A Brooklyn cop killed in the line of duty a century ago was finally provided a headstone at his Green-Wood Cemetery plot.
The year was 1924. Prohibition was in full effect across the then-48 states, and mobsters like Al Capone ran bootlegging operations throughout America — illegally importing and selling alcohol to the masses through speakeasies.
During this snapshot of history, Detective Bernardino Grottano was serving as a Brooklyn cop in the NYPD. On May 19, 100 years ago, Grottano, who was affectionately known as Barney, was off-duty when he spotted a fleeing gunman.
The crook had just robbed the United Cigar Store located on Brooklyn’s Fulton Street when Grottano spotted 26-year-old William Rogers fleeing from another patrolman. Despite being off duty, Grottano joined in on the chase.
During the foot pursuit, both the cops and the fleeing suspect fired at one another; Grottano was struck in the chest and fell to the ground. He died on May 26 at a Brooklyn Hospital at the age of 42.
According to police records, Grottano was once a part of the Italian Squad which famously fought back against organized crime, such as the Black Hand Mafia. He left behind a wife and two children.
“It was much more difficult 100 years ago. We didn’t have vests, we didn’t have the cars — we didn’t have a lot of things that we have now,” Paul DiGiacomo, president of the Detective Endowment Association, told amNewYork Metro as he stood behind Grottano’s gravesite in Green-Wood Cemetery. “This individual was fighting an uphill battle when he got involved in this robbery attempt.”
On May 20, inside the historic graveyard, a warm breeze gently nipped at the grass and trees as the DEA and police officers looked to right a wrong: although buried in a family plot, Grottano never had a gravestone identifying him.
Paying respects to his ultimate sacrifice, the DEA paid for a new headstone to be placed and honored him more than a lifetime after his passing during a special ceremony.
“He did what New York City police detectives and ranking members of the New York City Police Department do every day, which is a step in to protect the larger communities and to protect the citizens of this great city,” Inspector Andrew Arias said.
The ceremony also brought Grottano’s family together — some unaware they were related to the slain cop. Retired Lt. Bill Markowski attended the event and discovered that his soon-to-be wife was related to Grottano through an ancestry website.
Furthermore, Grottano’s great-great nephews Dylan Grottano and Robert DeSena — both cops themselves — met for the first time.
“It’s amazing, I have a whole bunch of family that I didn’t even know about,” Dylan Grottano said. “I always wanted to be a police officer and it is an honor to have his last name.”
