joined the United States Army and traveled abroad. Stationed in Korea …show more content…

Biography describes Serpico as a detective who worked in the Bronx, Harlem, and Brooklyn. In 1970, Serpico and Durk went to the New York Times attempting to expose the department’s corruption. Published by David Burnham, the article made the front page of the paper and it put pressure on Mayor John V. Lindsay to form the Knapp Commission. Serpico and Durk decided that they would still work, regardless of the harsh names that they acquired by the department. They also risked retaliation by the other officers on the force. It was during this time that Frank became seriously injured on duty in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Pollock states, “Before he had a chance to testify to the Knapp Commission, Serpico was shot in the face at point-blank range in a drug bust while his fellow officers stood behind him. This was a suspected set up, especially since there were never calls for help issued” (Pollock, p. 173, …show more content…

It physically put their lives in danger but they believed in standing up for what’s right and doing the right thing. Instead of using the term whistle blowers, he uses the term of lamp lighters. He opened the eyes of those in New York and all over the nation. Frank Serpico made it evident that good cops should not have to fear bad cops. In my opinion, Frank Serpico is a hero and the outcomes of the way that he left the force should not have happened the way that it did. Police officers should not be held above the law and their actions and behaviors should be those that are legal. If an officer knows that someone is in fact, participating in corrupt behavior they should not fear doing what is right and letting the designated individual

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