Page 30 - May 2020

Three of a kind
Chicago Police Officers lost to COVID-19 truly were the ‘core of the Department’
Marco DiFranco
“When you talked to Marco,
he listened. He always gave good advice about the little things in life.”
Ronald Newman
“He just went and did it.
He was not big on explanations of how and why.”
Clifford Martin
“He just wanted to teach detec- tives the right way to do the job.”
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
n PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK ALATORRE AND ERIC DAVIS, CPD NEWS AFFAIRS
Mates on his team in the Narcotics Unit affectionate- ly called Marco DiFranco “Vinny.” Could have been
a cousin reference because they all considered
him family. But more like a brother, and Vinny
showed up as DiFranco’s character on video
when doing undercover work. He made ev-
erybody in the unit laugh.
Second watch in the 4th District often wondered where Ronald Newman would go when he took lunch. No Popeyes or McDonalds. Officer Newman would sit in the cafeteria at Advocate Trinity Hos- pital or South Shore Hospital chatting with patients and their family members, trying to give them doses of his bottom- less positive mental attitude.
Detectives in the Violent Crimes Unit at
Area Central have been talking about Ser- geant Clifford Martin’s love of the game. He loved the game so much that two of his chil- dren have followed in his footsteps, and that became the passion that even elevated Martin’s feeling about serving and protecting.
On April 2, DiFranco, 50, became the first Chica-
go Police Officer to be lost to COVID-19. The 56-year-old Martin passed from coronavirus complications on April 10. And a week later, the virus took the life of the 59-year-old Newman.
Three heroes were three of a kind among Chicago Police Of- ficers. In their combined 66 years of service, DiFranco, Martin and Newman earned a combined 344 awards from the De-
partment. They each forged a presence on the job that made a profound impact on the work they did and left an indelible impression on those they served alongside. They are em- blematic of the only response scenario Chicago Po- lice Officers have pursued amid this pandemic:
to continue the crusade on the front lines. “The kind of guy who was a Chicago Po- lice Officer to the core,” Mike Garza, the past Lodge 7 financial secretary, com- mented about his friend Newman, whom he worked with in 004. With this praise, Garza easily could have been talking about each of these fallen brothers. This one from Garza captures all three as well: “He left no doubt that he was a
professional.”
Chicago Police Officers lost in the
line of duty would be offered the hon- or of thousands of sisters and brothers joining in a rousing present arms and the entire Department fleet forming a pro- cessional extending for miles. The Depart- ment did come through with such tributes as a solo bagpiper and the honor guard clad
in black facemasks to add emotional intensity. Eventually, there will be detailed tributes to these three heroes. But, for now, we can offer a prelim- inary report about what made DiFranco, Martin and Newman
Chicago’s best.
He took it to another level
Vinny became DiFranco’s persona, an internal alter ego known only to the Narcotics Unit. He took on the moniker because the unit also included Officer Marco Mar, and when
30 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2020