Perhaps the first significant act taken to combat organized crime enterprises in New York City was the appointment in 1890 by Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt of Giuseppe “Joe” Petrosino as a police officer. Petrosino was one of the few in law enforcement who spoke Italian and could effectively deal with the mob. His unit, “the Italian Squad,” became legendary for its successes.
At that time, law enforcement had few weapons to respond to the onslaught of recently arrived immigrants with undisclosed criminal records from Italy, who were organizing in various parts of the United States, including Manhattan’s “Little Italy.”
