Photo: Police Officer Michael Sardone celebrated his Cop of the Month award at the 106th Precinct stationhouse with (from l.) Capt. John Ganley, executive officer; Sardone’s fiancee; Dep. Inspector Jeff Schiff, commanding officer; and Precinct Community Council President Frank Dardani. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza.
This Queens cop has authored quite the comeback.
A year ago, 106th Precinct Police Officer Michael Sardone didn’t even know if he’d walk again, much less don the distinct blue uniform for the job he loved. He was in a hospital bed, encased in a full-body cast after suffering extensive injuries in a motorcycle accident.
“It was touch-and-go for a time there,” recalled Capt. John Ganley, executive officer of the command, who along with Dep. Inspector Jeff Schiff, the precinct’s commanding officer, visited Sardone in the hospital.
But Sardone allowed his broken body to heal and endured hours of physical therapy for several months, working toward the goal of getting back on the street.
That patience and determination propelled Sardone back to the community, back to “catching bad guys,” Ganley quipped last Wednesday as he, Schiff and the Precinct Community Council honored Sardone as the command’s April Cop of the Month.
According to Schiff, around 5 a.m. on April 25, two perpetrators confronted an individual on Liberty Avenue, brandished a knife and demanded money. After calling 911, the victim provided cops, including Sardone, with a very detailed description of the assailants. As he and fellow officers canvassed the area, Sardone witnessed a man shoving a knife into his pocket. A chase ensued.
“He wasn’t quick enough,” Schiff said of the suspect; then, pointing to Sardone, added, “This young buck here caught up to him.”
Later in last Wednesday’s meeting, Schiff reported that while overall crime is up slightly compared to this time in 2014, arrests have dramatically increased in the 106. In April, members notched 333 collars.
“We don’t want crime to ever happen,” Schiff said. “But the next best thing is to make the arrest. Something seems to be working.”
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
