Friday, June 8, 2012

Passing of a Fine Police Officer and Friend

Sam Caltagirone for 25 years  was a Police officer with the Pittsburgh Police dept in the last part of his career he was the  Community Relations Officer  at the old #7 Police station on Mary st. in Pittsburgh's South Side  the district is now known as Zone 3# .
Part of his responsibility as Community relations Officer SAM was in charge of BSA Law Enforcement Explorer Post 777#

Which I belonged to which encouraged law enforcement careers. I never went into Law Enforcement but did work as a security Officer  for a while till going full time into the trades since I could not pass the physical.  to be a Police Officer ,EMT or Firefighter.

We Often took trips to many areas to see Law Enforcement officers in action including a trip to Florida during Daytona  Bike Week  when we got to go up into center field at the Daytona 500 racetrack  to see a temporary detainment  set up for handling bikers who where not behaving properly . and a trip to Montreal where we got to learn about the Canadian Mounties and actually got to see them work out with there horses in drills and one officer even dressed up in his dress red uniform  like you see in the movies so we could take pictures.  That was all 35 years ago and I have not seen Sam or any of the other members since then Last time I saw Sam was at his house when I fixed his Air conditioner before he moved to Florida. Sam was a WWII Navy Vet  as where many officer who served the city back then part of the greatest generation like my uncles who served there country and why we are free today. Sam was 85


 I do not know if any of our members ever went into Law Enforcement  at least not in Pittsburgh none of there names has ever popped up.
Unfortunately one of our members Herbie was murdered and hacked to death with a machete in Down town Pittsburgh at a  store on Liberty Ave. We was working as night clerk  at when he was robbed and abducted.
Yes there where some great memory's from back then  . but all the posts at all 8 police stations are no more. and to my knowledge there is no active Law enforcement Explorer post in my area any more.

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