Name : Galapo, Joseph 

Rank: P.O.
Shield #: 27862 Command: Brooklyn South Narcotics
Date of Death: 1988-08-16   Cause of Death: Shot-Arrest
     
 During the early evening of August 16, 1988, P.O. Galapo, with the Brooklyn South Narcotics District, was part of a buy and bust operation in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn. Galapo spotted several men making a drug transaction in the doorway of a building. He and a Sergeant approached the group, told them they were under arrest, and positioned them against a car for frisking. While trying to escape arrest on heroin possession charges one of the perps suddenly sprang around and smashed the Sergeant's right hand, causing his gun to go off. The single shot from the gun of Sgt. William Martin, 37, of the Brooklyn South Narcotics Squad, struck the other officer below the left eye and traveled around to the back of his head. Officer Galapo was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn in serious condition and later died.

The suspect, Joseph Barker, 24, ran but was eventually arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide stemming from the buy-and-bust operation.

The NYPD Mounted Unit has named a horse "Galapo" in his honor.   
 
     
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Comments from Friends    
     
Joe and I were in the same July '83 company. Joe always had a smile on his face and was extremely proud to be part of the NYPD, as was his whole family. My strongest memory of Joe was on graduation day, when he brought his son fully dressed in a mini uniform. God bless Joe and his family.
— PO Mike Mignat ( Retired )
Hello Uncle Joe. We really miss you down here and it's really hard for me to live in the neighborhood anymore. It's because it is close to where you died and I hate passing there all the time. Love your nephew Patrick J.
— Patrick J. Cesario APO 120th
I worked with Joe in BSND. On the afternoon that he died we were having a lot of laughs, breaking each other's chops. I went to Pipe BAnd practice and unfortunately Joe made the ultimate sacrifice. There but for the grace of God go many of us. I will never forget that day nor will I ever forget Joe. None of these men died in vain because they made a difference in us and in the people they touched both on-duty and off. Thanks for the memories.
— Brendan Finn
I graduated with PO Galapo and although I was in a different company (83-44)I had the same impression as PO Mignat during the graduation ceremonies. Although I did not know Officer Galapo, I took pictures of him and his son dressed in that mini uniform. I looked at those pictures after he was taken from us and felt I had lost a very good friend. May God bless Officer Galapo, his son and the rest of his family.
— Det Daniel Medina (Ret)
I remember that sad day like it was yesterday. Rest in peace Joe.
— Det. Tom O'Leary (Ret)
Please be advised that Joe Galapo was promoted posthumously to the rank of Detective. He was on the promotion list when he was killed. It took 13 years, but his promotion was finally recognized by the Department.
— Sam Katz
I met Joe Galapo during the Narcotics Bureau orientation. Neither one of us knew of our assignment. Joe really wanted Brooklyn South and I really didn't care where they sent me. I was just happy to be there. Joe had a swarthy complexion and I mistook him for being Hispanic. We had lunch and that afternoon he got his wish. I was sent to Brooklyn North. I ran into him from time to time at Central booking;very easy going guy. That accident could have happened anywhere, anyplace. I often think to myself that it could have just as easily been me. Collars were routine, "getting on" and "doing the wheel". Joe, I still think of you and all my fallen comrades of whose paths I've crossed. A laugh...a cry...a remembrance.
— Thomas E. Negron Ret. Det
rest in peace.
— sjs
Posted: November 7, 2006, 7:40 am
I'll remember that night forever. Having just graduated the PA a month earlier, I was assigned to FTU 11 doing a foot post in the 72 Pct along 4th Avenue. My partner and I were just coming upstairs from doing a subway check when the comotion broke out. There were unmarked cars yelling and pointing 10-13!!! We were the first uniformed cops on the scene and began CPR. We tried our best but God had other plans for this Angel. Eighteen and a half years have past and I pray each day for Joe and his family. May God Bless all of our Fallen Angels.
— Det. John D'Onofrio
Posted: December 15, 2006, 10:26 am
I remember Joe when he was a recruit going through the Police Academy. He was a big handsome guy with a ready smile. May you rest in peace Joe. James Sullivan, Retired Sergeant, NYPD
— James Sullivan
Posted: February 3, 2007, 6:20 pm
I retired as a Detective out of the 94 PDU in September 2003. I have some fond memories working with Joe as an undercover Police Officer at BSND that I would like to share.
I worked with Joe when we were both assigned to the Brooklyn South Narcotics Division in 1986. Joe was an "uncle" for only a few months before I got into the unit, and had already made a name for himself as an excellent, experienced undercover, with an extremely high success rate of positive buys in that short time before I arrived. The CO of BSND at that time was Captain Kuerner. Also assigned to BSND at that time was Lieutenant Mazza (aka: the prince of darkness) and one of the nicest Sergeants I've ever had the pleasure of working with throughout my entire career, Sergeant Billy Martin. Also assigned there at that time were PO's Louie Savelli and Paul Rossi. Two of the best and nicest investigators I've ever worked with. All these people worked with Joe Galapo and know what a great person he was.
But in 1986, it was Joe Galapo who made the biggest impression on me at BSND.
Joe broke me in as a UC. He taught me how to "get over" on drug dealers at making u/c buys. He taught me that the change from being a civilian to becoming a cop was easy but that the change from being a cop to undercover was not. Joe would stress how important it was for me to lose the police jargon when dealing with buy subjects on the sets. Like not to refer to streets as five eight and fourth, but rather fifty eight street and fourth avenue. He taught me through all my new nervousness, how important it was to burn accurate descriptions of buy subjects and buy locations into my memory for competent relay back to the field teams in order for them to make the correct apprehension.
It didn't end there though. Safety was a paramount issue with Joe. Safety came first, even if it meant blowing a buy, or blowing my cover and even a case. A close second to Joe was making a solid case. The job of a UC only started with a positive buy result, according to Joe. After making successful buys with Joe all over the streets of Brooklyn South, Joe would be anxious to get back to the barn and show me how to complete paperwork accurately. i.e. buy reports, DARS, vouchers and of course expense reports to recoup our hard earned money.
As Joe taught me, all the success of making positive buys on the street didn't mean anything unless the paperwork that followed was prepared correctly for purposes of court. Joe also taught me that some investigators (few compared to the majority) would get lazy and send the uc's out on kites that they never actually went out on themselves to investigate. In essence, according to Joe, we undercover's would be doing their job for them as well as our own job.
Joe would always tell me, "Don't let them get over on you".
Since I was a rookie U/C, Joe would challenge some of these "lazy" experienced investigators for me, about some of my kite locations, and whether or not they actually visited those kite locations, or just said they did. He wanted to know what attempts they made to confirm what narcotics were actually being sold at the kite location, before sending me there blindly to ask for crack when the location might actually be a heroin spot. Joe would politely threaten them for me, telling them that if I go there to buy crack, like the information on the kite says, and the crack spot turns out to be a smoke or heroin spot, he's going to come back and shove the kite down the investigators throat.
Joe was a terrific guy as anybody who knew him can tell you, but he took his u/c work seriously and worried more about the safety of the rookie undercover's then he did for his own safety. Joe was also a big guy and not easily intimidated. He really didn't care how much of a hair bag an investigator might be, or what they thought of him. Joe worked the way that he knew was right. That's why he was so well respected with such little time on the job.
The experience I gained working with Joe for those few short months, led me to be very successful for the remainder of my u/c tenure at BSND and later on at QND. Joe's love for the job rubbed off on me very early on, and followed me throughout the rest of my career.
I was assigned to QND when I heard about Joe's unfortunate and untimely death.
I was deeply saddened at the loss of my friend and mentor, as well as by the thought of the horrible pain and burden that Sergeant Billy Martin must have been feeling. I paid my final respects to Joe at his funeral in Brooklyn, but I never forget that there are two people who became victims the night Joe died. I regret that I never reached out to Billy to offer support to him. At that time, I thought it would be best to stay away. I guess that being assigned to a new command, in a different Borough had put enough time and distance between me and the members of BSND, leaving me to feel a bit out of the loop.
Anyway, there was no way that Billy could have avoided the circumstance brought on by the perpetrator who caused Joe's death. But knowing Billy Martin for the short time that I did, there would be no convincing him of that. So I trust that time has allowed Billy to find peace within himself. I am happy that I am able to share a bit of the experience I had working with Joe Galapo, It was a great time in my life. A time that taught me a lot and that I will never forget.
Thank's Joe for being a positive influence in my life as well as in my career .
— UC22663
Posted: May 5, 2007, 6:03 am
Like Joe, I was in the infamous July '83 class. I was not in Joe's company, but was the "Company Sergeant" of 83-69. So, I don't have a real story. But my family sat directly behind Joe's family in the Felt Forum during graduation and that experience and memory has stuck with them. When I heard of the shooting, like all those others, I prayed for Joe and the other cops involved. I prayed for his family...his son in that mini police uniform. I've worked in all the Boroughs except Staten Island, and regardless of where I worked, Joe was spoken about reverently and with admiration. I'm proud to call Joe a fellow Academy classmate, brother cop, and a key part of the lifeblood that makes us all part of the same fraternity. I'm still thinking about you Joe. Rest in Peace my brother! Mario De Lucia Detective - 79 Squad (Retired)
— Mario De Lucia Detective (Ret)
Posted: April 10, 2009, 4:13 am
God bless this angel. May he rest in peace. You will never be forgotten
— C
Posted: August 17, 2009, 6:53 am
Rest In Peace.
— Nancy Forni
Posted: October 19, 2009, 2:25 pm
The East Midwood Jewish Center (Brooklyn, NY) has donated an ambulance in memory of Joseph Galapo.
— Alan
Posted: October 30, 2009, 10:13 am
Correction: The dedication for the ambulance took place at East Midwood Jewish Center. The ambulance was donated by Joe's mother Yvonne Galapo. I am a family friend and know this to be true.
— Karen S
Posted: January 1, 2010, 4:33 pm
Just found this wonderful page honoring Joe. We go back a long way...Camp Sussex as teens, High school days. He lived in Brooklyn and me in the Bronx. Distance was never a problem. My dad loved him as his own. Just recently we shared stories of the past and Joe's name came up. I lost touch with Joe during my college days. I knew he married and went onto to police academy and was shocked when I saw the newspaper the morning of his death. You see, I had already lived in Arizona for a while and had arrived at JFK othat day only to see his death as headline news. Quite shocking. Joe was a natural born protector...I remember going on an adventure in camp called "Stokes", a camping trip. He always took control of the situation and led the group safely. I also remember his Uncle with a store in the Bronx. During the 77' blackout, he wanted to go to the area to see if everything was quiet and safe. I am sure is has been missed by many. My loving thoughts to his family.
— JIll Calev(Kaggen)
Posted: June 5, 2010, 10:22 am

 

 

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