Greenwich Police Assist One of Their Own

Photos: Greenwich Police Marine Officers Sean Fox, left, and Frank DiPietro at the 2014 Dr. John Clarke Award ceremony. Credit: Barbara Heins. DiPietro and his daughter Guiliana. Courtesy of the Silver Shield Association.

When police officers hear the radio call “10-13 — officer needs assistance”, they pull out all the stops.

Greenwich Police have put out a “10-13” call to help one of their own — veteran Marine Officer Frank DiPietro who is facing life-altering surgery. The 13-year veteran, who’s been assigned to the Marine Section and has been cited for his heroics on the Greenwich waterfront, is facing surgery this week to amputate his foot and possibly a portion of a lower leg.

DiPietro injured his right leg more than a year ago in a three-foot fall from a ladder while off-duty. After nearly 13 months of multiple surgeries, rehab and therapy, his leg has not healed and his team of world renowned doctors have decided that his lower leg will need to be amputated, according DiPietro’s colleagues.

“He’s a valued member of the Greenwich Police Marine Section. He’s highly motivated, dedicated and determined to return. We fully expect we will have him back in our ranks as soon as he is able to do so,” said Lt. John Brown, DiPietro’s supervisor.

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“You think about it and it’s ‘There but for the grace of God go I,’ ” Brown said. “He wants to be back to work. He says, ‘I’m going to get my position back’ and he has the full support of his brothers and sisters in blue here and from other agencies.”

The outpouring of support is evidenced by the Greenwich Silver Shield Association (SSA), the union that represents the department’s rank and file. The association has posted updates on their Facebook page and have announced “10-13” fundraising efforts in support of DiPietro.

“Not everything is covered by insurance. There are additional expenses and with him being out, he’s missing extra duty jobs with the holidays coming up,” said SSA President Sgt. Timothy Hilderbrand. “He is beloved by everybody. He’s one of the guys that no one has anything bad to say about him.”

Hilderbrand said, “I’ve been an EMT for 23 years and I have never seen anything like this. It’s a devastatingly catastrophic injury to his lower leg they can’t repair.”

DiPietro, who’s also an instructor in ice water rescues, probably is best known for the heroics he and his partner, Marine Office Sean Fox, performed two years ago on Long Island Sound.

The pair was honored with the Greenwich Lions Club Dr. John Clarke Award — Greenwich’s equivalent of Police Officer of the Year award — in 2014. Fox was at the helm of the department’s 39-foot boot when Greenwich and several other area agencies tried to stop an errant, speed boat on Long Island Sound whose captain and one-person crew were knocked overboard by a rogue wave. Fox and DiPietro were able to motor alongside the boat and DiPietro made a Superman-like leap onto the boat and shut off the engines.

“We need his skills in full and he has a skill set that is very hard to replace,” said Lt. Kraig Gray.

As the Greenwich native who’s been living his dream of serving his hometown as a police officer, DiPietro will have a long road in front of him.

Hilderbrand said that there are three police officers in the state of Connecticut who have returned to full duty with prosthetic legs. “With successful rehabilitation and the technology of today, you can meet the standards of being a police officer with a prosthetic,” Hilderbrand said.

To that end and to provide support to DiPietro and his family that includes his two-year-old daughter Guiliana, the SSA is organizing at least two fund-raisers, Hilderbrand said.

The first will be held Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. at the Silver Shield Holiday Party at Prime 111 in Trumbull, where DiPietro will be the guest of honor.

The second event will be a 10-13 Officer Needs Assistance fundraiser that will be held Jan. 14 at Zody’s 19th Hole in Stamford. The Silver Shield Association will post details of the events on its Facebook page.

“The number 1 focus is getting him rehabbed and back to work,” Hilderbrand said. “His entire life has been geared to being a cop in the town he grew up in.”