Brookfield Police Sgt. John Marino called it “being in the right place at the right time.” To his superiors on the force, Marino’s actions made him 2005 Police Officer of the Year.
Back in August of 2005, Marino was off duty pulling out of a shopping center in west suburban Westmont, when he was pulled up short. He saw a man in a residential neighborhood who matched the description of someone believed to be connected with a string of burglaries in Brookfield and elsewhere.
“I just put two and two together,” said Marino, who was able to get a license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle.
In conjunction with the west suburban Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT) and the South Suburban Task Force, police were able to track the man, and an alleged accomplice, to Tinley Park. Police arrested the men while they were in the process of burglarizing a home in that town.
“Just to recall that information is an example of John’s attitude toward policing, said Lt. Michael Manescalchi, who has worked with Marino for the past 26 years. “He gives the maximum effort.”
Because of Marino’s keen eye and the subsequent arrest of the men, police were able to clear a slew of burglaries and thefts. Police immediately linked the men to at least 12 residential burglaries, multiple jewelry store thefts and one incident where a victim was shot.
“These arrests were all possible from Sgt. Marino’s consistent dedication and constant effectiveness of duty,” said Police Chief Thomas Schoenfeld as he presented Marino with the Officer of the Year Award at a banquet hosted by the Brookfield-LaGrange Park Lions Club last month.
One of the offenders was convicted of 20 counts of residential burglary and is serving 15 years behind bars in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The other man connected with the case is still being tried for his alleged crimes.
Schoenfeld ought to know plenty about Marino’s commitment to duty. After all, Marino, 51, was Schoenfeld’s field training officer when the future chief joined the department not long after Marino.
A native of Chicago’s Northwest Side, Marino attended Steinmetz High School and worked as a truck driver for the Gonnella Bread Company, before being recruited by the Brookfield Police Department in 1980.
“As long as I can remember, this is what I wanted to do,” Marino said. “Brookfield was the first to call, and I decided this would be it.”
The job has changed throughout the years, mostly for the better, said Marino, who lives in Brookfield with his wife and 21-year old son. While there are more demands in terms of technology and paperwork, Marino said Brookfield’s police force is better educated today and more professional. What hasn’t changed is his love for the job, the people he works with and the community he serves.
“I enjoy coming to work everyday,” Marino said. “The guys I work with and the people out there in the community on a daily basis who support you … it’s a good place to work.”