It’s time to thank
Philly’s Finest heroes

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

The Philadelphia Police Department and Fraternal Order of Police presented Anne Skerski with a rare honor last week at the department’s semiannual awards ceremony.
But in reality, the sentiment was reciprocal as the mere presence of the widow of slain Officer Gary Skerski helped bring more widespread attention to the many valiant, brave and heroic acts performed by many of Skerski’s former colleagues.
Acts of that nature are actually pretty common among Philadelphia’s Finest. But as an FOP hall full of civilians and members of the news media learned, such deeds are anything but routine.
In addition to the posthumous Medal of Honor accepted by Anne Skerski on behalf of her husband, the department issued seven valor awards in addition to more than 60 awards for bravery and heroism.
Officer Skerski received the Medal of Honor for actions of May 8, 2006, when he saved 14 people from a murderous armed robber at Pat’s Café in Northwood, only for the gunman to turn his weapon upon the officer. Skerski died that night of shotgun wounds to the neck.
"This is an award that we wish we never had to give out," said Capt. Dennis Gallagher, who announced each of the awards.
In brief comments after the ceremony, Anne Skerski expressed her appreciation to the department and the city.
"I want to thank everybody. It’s an honor to accept this award for Gary’s ultimate sacrifice," Anne Skerski said. "I’d also like to thank the community. If it weren’t for their support, I don’t know if we could’ve made it through the last year and a half."
Each of the other officers recognized during the ceremony had come face-to-face with life-threatening situations but fulfilled their sworn duty. According to Gallagher, Valor Awards recognize "extraordinary acts of courage without regard for personal safety while engaged in combat with an armed suspect." In other words, each of the recipients was either shot at or attacked with other lethal force.
The seven recipients included Officer Jose Perez of the 23rd district, Sgt. William Britt and Detective Michael Walter of the homicide unit, Detective Timothy Cliggett of the major crimes unit, Officers Joseph McCauley and Michael Maresca of the narcotics strike force and Officer Paul Guercio of the S.I.T.E. unit, a tactical unit based in the commissioner’s office.
Bravery Awards recognize officers who are "met by an armed and dangerous adversary" while fulfilling their duties. Three Northeast-based cops were among the recipients.
Sgt. Joe Gindele, a longtime supervisor in Northeast Detectives, found himself confronted by a violent, knife-wielding man inside a home on the 1500 block of Ruan St. on Sept. 24, 2006.
The police radio call came in as a report of a barricaded man. Gindele, a trained hostage negotiator for the department, went to the scene in an attempt to coax the man to surrender peaceably. Upon his arrival there, he learned that the man allegedly had threatened his mother with a knife and was refusing to leave the home.
Later, Gindele learned that the man had allegedly stabbed his mother’s boyfriend in the chest that morning.
"I went in to try to negotiate with him to put down the knife," Gindele said. "Within about ten minutes, he started talking about the Bible with me."
The man continued to act erratically, however. Moments later, he allegedly moved toward police and refused to drop the knife, so a sergeant accompanying Gindele used a Taser to subdue him. It worked only temporarily.
"He growled like an animal, stood up and lunged at us from ten feet away," Gindele said.
Gindele shot him three times. According to the sergeant, the suspect continued to fight officers as they arrested him and bit one of the cops. The man was eventually charged with four counts of assaulting a police officer.
That was the first time Gindele ever had to fire his gun in the line of duty.
"Our job is not to use weapons but to talk to them in a nice way and to try to help them," he said.
Officers Matthew Quinn of the 7th district and Richard Bowes of Highway Patrol also earned Bravery Awards. They were partners in the 2nd district last Feb. 10 when they responded to a radio call of retail theft on the 2600 block of Cottman Ave.
Quinn declined to discuss the case because it remains pending in the city’s court system.
According to a brief summary read during the award presentation, the officers went to the location and obtained a description of the suspect, who had already left the store.
They soon spotted the suspect nearby, but when they approached him, he allegedly fired numerous times at the officers.
Quinn and Bowes eventually cornered the gunman and arrested him. He was charged with attempted murder and related offenses.
Lt. Anthony McFadden of the 15th district and Sgt. Ronald McClane of the homicide unit earned Heroism Awards for performing an act of courage in the face of imminent physical danger to save a life.
McFadden was in homicide and partnered with McClane, a former community relations officer in the 15th district, last Feb. 6 when they rescued two women and two babies from a burning building in Frankford.
The supervisors were taking part in a homicide investigation on the 4700 block of Griscom St. when they saw smoke billowing from a house on the next block. As they got closer to the site, they saw a baby carriage outside of the house next door, and the fire seemed to be spreading that way.
McClane and McFadden entered the first burning home. Finding the place vacant, they went next door and alerted the two women and two youngsters to the danger. All made it out safely.
Additional Bravery Awards were presented to Officer John Doyle of the 14th district; Officer Gregory Stevens of the 17th district; Officer William Forbes of the 23rd district; Officer Tracey Mahoney, Wendy Moore and Joseph Slobodrian of the 24th district; Officer James Taylor of the 25th district.
Also, Sgt. James Boone and Officers Gregory Creachen, Maritza Mendez and Eric Brooks of the 26th district; Officers Demetrius Pittaoulis, John McGinley and Juan Rivera of the 35th district; Lt. Jamill Taylor of the 92nd district.
Also, Officers John Snyder of the K-9 Unit and Andy Chan of Highway Patrol; Lt. Robert Otto and Officers Linwood Norman and Jeffrey Walker of the narcotics field unit; and Lt. James Smith, Sgt. Edward Hays and Officers Lawrence Tilghman, Kenneth Long, Kevin Devlin, Maurice Rodriguez and Thomas Schaffling of the narcotics strike force.
Other Heroism Award recipients included Officers Stephen Haraszkiewicz and Nasi Covington of the 1st district, Steve Melendez, Christine Rocks and Eaphael McGough of the 4th district, and Shawn Hall, Kenneth Sherard, Leshon Mosley, Michael Hodgskin and Walter Burks of the 12th district.
Also, Officers Andre Hudgens of the 15th district and Paul Hogue, Hasheem Basil and Hillary Hudson of the 17th district, Leon Campbell, David Hornbaker, Eric Walter and Jason Shensky of the 22nd dist.; Sgt. Shawn Gushue and Officers James Curran and Brian Loftus of the 26th district and Derek Lowery of Highway Patrol; and Detectives Timothy Scally and Brian Peters of the homicide unit. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com