By Steve Marroni
Updated 9:13 AM; Today 9:11 AM
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In 1966 we lived on Green St. between 22nd & 23rd. My landlord refused to pay off Philly officials. A Philly Police Superintendent allegedly wanted $100 for each apartment.
We had street sweeping on Tuesday & Thursday and had to move our cars across the street. Our landlord, Olaf Mattson owned most of the apartment houses in that block.
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 6:45 AM car 914 would arrive. Two Philly PD officers would walk down the Green St writing plate information & filling out tickets. At exactly 7:00 AM they would put the tickets on any cars that weren’t moved yet. We lived there about 4 years. This went on the entire time, every Tuesday & Thursday.
In 1966 the Art Museum area was rundown. The leader of the 'Green St. Counts" gang was murdered across the street from us in 1965. Harvey Welter lived across the street. He was an engineer at Sunoco (If my memory is correct). Harvey testified at Philadelphia School Board meetings and was an early civil rights white guy. He met his future wife Julie at the school board meetings. We met Harvey & Julie at a Berger King in East Falls. Their newborn daughter Kristen Welker now a White House reporter at NBC News was in a stroller.
I had other friends connected to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Betsy & I did marriage counseling with my friend Jim Victor's friend Father John McNamie. Jim, John & me walked down to the Friends Meeting House to hear one of the Berrigan Brothers speak. John understood him. Jim & me were baffled.
Betsy & I agree that John is more handsome than David Morse.
And the book Diary of a City Priest
We moved to West Mt. Airy in Philadelphia. I could walk to the Chestnut Hill West Carpenter Lane Station on a path from my 1920s English suburban style housing development.
A "Serpico" type Philly PD officer lived behind us. Don was a Vietnam War vet with bouts of severe PSTD. He had several disguises the most elaborate a "Hippy" with long hair, long beard beads & buckskin fringed jacket. Once when the home next door was burglarized he said, "Call me first, then call 911."
He had a moonlighting job putting aluminum siding on homes. He was proclaimed a hero when he saw a home engulfed in flames, ran into the building and rescued Black children.
From my home in Mt. Airy I had an alternate route when traffic was heavy that took me by Frank Rizzo's home in Chestnut Hill. I saw dozens of Philly PD many in uniform doing yard work on Rizzo's home.
As to Bruno & Rizzo, I worked with a guy who told me Frank Rizzo & Angelo Bruno ate in his dad’s kitchen. He didn’t say Frank and Angelo ate in his dad’s kitchen at the same time. The FBI might have been watching Bruno, so “Frank the Paranoid” couldn’t take that chance.
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Gino Cafarelli plays Mayor Frank Rizzo in "The Irishman."
"The mural has now been painted over as a blank canvas, and Italian Market officials told the Inquirer it will be replaced with something that “better represents the fabric” of the area."
In “The Irishman” Frank Rizzo is at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ Teamsters Union Tribute to Jimmy Hoffa. Frank Rizzo appears on the stage with Angelo Bruno among other Mafia members in audience at 2:07:57. In “The Irishman.”
After moving from Mt. Airy in Philadelphia we lived in Trappe, PA and Lower Frederick, PA. The people that own businesses at the Italian Market live in those areas of Montgomery County PA. My daughter went to high school with a man who now owns a store at the Italian Market.
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I don't believe there is a connection between the Rubino brothers in Chester County & Angelo Bruno. BUT:
Rubino controlled Chester County like Angelo Bruno controlled the Delaware Valley. During Rubino’s reign you needed to put a “tribute” into Rubino’s top desk drawer so “nothen would happen. See:
Theodore “Teddy” Rubino was Chester County Commissioner and Republican Party Chair he ran Chester County as Angelo Bruno ran the Delaware Valley. Business owners would put a “tribute” into Rubino’s desk drawer when he left the room. If a business owner did not pay “insurance” to Rubino his business could be in trouble.
"Then, in 1977, Mr. Rubino pleaded guilty to having extorted $6,400 from architects who were awarded a $130,000 contract to convert a former West Chester hospital into a county government annex….
As part of Mr. Rubino’s plea agreement, prosecutors read into the record statements that the FBI had taken from businessmen and politicians who had dealt with Mr. Rubino. They indicated that he had established set prices for those doing business with the county, ranging from milk supplies to the leases on court offices. Some of the money went to the county GOP."MORE AT:
Friday, November 1, 2019
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Philadelphia District Attorney Arlen Spector totally ignored Bruno’s Mafia
Read about Arlen Spector & Angelo Bruno in:
by Colonel Frank McKetta (Author)
Career in law enforcement leadership
State Commissioner
In 1967 Frank McKetta was appointed the Commissioner of the State Police by Governor Raymond P. Shafer. Shafer was satisfied with his previous background in dealing with labor disturbances and his efforts to establish troop training programs. He also agreed with Frank's work and position on rackets, corruption, and his attempts to progress the state police force. "As a veteran of more than three decades of experience covering all phases of police work beginning as a patrolman, Major McKetta is completely qualified to head the force he has served so well", said Shafer. Not everyone believed that making McKetta Commissioner was going to be positive for the state police. The same people that persecuted a previous Deputy Commissioner for a wiretap scandal made allegations that McKetta was involved, but this was easily disproved and the Senate unanimously confirmed him as the Commissioner.[12][13]
Now as a higher rank, Frank McKetta immediately attempted to assemble a qualified staff whose loyalty was to the department rather than political benefactors. He wanted to repair the flawed Pennsylvania State Police System and create a police force based upon the oath in which all officers are sworn in under. He had a hard time finding out who he could and could not trust. With this in mind, he created a department who he thought believed in similar ideals and had the same goals for the department. While Commissioner, he continued fighting the rackets where the previous Commissioner left off. At the time, the state police was divided into fifteen troops who were commanded by higher officers who in turn were commanded by an even higher rank. Under this, McKetta watched all of the activities of rackets as well as putting undercover officers in the field who would feed him useful information.[14][15]
Dealing First Hand with Corruption and Politics
During the time that McKetta was a trooper and non-commissioned officer, he was able to see first hand some of the political influences on local and state police. When appointed Commissioner he was able to see further into the corruption of the police force and how it attempted to affect him and his staff. One prime example was the downfall of his Deputy Commissioner, Lt. Colonel Dussia. While McKetta had high hopes and found him to be a likable person, it was not long until he was able to see he was "wired in" with the politicians and some questionable characters.[16]
From the start Dussia was unhappy about not receiving the Commissioner's position after hearing word from a politician that the job was his. Shortly after being sworn in, Dussia approached McKetta about holding a banquet for him because he was a local boy who was making it big. The sponsor of the banquet was supposed to be a local businessman from Greensburg where he had previously worked in his career. With this knowledge McKetta accepted the offer but soon found from an old friend and fellow police officer that the banquet was actually being sponsored by a local racketeer. This was a prime opportunity for a racket to promote himself by having ties with a State Police Commissioner. Now learning the truth behind this plan, he told Dussia to cancel the banquet without letting him know of his recent knowledge about the sponsor issue. This would only be the first of Dussia's attempts to bring McKetta down along with others who would eventually harass him and his family. After making progress in the arrest of many racketeers and conducting many raids, a judge started asking questions about his radar operations. After McKetta showed him, he was asked to have lunch with the judge at a restaurant where politicians and racketeers often meet. His attempts to request a change in the location were refused, however he agreed to have lunch. During the meal, the judge got up briefly and the Senator quickly made a bribe for a large amount of money. McKetta pretended not to hear the Senator and began conversation with an associate who sat down at a nearby table.[17]
Involving His Home Life
During McKetta's years as Commissioner, his family was threatened with phone calls, and his own son was attacked outside his apartment.
After refusing the proposal from the Senator, he received several threatening telephone calls to his home which affected himself as well as his family. Several instances occurred when McKetta was driving home in the evening from the office and a car would force him off the road. At the time McKetta thought was just a poor driver. Later that night at 2:00 am McKetta received a phone call at his house from a disguised voice. The person stated what time he left his office and the exact route he took to his house. He then spoke of how easy it would be to kill him. After this he and his family received other phone calls that said things along the lines of "watch your step" and so on. The State Police Commissioner and his family did not take them seriously as they assumed no one would do anything because of the negative publicity it would bring to them. This assumption was quickly proven wrong when one morning around 2:00am there was a call saying "Your son will tell you what happened."[18] He then learned that at about 10:30am that morning his wife received a call from their son telling her that two men had held him up in front of his apartment at the University of Pittsburgh. He described them as two white middle aged men wearing suits and ties. They were standing outside his doorway when he came home. He thought nothing of them because of their atire. As he walked by one, he was struck from behind and then attacked by the other. He was slashed in the chest by what seemed like a razor and finally crawled under a parked car and called for help. The men walked casually away and when the Pittsburgh City Police arrived, they took his name and then did not even come out of the car to take his report. This showed that whoever attacked Frank McKetta III had an in with the police. Now that his work was beginning to affect the safety of his family, he became more cautious about their safety but refused to stop his attacks on political corruption and the rackets.[19]
Retirement from State Commissioner
After several years of fighting to make a change in the state police department, McKetta was offered a job with the U.S. General Services Administration to help with heading the organization that provides security to all federal buildings in the nation. By 1971 his common sense told him it was time to leave the state police and take full advantage of this new opportunity. He stayed until the end of the Governor's term and learned that it was smart to take the job in Washington D.C. because he was going replaced with the new Governor.
He accepted the position as Chief of the Federal Protective Service and then later in June 1972 was named Assistant Commissioner. He worked in the management office which governed security at federal installations nationwide. [20]
After five years working in Washington DC, Frank McKetta was faced with a severe arthritic condition affecting his spine. As a result of this he left his position in 1976 but made it a point to stay contacted with people still inside the GSA to help with the corruption that had developed at the federal level.[21]
Legacy
Theories and Influences on the Police Department
Throughout his career and even after retirement, Col. Frank McKetta addressed and tried to fix many problems throughout the State Police Force. Here are a few of the main concerns and solutions he worked on and expressed with great emphasis to the police department:
- "Models for police departments should be based on demographic and community needs."[22] Each size and location should be specific to the quantity of officers. He also believed that overstaffing was an opportunity for less control as well as less personal contact with civilians. With this, he also believed that assignments should be rotated for career development as well as prevention against stratification in the agency.[23]
- McKetta believed that each recruit should be evaluated according to qualifications and without any bias towards favoritism or political affiliations.[24]
- When promotions are made open or needed, McKetta believed in written examinations and when necessary, an oral assessment with board interviews. Each promotion should be documented and this process is required for every move in rank.[24]
- McKetta felt that basic training should be used "in a prescribed curriculum to meet community needs"[24] He also believed that all personnel should be required to take specialized courses and refreshers to keep their knowledge up to date. In addition, he felt that higher education should be offered for certain candidates.[25]
- He felt that salaries should be determined according to position and determined by national standards. However, certain areas should be paid higher as a result to a higher cost of living. With this he felt that pension plans should also be put into place to permit lateral entry within the entire police system without penalty.[26]
- McKetta emphasized the need to have a national police academy similar to military academies like the Naval Academy and West Point. These should be established at a federal level in which the state and local advisory boards participate. The purpose of an academy would be to "help insure the professionalism we so often speak of”[26]
MORE AT:
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