Page 26 - February 2020 FOP Magazine

Portraits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
‘That star means something to my family’
n BY AMBER RAMUNDO
The numbers 7, 9, 8 and 6 hold special meaning for Joe Martora- no. Those were the numbers en- graved on his father’s shiny Chica- go Police Department badge.
And as the son of a CPD officer, young Martorano felt the ties from the beginning. There was hardly any doubt that he would grow up to join the department.
“All of [my dad’s] CPD friends were like my uncles, and all of their kids were like my cous- ins,” Martorano said, describing his childhood in Norwood Park, where practically the entire neigh- borhood was made up of first re- sponders. “There was nothing else that I ever wanted to do besides be a police officer.”
On Nov. 30, 1998, one year after his father’s retirement as a com- mander, the legacy continued when his father pinned his badge onto Martorano’s chest, and he took the oath as a newly sworn of- ficer.
“I remember my dad, when I
graduated from the academy, was
like, ‘Here’s a front row seat to the
craziest circus you’re ever going to
go to,’” Martorano shared. “After
growing up and hearing all the sto-
ries and the banter, I felt like I was JOE finally a part of something.”
The next 21 years placed Mar-
torano on the front lines of situa-
tions and scenes beyond what he could have ever imag-
ined. His love for the job quickly developed during his first assignment in the 12th District, where he experienced some of the highlights of his career while working on a tactical team.
“If I could go back to any part of my career to do it over again and not change a thing, it would be that time on the gang team in the 12th District,” Martorano revealed. “I loved everything about that district...the people, the bosses. It was just the best time of my life.”
Although Martorano looks at that period as his glory days, it also marks when he was faced with the harsh reality of police work. On June 30, 2001, Officer Brian Strouse was shot and killed while working on another 12th District gang team.
“When he got killed, that really put everything in perspective,” Martorano noted. “You realize you’re not invincible. You’re not
26 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2020
bulletproof. There are people out here who want to do bad things to you.”
When Martorano was assigned to Narcotics Unit 189 on the Pub- lic Housing Drug Conspiracy Team, in between drug busts, he and other officers would deliver soda and snacks to the children living in halls riddled with gang activity.
“These kids flocked to us be- cause it was one or two days of their entire year that they really felt safe. They knew we [were the] good guys,” he shared.
In June 2008, Martorano joined the Chicago High Intensi- ty Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
The legacy of the Martorano family star #7986 spread as he worked on the State Police Nar- cotics and Currency Interdic- tion Team (NARCINT), traveling across state lines to track down truckloads of dope and drug money.
He continued to wear the badge proudly for eight years with HIDTA, until Martorano was officially promoted to de- tective in February 2017. With this promotion came the end of Martorano’s chapter with badge #7986. Instead, he continued as a detective with the closest dig- its he could find, 20986, and lat-
MARTORANO
Star #20986
er passed on the meaning of his family star to its new holder.
“When I found out the officer who got my dad’s star, I
wrote her an email to let her know the history,” Martorano ex- plained. “It was my way to reach out and say, ‘That star means something to my family, and I want you to wear it with the same pride that me and my dad did.”
Throughout his career, the tight bond shared by the CPD was always palpable, but never more so than in November 2008, when one of Martorano’s three daughters was diagnosed with cancer. Then, the CPD stepped up in every way possible to help them through the difficult time.
“I can assure you that no one in this city, state or country cir- cles the wagons to help their own when a family is in need like the Chicago Police Department,” Martorano shared. “It makes me feel very proud to be a part of that.”