All language subtitles for Frank.Serpico.2017.WEBRip.x264-ION10

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I had, uh,
more lights here.

I had, you know,
makeup lights here.

I had spray bottles.

All different kind
of makeup.

Uh, I had to go to work.

I had to go arrest
prostitutes..

...and I hated the job.

I told myself, "Frank

"you're goin'
on stage tonight.

"And, uh, the audience
is out there

and, uh, you gotta really
put this over."

I told myself
I was an actor.

And, uh..

I just had to sell
my role, you know.

I got my training

in the streets
of New York

where I played
many roles

from a doctor
to a derelict.

And, how well I played
those roles

my life depended on it.

Tell us about
the real Serpico.

This is a story about
a real American hero,

but it's not
a happy story.

Only one man has successfully
exposed the system

of cover-up
and corruption in

New York's Police Department
from the inside out.

His name,
Frank Serpico.

Serpico made
repeated pleas

to police
and city officials

to investigate widespread
corruption

in the
police department.

Frank is
an honorable man,

a dedicated man,
a loner.

His decision
is what prompted

Peter Maas
to write the book

that inspired
the movie.

The shattering impact
of Serpico

He was forced
to become an outsider

because he tried
to live up

to an ideal
of honest police work.

Like the movie
"Serpico"

the real Frank Serpico
was shot

in the face
by a narcotics dealer.

The detective has bullet
fragments

still in his skull.

For a time, some people
suspected a set-up.

In 1972,
Serpico exiled himself

and left the controversy
and his country behind.

The bullet
was never removed

because it,
it shattered.

I got a piece
in my jaw.

One piece came out
my ear one day.

You know, I got
a 9 millimeter piece

nudging my
carotid artery.

I couldn't open a door

without
being very cautious

if anybody
was behind it.

These were all, uh,

after-effect
of, uh,

of, uh,
of what happened.

Alright.

Let's see if I can
make it outta here.

See if my guy's here.
There he is. Okay.

See that crow?

Uh, I'm gonna put
food out for him.

I meet people today

and they say,
"You were a cop?

How... how could you
have been a cop?"

They think that cops only
think one certain way.

In fact, even before
I became a cop

I was a youth
social worker.

Uh, police officers,
to me

wasn't just
locking up criminals...

it was keeping kids
out of jail.

You know,
it was a calling to me.

Both my grandfathers
were coalminers.

My father's father,
on his last paycheck

was stabbed and robbed
of his payroll.

But he made it back
to Italy

and he impregnated
my grandmother

and then he died

Maybe in my mind,
as a little kid

hearing that story was,

you know, "I'll catch
that guy some day."

You go out there

looking for justice.

When Italian-Americans
came to this country

they were not even
considered

part of the white race.

At Ellis Island

there was a separate category
for Southern Italians.

These immigrants,
they're different from

the previous generations
of Italians

who had come from
Northern Italy.

They're illiterate. They
have a different religion.

They'll never learn
the English language.

They're practically
Africans.

Once they got to America,
what did they find?

There was someone
who said

"I came to America,
I found out

"A, the streets
are not paved with gold.

"Uh, B,
they're not paved at all.

And, C, I was supposed to
pave them."

For someone
like Serpico's parents

it must've been not just
the cultural shock

but a kinda
psychological trauma.

There were shoeshine
booths up there.

And, uh, here was the counter
and here was the workspace.

My father, he had
canaries all up in there

and every time he'd turn the
machines on, they would sing.

And, when
the bird was born

sometimes the parents
would abandon him

and my father
would feed them.

He was a prisoner.

He was a POW.

And, uh, ahem, I guess
you learn things

from human nature and

and this was his,
his respite, you know.

He never heard of
the word "zen"

but he was, uh,
he was very zen.

I used to shine shoes
in his store.

I remember, it was
a sunny day like today

and I'm standing
over here

and I see this big
burly cop walks in.

And, uh, he walks up and
he says, "Gimme a shine."

And I'm looking up
at him like, "Wow.

I'm shining the shoes
of the law."

I gave him the best shine
I could, you know.

He steps down,
turns around

and walks out the door.

He didn't pay me.

He didn't say
thank you.

Although he had
the shield of the law

he demeaned it
by his actions.

The following week

my father looks
and he sees him coming.

And he's waiting for him
as he comes in the door.

"Good morning, Officer.

You want a shine?"

He said, "Yeah."

"Ten cents. Pay first."

The burly cop
was never seen again.

What I learned, I learned
from my parents.

My father said, "Never
run when you're right."

Guy's a hell
of a parker.

It feels different.

Well, I was much younger,
then.

I lived here

all through the '50s.

My early, uh, teens.

America's society
did succeed

in instilling
in immigrants that

you have a larger public
responsibility.

You know, to be educated,
to vote, to participate.

But there's something
else going on too.

On the one hand,
you grow up

and you're told
to respect authority.

But, if you listen to
the adults

speaking at
the adult table

there's always
a kind of

skepticism
about political power.

There are people
with power

and there are people who have
to bow down before power.

You have to be
suspicious.

What happens when you go
into these institutions

and you see
that it's a racket?

When I got out
of the service,

I went
to Brooklyn College.

And what did I study?
Police Science.

I would even come
to school

with navy blue pants
and a trench coat

because I wanted
to play the part.

You know, they say
if you play the part

you become
the part, right?

When I became a cop

I wanted to be
in the Youth Squad.

I went to
one of the locations.

I saw the guys
that I worked with.

And they say,
"Hey, Mr. Serpico."

Cop says, "Where do you
know this guy from?"

I said, "I was
a social worker."

And he, with his club..

This is the

rehabilitation
they understand.

That's the attitude.

There's some memory I'm
trying to recall here.

I used to climb up
that ladder

push the, uh, lid off.

Helped me a lot
when I was a cop.

I went up a lotta those.

So, I'm workin'
in uniform.

You know,
I'd stop somebody

and the guy'd say,
"Officer

"can you give me
a break?

All I have in my wallet
is $35."

The guy's gonna bribe me,
you know.

Go back to the car.

The old guys that are
supposed to be training you

they called them
"hair bags."

I say, "This guy
just offered me $35."

He says, "Get in the car.
I'll take care of it."

He comes back with $35.

"Here, we split
everything." I said "No.

I don't...
I don't want that."

That was
my first lesson,

the job is not
on the level.

And it just got worse
and worse

and it went bigger
and bigger.

I used to live
on these streets.

People couldn't find
the West Village.

It wasn't on
the numerical grid

that the rest of
New York was on.

We came there because
we didn't identify

somehow,
with the rest of society

You were artists

or you were
intellectuals

or you were gay.

This was no place for a
police officer to live.

Really, no place.

I knew he was a policeman
when I moved in.

I don't know
if he told us

but we knew.

We were
like simple hippies.

So, we were
supposed to be like

Capulets and Montagues
or something.

But he must've been
attracted

to the same things
we were attracted to.

Individuality
was very important.

And I think I gravitated
toward him as a person

because I knew
he had that.

I knew he was
on our side.

It was a... a
very independent view

of what a policeman
could be.

He was the type of guy
that I could click with.

You know, he was a
Brooklyn guy, so was I.

He was interested in making
collars and, uh, so was I.

And, uh,
we got to be friends.

We had a vision of
what policing was about.

It was kind of
a little naive

but, nonetheless, you know,
it's something good.

My generation of cops
were different thinking

than a more
stereotype image of a cop.

There's more, uh, serious
things to do in policing

and not, uh, harass or arrest
someone for a minor charge.

As I recall, Paco got
what I was trying to do.

And I found out that he, uh,
lived in The West Village

not too far
from where I lived.

And we started
our friendship from there.

You know, if you get
a rapport going

and people trust you

the police could
do, uh, good things.

We spoke the language,

we... we understood
certain things

because you were
raised up that way.

PEP was about
community policing.

The difference in then
and now

I wasn't a bully.

I was a police officer
doin' a job.

Well, Frank's story
is very deep

and hard to get
to the bottom of.

He knew exactly
what, uh, he thought

uh, police in a free
society ought to be.

And, it gave him problems with h...
his fellow officers.

The police from
the old school

saw him as a traitor.

Not to face that
is not to

really understand
the whole story.

That is the story,
in... in a way.

If you want
an ethical society

you have to work at it
all the time.

The most important and
hardest place to have it

is among
your enforcers.

And Frank,
he immediately saw that

and tried
to address it alone.

Which is a tough role..

...and we see where it,
where it took him.

So now, there I was,

in the detective
division.

I had a beard,
I wore sandals

and I lived
in Greenwich Village.

And, they were using me
undercover.

We knew he was
an undercover cop

He had some disguises

that we would occasionally
see him in

There was something
theatrical

about him
in his profession

which I understood, being in...
in theater arts.

He did it well.

I had to go to work.

I had to go arrest
prostitutes

and I hated the job.

"Hello, you'll give me
a good time?"

"Sure. What do ya like?"

"Uh, you know,
what I like."

"What do you do, eh,
something special?"

"Eh, how much is cost?"

"I don't have this kinda
money, you know?"

"Yeah, that's the best
you can do?"

"You didn't take
your clothes off yet?"

"Uh, is, uh, police.
You under arrest."

"Ha-ha, come on, let's
get outta here, Shirley."

"Hey, you no go
no place, eh?"

"Hey, what are you gonna do
with that cigarette lighter?"

Boom! Into the mattress.

"Oh, Jesus!"

I was one of those
undercover guys.

When you lie in life,
and we've all lied

there's a stress
to that

because you have to keep
that lie up.

Well, now,
we're asking you to

do lying
at the ultimate.

You're gonna become
a whole 'nother person.

You have to mimic
the people

that you're trying
to infiltrate.

Coming back
to being who you

really are
is difficult.

Most of the guys
in the undercover

were married
and had kids.

He was a single guy

living
in Greenwich Village.

And maybe they sensed
that... that

he was too much of
a... a free-wheeler.

You know, he may wind up
living with

these people
that he's working with.

'Cause that does happen
in undercover.

At the time,
the department

was run mainly by
the Irish Catholics.

And Frank was looked
down upon.

All he wanted was
to be a detective

and get
the gold shield.

And, th... they figured,
"If he wants it

we're not gonna
give it to him."

The NYPD, at the time

was basically
a club atmosphere.

The institution
like Stepford Wives.

They want everybody to
toe the same line

have the same opinions,
do the same job.

They can control
that cop.

But, there
has to be room

for the innovator.

And Frank is probably

the most
innovative individual

who's ever worn
an NYPD uniform.

So, you're no longer

the go-along-to-get-along
kinda guy.

That becomes

very uncomforting
to the establishment.

One night, I had to use
the bathroom.

And the lights go on.

And it's the,
uh, inspector.

And he says,

"Serpico, what were you
doing in the shithouse

in the dark
with another man?"

I said, "What?"

And he says,
"I couldn't stand you

"from the first day
you walked in here

"with your long hair
and your beard

and your sandals and livin'
in Greenwich Village."

So, I knew
what was gonna happen.

I'm gonna get flopped
back into uniform.

I went out and I bought me
a tape recorder.

It was the best in the
market at that time.

Couple of days later
my phone rang.

"Serpico?" "Yeah."

"You're back in uniform

effective Monday morning,
70th Precinct."

That was the real

causal factor
in my whole life.

If that didn't happen,
we wouldn't be here today.

If he had come
in the squad

history would've
treated him more gently.

He went back to uniform and
then he ends up plainclothes.

That was not
a good thing.

Now, I'm in uniform.

The captain
calls me in.

The plainclothes exam
is comin' up.

There's a new
department director.

"From now on, nobody goes
into the detective division

"unless you put in four
years in plainclothes

"keep your nose clean, right
into the bureau, gold shield.

I'll put you in
for plainclothes school."

I said, "Captain,
don't do me any favors.

Plainclothes,
are you kidding me?"

He goes, "What?" I said, "What?
You know what."

In the early 60s

the department
wanted to beef up

the narcotics
enforcement.

They brought all these
plainclothesmen in.

But the problem with
the plainclothes

a lot of them
were on the pad.

How many inspectors
did you pay off?

Well, I paid one.

How much?

Anywhere from $25 to $50,
per week.

Have you personally seen
police paid off like...

Yes, I've seen this. And
you see it quite often.

Do you report that?

Who are you gonna
report it to?

I was to give them 50% of
everything that I sold.

Did you meet him
every night?

Practically every night,
yeah.

And you reported to him
how much you had sold

and you gave
him his cut?

Penny for penny.

The pad was an organized
system of payoffs.

And it went right up
to the top

to the highest levels
of the department.

And higher. Who knows?

Corruption was rampant.

There were some guys
that

did some bad things.

They took me
in a hallway.

They took two bundles
of stuff that I had

and a $150 I had.

And they let me go.

The cop took everything
except my watch

which he gave to me back,
and let me go.

They told me if they
see me around again

they'd bust me.

But they,
they never did.

Police officers,
being exposed

to the large volume
of drug traffic

in the community

sort of become immune
to the fact that

they are dealing with,
ha ha, living death

and some of them

may look upon this
as a source of income.

Businessmen, gamblers
and narcotics dealers

were paying
the New York policemen

millions of dollars
a year.

This was all run
by the police department

and the plainclothesmen

which Frank ended up
being in.

Everybody was
paying bribes.

It had become
part of the scene.

And that made
it hard to fight.

Does anybody in the
community trust the police?

I really don't know.

Put it this way, I don't
know of any that do.

There's a lot of cops
that, uh..

I think Paco
even said this

they're afraid
to be honest.

I mean,
that's a bad system.

And you're afraid
not to go along.

And, uh, that doesn't
do well for society.

Look, they just shouldn't be
able to do it with impunity.

For this precinct,
cases reported, murder...

Everybody knew. Plainclothes was
rotten through-and-through.

Serpico!

The captain says,

"Nobody can make you do
what you don't wanna do."

And I thought, "Well,
that's true."

We're down in a darkened
cellar precinct.

Serpico.

And this officer
in uniform.

He says "Serpico?"
"Yup."

He hands me an envelope.
I said, "What's this?"

He says,
"It's from Jewish Max."

I open it up and

there's $300 in there.

And then,
we're cruisin' around.

I say, "Hey,
look-it over there,

there's some action
over there."

"Yeah-yeah, don't worry
about that.

You gotta respect
the contract."

It means, he's on the
books, he's payin' off.

And the guy's telling me, "You know,
why don't you take the money?"

You know. And I says, "I don't
need the money."

"Yeah, but, you know,
we'd feel a lot better."

And I said, "What do
I care what you feel?

You know, I like to sleep
at night."

That's when I called up
this guy

that I met
in plainclothes school

who said he had
the connections.

Durk.

Life Magazine
asked me to do

an article about
Sergeant Durk

a Jewish doctor's son
from Amherst

who was on a crusade
against corruption.

It was
a fascinating setup.

The... the Jewish
doctor's son from Amherst

and, uh,
and Frank Serpico

who, who was
really a street guy.

An Irish Catholic department
and these two outsiders

and it didn't have room
for either of them.

Frank and David Durk
saw my article

on the front page of
The Times about cooping.

"Cooping" is police
sleeping on duty.

And so they called up

and Frank told this long,
complicated story

with all these ranks of
deputy inspector

and the assistant deputy
inspector and so-and-so

and all this
police slang.

And I just didn't
understand it, you know.

But I thought
it was interesting.

At some point, Durk comes
to me and he says,

"Look, there's corruption
all over the place."

He tells me about
going to meet with

the deputy mayor,
Jay Kriegel.

How he met with, I think,
Arnold Fraiman.

Nobody's paying
attention.

And so they gave up
and said

"Oh, well, maybe we
can get something

at "The Times.""

That's what we did.

Durk told me he has been
working with

a "New York
Times" reporter

because he's absolutely
exasperated.

"Would you meet
with this guy?"

And I said,
"Well, wh... what for?"

He says, "Well,
just to give him

"background information
about, you know,

how Narcotics works."

So I said, "Alright."

So I met
with David Burnham,

and I told him
whatever I knew.

About 298, the first district..

But I really didn't
know that much

because I just wanted
to stay away from it.

You know, I... I had
the feeling

that there
was problems..

...and I just wanted
to stay away from it.

But I knew
it was coming

because Dave told me
he was working on it.

Obviously, being
a reporter

for "The New York
Times"

it was gonna be
an expose.

The editors
were doubtful.

This makes a very
sweeping charge

against the police,
at a high level.

This was really a world
that th... they had never

gone down before.

I eventually pulled
a fast one

and told the mayor's
press secretary

that we had this big
investigation going.

A week later,
Lindsay announced

that they're gonna form
an in-house group

to, uh, investigate
corruption.

An investigatory
commission

filled with people
who were beholden

to him, friends.

And this got laughed
out of existence

almost immediately by
"The New York Times"

and by everybody else.

Can't be in-house. They
have to have outsiders.

We had to run the story.

So, now "The Times" piece
is about to come out

and an official
investigation is started.

Officer Serpico,
thank you

for your testimony.

You've already
testified

at least one time
at this point.

Oh, yeah,
and they knew about it.

That might've been
a possibility.

Instead of putting me
in Narcotics

undercover, the most
dangerous job that there is.

Now I'm working
in Narcotics.

My sergeant
comes up to me

"Listen, Serpico. You don't pull
the shit you pulled up there.

"That was chicken shit.

"We're talkin' about
real money here.

"And with that,
you don't fuck around.

Do I make
myself clear?"

So, I come to work
one day.

I'm sittin' in a car

with two
other officers.

And one guy moves
the rearview mirror

and he says,

"We heard you went
to the grand jury

and didn't
hold back nothin'."

I said, "Really? Where'd
you hear that from?"

"We got our
informants."

"The story's comin' out tonight
in "The New York Times.""

And I thought,
"Son of a bitch!"

And that's when
I had to really watch

my facial expressions.

And the first chance
I got, I called Burnham.

He said,
"Yeah, the story's

comin' out tonight."

It is probably true that there
isn't a city in the country

that doesn't have some form
of problem with corruption.

What is your own
philosophy on corruption

in relationship
to the city government?

It's a constant battle.

You must wage
that battle

every day
and every night.

Uh, and the best
possible way

I think to, uh, to wage
that battle is by,

is by constant opening up
of everything.

The worst thing of all
is secrecy.

Don't move. Don't move!
Get your hands up!

There was a police
scandal every 20 years.

Which didn't mean that there
was corruption every 20 years.

It means the corruption got
exposed every 20 years.

Previous exposures
of police corruption

had largely come
from the outside.

They'd never come from
within the department.

So, Serpico was absolutely
exceptional.

He knew, literally, where
the bodies were buried.

He could do
a lot more damage

to this web of corruption
than anyone had before.

Institutions evolve and
devolve in a certain way

where corruption is
absolutely unavoidable.

The question
then becomes

how do those institutions
deal with it.

Uh, and then how does the
larger society deal with it.

The fact that
he actually remained

in this position
is one of the great

moral exemplars
of our time.

When you find people
that don't

identify with power,
they're very special.

People like
Frank Serpico

that are willing to
put themselves at risk.

And, they're important
not only

for what they tell us
but also for the courage

that they model
for the rest of us.

They remind you
that you too, um,

you too can,
can be honest

and can speak the truth,
and can confront power.

The system has ways

of swallowing up
these people.

Either you
resign yourself

and you become cynical

or you speak out and the
system destroys you.

How ya doin'?

Good.

We haven't seen each other
in 50 years?

At least.

Were you
in Plainclothes?

Just Narcotics.

You didn't do
Plainclothes.

- No.
- Oh!

I went to Narcotics.

And then, I came in and
I was part of the team.

Right.

The captain called us
in the office

and said that
you were coming.

"I'm gonna stick you
with Frank."

And what was your
reaction when...

"Why us?"

And what had you been
hearing about him?

That he was a rat.

That you were squealing
on cops taking money.

Oh. And that was bad?

Yes.

Well..

Nobody trusted you.

They couldn't figure out
what you had

or what was
behind it all.

I don't believe half of the
bullshit they're saying.

But, you know, when you keep
hearing the same things

yeah, I don't believe it, but,
I'll watch what I'm doing.

Otherwise, say, "You don't
have a wire on you?"

You know, half-joking,
half-believing, he did.

But, you see, as a cop, heh,
you have to trust

the people you're
working with.

If you don't,
you're in trouble.

There was this scene in the
movie when I bought my..

...Browning 14-round,
uh, handgun

and the guy says,
"What are you expecting

an army or something?"

And I said,
"No, just a division."

But, in a sense,
it was an army.

It would've taken less
to go up against

a machine gun nest

because there, I either
make it or I don't.

But going against
something

that is alive
and still in existence..

...it cost me many
a... a sleepless night.

What got me through was
I believed

that I was on
the side of right.

You know, you have some unscrupulous
guys in the police department.

Serpico.

It was told that some
of these guys had bodies.

So, if you was not liked

and... and you had a
problem, you was in trouble,

they may take a little while
longer to get to you and respond.

All the way through this thing
I would occasionally get

calls from policemen,
I presume..

...saying they were gonna kill me or
they were gonna kill my children.

The first time it happened,
I called Sid Cooper..

...who was
a friend and..

I gotta watch out,
I'll start crying.

He was a really
great cop.

And I said,
"Sid, what do I do?"

And he said,
"Listen, kid,

"you never worry about the
death threats you get.

You know, you worry about
the ones you don't get."

Getting back..

...to the night
in question..

This was my .38 Special.

We were supposed to meet
at the 80th Precinct.

And I remember
walkin' in that night

there was
like this... cold

eerie feeling.

These cops,
they somehow knew me.

"We're gonna make
an arrest tonight.

We got an informant."

"You gotta get us
in there."

So, we're sittin' there

and, uh, that's part of
what you do, you observe.

But, how are you
gonna do that

unless, uh, you know,
you go in the building?

And they said, "Well, why
don't you go up there

and, uh, see what
you can do, you know?"

So, I have on
an army jacket

and, you know, boots.

And I get into my role.

For five years, I was talking
about police corruption,

and they all
knew about it.

They knew about it
all the way to the top.

And, all of a sudden,
I find myself up here.

Somethin' told me,
"Get outta here."

I was gonna take
my gun, my shield and..

And, then, somethin'
in my head said

"Nah, you can't do that.
You took an oath."

And so I thought, "Well,
let's get it over with."

These two officers
were standing by.

One was here.

Had his revolver drawn.

And the other one
was standing here.

We finally decided I was
gonna make a buy here.

"Once you get the door open,
leave the rest to us."

- And..
- Police officers!

I... I turned, like this,
and hit the door

and I had up to here
in the door.

And he was right
behind the door.

I don't know
how time works.

What the... are you
waiting for?

Give me a hand.

Meanwhile, I got
this guy covered.

And when I turn back..

You know, whoever expects
that they're gonna die..

...and then all of a
sudden, bang! It happens.

The first thing went through
my mind was, "This is it?"

Something was looking
down at my body..

...in a pool of blood.

I thought, "I wonder if the
back of my head is missin'."

And then I thought,
"Wow, no pain."

No pain.

It's the passage from the
darkness to the light.

And then I heard voices
calling my name.

And, I shouted

silently back.

"No. No, I'm not coming.
I'm gonna live."

If I get angry enough,
I'll live.

I heard jingling
of some keys

coming up the stairs.

And I heard one cop
say to the other guy..

"I think he's a narc."

So, they carried me
down the stairs.

I couldn't even remember how
many stairs we went down.

But we kept goin' down..

...and that was it.

And I said, for years...

at least I know there were
two cops... that..

...you know, took me
to the hospital.

And years later,
an ex-cop wrote a book.

He was riding with
this cop one day..

...and he said,
"Turn here.

"You see that building? That's
where Serpico was shot.

"I was one of the two
cops that picked him up.

"If I knew
it was Serpico

I woulda left him
there to bleed to death."

We were all shocked..

...that he had been hurt
so badly

and that it was
possibly a setup.

My first thought was, "Oh my
God," and then, "Who did it?"

Was it a cop
who did it?

That was the great fear
of everybody.

Serpico thought that the other
cops had left him there to die.

That's what he expected. He
knew he was an outsider.

He knew that no one was gonna
help if he got in trouble.

Frank can't get
into the apartment.

Someone comes
running in.

Bang. Shoots Frank.

As it's happening..

...I'm sayin' to myself,
"My partner's shot."

"What the hell am I
doing here?"

You can think
of a million things

in a matter of seconds.

The police arrive
on the 10-13.

Frank is a bloody mess.

I'm tryin' to wipe the
blood away and he wakes up

and says, "What're you trying to do, s...
smother me?"

You know, he... he can
joke at a time like this.

Well, I still wonder
if it was really

uh, a setup
or a coincidence.

And people think
different ways.

Seemed like there was an unusual
delay in getting him help.

When I got out of the hospital,
the first thing I did

I went
to Internal Affairs.

And I said I wanna
see a copy of the record

of the night
I got shot.

And they said,
"It's confidential."

I said, "Good.

"I am conducting my own
confidential investigation,

"and if you don't show me
that fuckin' report right now

you're gonna hear about it
tonight on national television."

And he brought it out

and it said,
"signal 10-10."

That's a call
put out by a civilian.

It was never a 10-13.

They never called a 10-13
when he was..

Yeah.

What does that make you
think when you hear that?

Well, you know, like I said, you
know, he made a lot of enemies.

No 10-13?

That could've been
a typographical error.

Doesn't make sense
at all.

Well, why would it be a..
Where was the 10-13?

Was the place
loaded with cops?

A sector car responded.

One? One sector car.

Did you ever have
any 10-13s called on ya?

- Yes.
- Alright, so what happens?

- A lot of 'em came. Yeah.
- Everybody comes.

So, you're a cop,
and you get shot

and there's no 10-13.

How do you feel?

Bad.
I just don't believe that.

No matter what
the guy...

But, Cesare,
that is a fact.

Yeah but, what you have to
understand is after the incident,

I completely
forgot about it.

I know that.
You said that.

But I'm sayin',
put yourself

in the other guy's
position.

He's a cop, he gets shot,
and there's no 10-13.

And he knows that people
don't particularly like him.

Well, this.. You know,
as a policeman,

you run into
so many things.

After 20 years, it's just
another incident.

But you felt like that even
about a fellow officer?

Eh, I know it's a silly
thing to say, but, yeah

you just accept it.

Anybody that
has a badge..

I don't care what you
think of somebody.

You... you gotta
be there for them.

To have somebody
not be there for ya,

it's gotta be the emptiest
feeling in the world.

And to... to sit here
as a cop, and see that

and to think that
somebody didn't help..

...it hurts.

It's not right.

It's not right.

Because all you have is
each other on that street.

Okay, he gets shot
in the head

and "New York Magazine"
calls me up and says,

"Serpico's been shot.
Go do an article on him."

So I spent a good deal
of time with Frank

preparing that article.

And he was certainly
a fascinating person.

I went to this pad he had
in Greenwich Village

which was jammed
with all kinds of things.

An enormous sheepdog

an aquarium, et cetera.

We used to walk out
on to the pier

and he had
all these guns.

All these guns. At least
two guns, and maybe more.

And he was very winning
and, uh, attractive.

Every description
that he made

turned out to be correct, for one
thing, and was vividly done.

Everything he said was
quotable and fascinating.

You have to forgive
a writer

who falls in love
with subjects

who provide him
with terrific material.

And Frank did that.

So, I write the article.
The picture on the cover

is an X-ray picture
of Frank's skull

with a bullet in it.

Looking back,
it's almost amusing.

Not to Frank, it wasn't.

They would put
signs up on the door.

Yeah.

When he was
convalescing.

It was.. It..
That was shocking.

We were shocked that the
police turned against him

so... uniformly.

Didn't make sense to me
at that time.

And there was
no protection.

That was
the other thing.

Where was the protection
for him, from that?

There was nothing.
He was just alone there.

I remember layin' there
in that bed.

Man, I had
off-the-scale migraine.

I had fragments
in my head, of lead.

And I'm laying in bed..

You know, and my head is.. It
feels like it's gonna burst.

And, I remembered when I was
doin' combat training..

We had to crawl

and they were firing
live rounds over our head.

And, I got a piece
of sand in my eye.

And it was driving
me crazy.

I couldn't get it out.

And they... they said,
"Stay down! Stay down!"

"How do I... how am I gonna
get this out of my head?

It's... it's
in my head."

And the phone
kept ringin'.

The police department
kept callin' me.

"Serpico, this is
a bed check.

You gotta answer
the phone."

Get this outta my head.
It's in my head.

You know, just kept
harassing, harassing me.

They were just
tormenting me.

Those were
five torturous years.

It's mental torture
in the same way

somebody ending up in a prisoner
of war camp was tortured..

...because what they're
forced to believe

is that what they know
is not the truth.

There's nothing more frustrating
in the world to tell somebody

the sky is blue and then
have the establishment say,

"No, that's green"

and look at you
like you're crazy.

Frank Serpico is similar
to a guy who goes to war.

A lot of these soldiers
are traumatized

because they were in
untenable positions.

His nervous system
is stuck.

And he's just playing
a tape

that he's not gonna get out
of because it's frozen

in time and space.

Back in World War I, we
called it "shell-shocked."

When you go through what Frank
Serpico's gone through..

It's not only
when it's goin' on

it's when triggers
bring him back

to that
original experience.

When you have an experience,
you know it happened.

When you have
a traumatic experience

you think
it's happening.

One day,
after I got shot..

...one of my neighbors
intercepts me and he says

"Paco, Paco,
don't go home."

He said,
"They're waiting for ya."

"Who's waiting?"

"Couple of shady-looking characters
parked across the street.

They've been there
all mornin'."

So, I go around
the block

and I come this way,
and I have my gun.

And..

"Who's there?"

"Police. Open up."

"Let me see your ID."

I had a tape recorder.
And I got my 9 millimeter.

"What do you want?"

"You trust anybody?"

"No."

"Is that thing runnin'?"

"Is your mouth runnin'?"

"Turn it off!"

"As long as your mouth's
runnin', it's runnin'."

"Call Chief Cooper
right away!"

I called Chief Cooper and he
says, "Where the hell you been?"

We just got it
on the wire.

They got another hit
out for ya."

I said, "Take these pricks
outta here.

I don't want 'em."

How long was it
after you were shot

while this was
all going on?

It was going on
all along.

Even, even when I went
into court to testify.

These hearings are going to
present some of the evidence

that the department has a
serious corruption problem..

...which must be
characterized as extensive.

The Knapp Commission
was a specific response

to a citywide scandal.

Corruption was something
that everybody

kind of assumed existed but
nobody wanted to admit.

We're saddened
and troubled

and deeply hurt

when, uh, the wrongdoing
of some of us

is exposed.

I believe that it involves a
small number of, uh, people.

The police brass
didn't want to admit it.

The politicians didn't want to
antagonize the police brass.

The cops kept saying,
"Well, there a couple

"of rotten apples
in the barrel

but this department
is fine."

- What is he doing?
- He's under arrest.

And what Frank
came out publically

to observe was that
at least in his barrel..

...all the apples
were bad.

He triggered
an investigation

that indicated
this might be true

in the department
as a whole

and our job
was to find out, was it?

Uh, he started it all.

But Frank
didn't wanna testify.

He was convinced that we
were gonna sandbag him.

He hired Ramsey Clark, the
former attorney general

to represent him.

We spent the night before,
here, in the apartment.

He had several
pistols stashed around.

And, finally, we decided
it's time to go.

He was sure walkin' too
close to the building.

We slinked down
to 7th Avenue

and, uh, dropped down
into the subway.

He was very nervous
on the subway.

But, you know,
if you got shot

in your face
like that, uh..

...he's got reason
to be nervous.

And probably some pretty
powerful interests

were worried about what he
was gonna say. You know?

Anybody that
knew him knew

he was gonna say
exactly what he thought.

He warmed up and..

...his testimony
was, uh..

...pure Serpico.

Through my appearance
here today,

I hope that police
officers in the future

will not experience the same
frustration and anxiety

that I was subjected to
for the past five years

at the hands
of my superiors

because of my attempt
to report corruption.

The problem is
that the atmosphere

does not yet exist

in which an honest
police officer

can act without fear
of ridicule or reprisal

from fellow officers.

See, that was the one
thing I have against you.

You exposed corruption

but only cops got hurt.

I was talkin'
about the system.

It went all the way
up to the top.

That's why I didn't
wanna wear a wire.

I didn't wanna get the
guys I was workin' with.

The only problem
I have..

...with Frank is

if he wanted
to do it, great.

I wouldn't do it.

You wanna do it,
get the bosses

because without their
okay, it will not happen.

Now, how do you
lock up a boss?

How do you go
after these guys?

I don't know.
I didn't even try.

Yeah.

Was any, uh,
suggestion made

that you carry an
electronic device yourself

in investigating th...
uh, the corruption?

Yes.

And what was your reaction
to the suggestion?

If I personally
wore a wire..

...the only information
I could get

was on a
patrolman level

and I was not interested

in just
locking up patrolmen,

that I wanted to, uh, take
it to a much higher level

where the problem lied.

And who was present
at the meeting?

Myself, Detective Durk,
and Commissioner Fraiman.

To the best
of your recollection,

what, uh, was said?

I again in... informed
the commissioner

of all the facts
that I had related

to the other people.

And what was Commissioner
Fraiman's reaction?

He said, "Well, uh, what do
you want me to do about it?"

We came to the conclusion
that the police department

and its top brass
and the mayor had not..

...acted on... on
Frank's information..

...and that
they should have.

The events
tell the story.

You had Arnie Fraiman..

...an appointee
of John Lindsay.

You had Jay Kriegel.

The former
Commissioner Leary,

an appointee
of Lindsay.

They all sat
on their hands.

So, this corruption
is very, very

complex and deep
in the... in the city.

Mr. Armstrong,
do you come away

from this hearing believing
that the majority

of the plainclothesmen
in this city are corrupt?

Testing, one,
two, three.

What kind of affect
do you think

the Knapp
Commission Report

is having
on your fellow officers?

Uh, the morale has gone,
uh, down very much.

We feel pretty low.

If they did

the job that they
intended to do,

to root out
corrupt policemen

every honest policeman
would stand up

and take their hat
off to 'em.

But they didn't do that.

They got on television
and they used

a big wide brush and they
painted everybody.

Everybody.

The reaction to the Knapp
Commission was ferocious.

There was
a lotta hostility.

I don't think anybody
likes people

looking into whether
they're corrupt or not.

And if you have
an organization

that's a quasi-military
organization

that is used
to feeling in danger,

perhaps the feelings
are gonna be stronger.

We felt it. Would a police officer?
Yeah, sure.

Police corruption
cannot exist..

...unless it is
at least tolerated

at higher levels
in the department.

Merely uncovering widespread
patterns of corruption

will not
resolve the problem.

Basic changes in attitude
and approach are vital.

The policeman's first
obligation is to be

responsive to the needs of
the community he serves.

Frank testified before
the Knapp Commission..

...and he
became famous.

Very, very... very
famous.

I first learned
of Frank Serpico

from colleagues
of my husband's.

Uh, he began telling us
about this fantastic cop

in the Bronx who was
spilling the beans

on all these bad guys.

Peter Maas introduced me
to Frank

and it was astounding
how real he was.

It wasn't
newspaper hype.

The first thing we did was
arrange for the book.

It came to me,
and I said

"We have to
get this book."

There was a deep
human story here

about this
very interesting person.

My own experience is

many people feel this

but they feel
they're alone.

I thought to myself,
"Oh, my God.

Everybody
should read this."

You didn't just print it
for today and tomorrow.

You printed it
for all time.

I knew about Serpico

'cause I read about him
in the paper

and then
I read the book.

First of all, I thought
it was a terrific story.

There hasn't been
that many stories made

about Italians
like that

'cause he
was such a rebel.

The story really
must be the star

number one in any movie.

Another example
is "Serpico."

I read, uh, ten page from,
uh, new book Peter Maas.

I decide to do it.

Serpico.

There were over
a hundred parts

over a hundred
locations.

Not a whole
lotta money.

And it's ostensibly
a period picture..

...in New York.

I think we shot it
in 37 days.

Al worked every day.

It was such an active
physical film

and also, the things that
he was going through.

The bad guys
and the good guys

wanted Serpico.

They were gonna
light him up.

You know, the biggest
thieves in the world.

I was a teenager.

I went to see it
a bunch of times

because I was
interested in movies

and I loved Al Pacino.

He was a hippie, cop,
undercover.

It was a very like,
mythical figure..

...in the movie.

It had a big influence
on me.

I went and I got
my ear pierced.

And then my mother,
she said

"Did you pierce your ear?"
and I said, "Yeah."

Then she like,
took the frying pan, bam!

I was under the
influence of Serpico.

Where's my coat?

Well, do you see
a black leather jacket

like the one Pacino
wore in "Serpico?"

'Cause if you don't,
you owe me $379.

No, I'm not
gonna testify.

You'll have
complete protection.

Yeah, I've heard
that one before

I gotta put a dime
in the meter.

Sit down, Frank.

I'm ready to blow
my whistle here.

Now, you gonna listen
to this tape, or not?

No, I am not.

You're one of them, huh?
A crooked cop!

And here's the bad news.

I don't need your fuckin'
status report, Serpico.

- Serpico.
- Serpico.

- Serpico.
- You ever see "Serpico?"

"Serpico"

nominated
for best performance

by an actor this year

Al Pacino
for "Serpico."

You need people
with integrity.

Those kind of people
inspire you.

When you're
15-16 years old

and you say, wow,
this guy is, like

he really, he went
the distance.

And he was a renegade
and he was a rebel

and he was Al Pacino
and he was

the real Frank Serpico.

Playing a real character
that exists

y... you're never
gonna be them.

When I played
Frank Serpico

I'm not the way
Frank Serpico really is.

But at the same time,

I've been inspired by

watching his movements

and... and
he's made me feel

like sometimes
you look in the mirror

and you think you're gonna
see another person.

So, one day, we go

and they're doin'
this scene.

Where they flush
this black man's

face in the toilet.

And I go, what?
Why the.. I say, "Cut!"

"Who said that?"

"I did."

"What're you doin'?"

"What am I doin'?
What are you doin'?"

"I'm making
a movie here!"

I said, "I don't
remember that scene."

You been jerkin'
me around, heh?

He said, "Well,
it happened in my life."

"Oh. Well.

"If you're makin'
a movie about your life,

"put it in there.

But leave it
the hell out of mine!"

Where's the money?

Sidney liked to do movies
the way he wanted to.

And all of a sudden,
somebody says "Cut."

And it isn't Sidney.

We always
made it a rule.

You've seen the script,
and there's really

nothing you can help us
with at this point.

"Well,
if you're makin' a movie

about your life
put it in there."

We have to now let the
actors do their work.

"But leave it
the hell out of mine!"

You... you can stay,
but you can't stay here.

So they asked
Frank to leave

and they never
wanted him back.

I was working
with John Avildsen.

Very few people know

John Avildsen
was the director

who was first to be
directing the movie.

He came
with Norman Wexler.

We worked
on the script together.

It was a beautiful day.

I mean, we had snow.

And I remember he
just finished a script

and we just go,
"Wow. Wow, that's it!"

You know, and, uh, John
had on a shearling coat

and a big beard and he
rolls down the mountain

and he's all
covered with snow

and he, he stands up
and he says, "Ah!

"I haven't felt
this good

since I was
14 years old!"

And Norman Wexler looked
at us like we were crazy

'cause I followed
him down.

Well, one day,
my wall phone rings..

...and it's John,
and he says

"Frank, are you
sitting down?"

I said, "What?"

And he said,
"They let me go."

I said, "What?"

I think he was
disappointed that Avildsen

didn't get to direct it

because Avildsen had
such a passion about it.

And Frank
liked him so much.

John Avildsen wanted me
to play myself.

You know, and I said,
"What, are you crazy?"

I said,
"I'm not an actor."

He says,
"Just think of it.

You'll be
an eccentric."

I said, "I already am
an eccentric."

I said,
"I'm not an actor.

I'm... I'm...
I'm the real thing."

He was Frank Serpico

and then he became
Frank Serpico

that Al Pacino
portrayed.

And that had to be
lived up to.

And that becomes
another stressor

because when you
walk into a room,

everybody saw your life.

He's hung his hat
on identifying himself

as Frank Serpico,

the guy
who exposed corruption.

But he's trapped then
by that.

Frank Serpico
is not that guy.

That's something
that he did

but that's not
really who he is.

And that will continue
to plague him.

You see..

...once I'd left
the police department,

I just..

Believe me
never gave anything..

...about the old days
a thought.

I mean, you did write
a chapter about Frank

in your book.

It's hard for me to
imagine that you never

thought about
this particular incident

especially 'cause Frank had
the movie and the book

and then became, like,
this kind of icon.

When I saw the movie..

...I got angry

'cause it gave
the impression

that he got shot
and we just sat there

and did nothin'.

I think Peter Maas..

...was tryin' to use
the shooting

as a... um..

In other words,
people were out to get you

and they
finally succeeded

and one had nothing
to do with the other.

Uh, how do you feel?

My, uh, idea
was to show

the overall picture.

You know,
I'm in the hospital

and there was
a uniformed cop

who wanted to visit me

and the cop who was
supposed to be guarding me

says, "Don't go in there.
He's no good."

This is not Narcotics

or the guys
I'm workin' with.

This is the
whole system.

They must've felt guilty
of doin' somethin'

otherwise they wouldn't
have been so challenged

by what this
one guy was doin'.

That's possible.

You know any... anything
is possible.

Mm.

Ramsey?

What the hell's
goin' on here?

What is this, some kind
of a setup or somethin'?

Paco!

Hey, you got older.
What happened to ya?

Oh, me? I haven't got
a gray hair on my head.

You've gotten taller.

Yeah, I've been, uh,
stretching, uh..

...sleepin'
on the ground.

You've gotten shorter.
That's what it is.

Yeah. I'm afraid
that's true.

- Closer to the ground.
- Is Rhonda here?

Wanted to see ya. No,
she left about 11:00.

- Oh.
- She waited to see ya.

You recognize this guy?

Do you think they did
an accurate, uh?

What's it say, here?

"A police officer's
first obligation

"is to be responsible
to the needs

of the community
he serves."

You know that guy?

Nobody knows that guy.

The man that came to my
aide when I was shot

he was a civilian.

He was the guy
that called the police.

The cops didn't
call 'em.

I'm lying there,
bleeding to death

and... some civilian
called.

They can't isolate
themselves

because if they do, it's
gonna be a police state.

And, uh, police have
to understand that. They..

You can't have a free society
any other way. Can you?

No. And they keep saying,
us against them.

You know,
and we can't have that.

There's only us.

The reality is that

the story that
came out on top..

...was not
that of... power

or institutions
but, uh, the truth.

The story that came out
on top is Paco's story..

...'cause that's what
everybody believes.

"Ramsey, who stood
at my side

with love, admiration
and respect."

"Paco Francisco..

"...Serpico."

I always admired Frank
for what he did.

He exposed a system that
I was very much against

but I never would've
done what he did

because most of us
just went along.

Everybody knew there
was a lot of corruption

in the
police department.

That was part of
the reason why everybody

distrusted police.

To see him as somebody
fighting that..

...I was very proud
to be his neighbor

at... at that point.

I'm a big fan of his.

If there was
more people like him

it'd be
a different world.

I've taken guns and knives
out of people's hands..

...but I didn't
have the courage

or I wouldn't have the
courage to do what he did.

Unfortunately, you know,
he's been vilified

and he'll always probably
will be vilified

as a, what you call,
a rat.

You know, so,
he really wasn't a rat

because rats are people
who give up other people.

He was never a...
an... an informer.

He was a, uh..

I'm trying
to find the right word.

He was an exposer.

He does look,
in retrospect

like something
out of a Western movie.

He's like,
"The Man With No Name"

or something like that.

But, of course, that
wasn't his idea at all.

He just saw corruption
going on around him

and... and
took a stand.

I think it's crucial
to reclaim

the parts of our past
that we don't know about.

The taking back
of stories

that's very important.

And especially
from people that

at the time, some people
consider them heroes

and some people
demonize them.

People have to see
other people

that have taken actions
that made change

in order to understand how
to make change themselves.

I think this is maybe the
most important aspect

of Serpico's story.

It's a extraordinarily
powerful

moral beacon.

You say to yourself, you
know, "What can I do?

You know, uh,
one person?"

But occasionally,
every once in a while

someone like a Serpico
shows up

and... and reminds us.

I told myself, eh..

"Frank, you're goin'
on stage tonight."

I told myself
I was an actor.

"Of all the days,
that was the one

"an age of reason
could have begun.

"Well, force
has not prevailed!

"And think
if he had recanted.

"It would have been as if
night had fallen again

"just after
the sun rose.

"But everything
has been changed today.

"So much is gained

"when only one person
stands up..

...and says no."

But he disappeared
very quickly after that.

I think he told us
he was going.

I actually think
he may have said

"I'm gonna go away."

You know, "I can't
stay here anymore."

We visited Paco,
as his friends call him

earlier this month during
a gray and chilly week

at his farm
in northern Holland.

The past is the past.
I just think it's a pity

that I didn't feel then
like I feel now.

If you see a policeman
takin' a payoff

all you have to say is,
"Hey, you're under arrest."

And not feel, "Well, I'm
gonna be the outsider now

and, uh, nobody is, uh,
going to accept me."

Um, you become
a prisoner of yourself.

That's, uh, that's how
I felt I was then.

I was, uh, my own, uh, I
was a prisoner of myself.

For almost ten years,
the real Serpico

has had to compete
with the images,

the burden of living
with a myth.

The exile's life
is relatively empty.

Friends are few
and far away.

In their place, Serpico has
made a meticulous routine

of housekeeping
and animal husbandry.

He says it works.

There's nothing wrong
with being by yourself

if you're at peace

because then
you're at peace

with your whole
environment

with the whole universe

and, you're not lonely.

One day,
I heard a scream.

Some little girl

had fallen in the canal.

I got her out.

And a crowd
started forming.

And I thought,
"Gotta get out of here.

The cops are comin'."

Next morning, two detectives
come to my door..

And I said, "Shit."

Alright,
here goes Holland.

They drive me
to headquarters

and they take me
up, up, up

to the
commissioner's office.

And we walk in
and he snaps to

and he comes forward
and he puts out his hand

then he says..

And I look on his desk

and there's
a copy of "Serpico."

And he asks me
to autograph it for him.

And he said, "I'd like
to show your movie

to all the brass."

I go there, they show
the movie, and I said

"Well, gentlemen, ladies,
what'd you think?"

"I can't believe that a police
officer would do such a thing."

And I says,
"That's good.

"But it's also bad..

...because if you
don't believe it.."

I said, "Gentlemen,
it will happen."

And a year later,
my phone rings..

...he says,
"You were right.

It happened."

There was
a big scandal..

Narcotics.

Frank Serpico's life
is full of ironies.

He gave his career
and much of his body

to an ideal of serving
his New York community.

Now he lives cut-off
from his American past

ever the man outside.

People don't know
who Serpico was

and they still don't.

Uh, and for a time,
I didn't.

And now I know who I am

I know what I am.

And, uh, anti-corruption
label, uh..

Then people think,
"Ah, call Serpico.

Dial the Lone Ranger."

That's all
part of that fantasy

where you call up
the good guy

and he takes care
of everything.

Take care
of it yourself.

I thought, "I can't keep
fighting this."

"That's not
what I became

a police officer for."

I remember
even the chief sayin'

"What're you gonna do with
the rest of your life?"

It's like
there's no life

after the New York City
Police Department.

I said,
"What am I gonna do?

I'm gonna live."

I had just come back
from Europe

and I called John up.

And he said, "Hey, I'm
building a house in Sagaponack

and, uh, why don't you
go hang out there?"

And the next thing
I know

I sort of became
the chief cook

and bottle washer.

Inside this
innocent-looking house..

...strange things..

...are going on.

He'd been hanging around
Sag Harbor

I'd met him
when I was 19.

I really knew
very little about him

when I first met him.

Really kind of
fell in love with him

for the first time
we spent together.

You know,
there's some kind of

deep-rooted
humanity there.

We had a lotta fun.

Paco can make

going to buy groceries
kinda fun.

I'm sure glad we got this on tape, folks.
Keep it up.

John had all this
camera stuff around

and, uh, we were
always doin' costumes.

Now get
to the personal stuff.

In Italy, the country
where I come from

there was a farmer
and his son

who wanted to make
a lot of money.

And so he says,
"Come to America"

but he's get a job
as a shoeshine boy.

You make hay
while the sun shines.

You understand?

So now I'm trying to get
my life together here.

He did not leave

a broken man.

He embraced life.

Now, were there certain
voids in his life?

Everybody has voids
in their life.

But I don't think you're gonna
get a much more colorful

elaborate
or sensational life

than Frank Serpico.

It got to a point where it felt
like he needed his own house.

And he had this land
up in upstate New York.

And... so,
we went up there

in the camper.

We camped on the land
and we kind of went

"Okay, that looks like
a good place over there."

He built his cabin
in the woods.

If you wanna
lose the present

then live in the past.

But this moment

is gonna be
gone forever.

Tonight, they're paid
to protect and serve.

But these cops were
breaking and entering

shaking down dealers,
and doing drugs.

They're the new breed
of corrupt cop

brazenly defying
the law

and the top brass.

You're under arrest.

And the cop
who blew the whistle

20 years ago,
tonight, Frank Serpico

breaks his long silence

outraged, that little
has changed.

Get on the ground!
Get on the ground!

This police
brutality thing's

coming more and more
into the news today.

And we will have
Daryl Gates, former chief

of police of Los Angeles,
and Frank Serpico

who's the, uh,
the Serpico.

I hope that police
officers in the future

will not experience
the same frustration

and anxiety
that I was subjected to..

More than
a quarter century later

Frank Serpico
was still reading

from the same page.

Certainly, uh, that force which
is reasonable and necessary

can be used and it's part
of doing the job...

We're talkin'
about a bathroom here.

Why do you need excessive
force in a bathroom?

- Let's get real.
- Serpico, you're... you..

You got
a loud mouth, Serpico.

- Would you just listen for a moment?
- At least it's honest!

This was part
of my opening statement

over 25 years ago.

Unfortunately that hope
was never realized.

Back then there was
widely tolerated

systemic corruption.

It'd be a shame if somebody
gave the impression

that that was
the case today.

We have to light
the lamps

that shed the light
on corruption, injustice

and abuse of power.

Move! Move! Move!

"Never has there been
a greater need

"for lamplighters
than today.

"We must hold our
lawmakers accountable

"or democracy and freedom
of speech in America

will soon
become extinct."

From the vantage point
of more than 40 years

observing the police,
Serpico says

"There's still
a long way to go."

Some officers think

"I am the law."

No, you're not the law.

You are sworn
to enforce that law

on all, equally.

Nothing has changed.

The abuse has been
switched around.

But, the abuse of power
is still there.

This has sort of been
my healing place.

This is what I call
my Zendo.

See anything
look familiar here?

That's the bottom
of a nightstick.

Nice sound, huh?

I remember bein' invited
to a program

where cops were honored
from all over the country.

I got invited
to be a presenter.

I said,
"Congratulations.

Uh, you got the nation's
ten top cop award."

When I went
to shake their hands

each one of 'em
gave me a big hug.

And they each whispered

something in my ear.

And what they
whispered was..

"I gotta talk to ya."

Subtitles by explosiveskull