Niagara Falls Police Department Capt. Frank Granto is a no nonsense, old-school cop of the highest caliber. A couple of months ago, he happened to be on the desk the night when Butch Quarcini helped his nitwit nephew, Michael, escape from the city jail.
But more to the point, Capt. Granto is the cousin of Schools Superintendent Carmen Granto, who is very seriously considering a run for mayor next year.
Put those two things together and you come up with a highly decorated, 31-year veteran of law enforcement pilloried in the local media -- which has made no secret of its support for the current administration -- and facing the possibility of a reassignment to the boondocks of the police academy at Niagara Community College.
"I tell the young guys all the time that the public holds us to a higher standard, and that's how it should be," he said. "But in this case, I followed the law to the letter."
I don't know if you know Frank Granto. I do. He grew up around the old Depot Grill, which his father, Frank Sr., ran for 65 years. One time, when he was a kid, an old man asked him to run an errand. He did, and the guy gave him a dime for a tip. It turned out that the old man was the Old Man, Stefano Magaddino, and young Frank caught hell that night.
"Don't you ever take money from those people," his father told him.
Back in those days, a lot of first generation Italian-American males had three choices in life. They could go into the priesthood, become cops or get mixed up with guys like Magaddino.
Frank started his law enforcement career with the Town of Niagara, worked with the Niagara County Sheriff's Department and then joined the Niagara Falls Police Department.
Over the years, he won numerous decorations he doesn't much like to talk about.
One time he talked a guy out of committing suicide at the falls and another couple of times he carried the day facing down armed desperadoes.
"In 31 years of service, I have never had a written reprimand," he said. "But I do make mistakes, like everyone else."
On Oct. 2, a guy identifying himself as Marc Quarcini was arrested by a street cop on an outstanding traffic warrant. A little bit later, his uncle, indicted labor leader Michael "Butch" Quarcini, showed up to bail him out.
"I followed the law to the letter," Granto told the Reporter. "The law doesn't state that the person being bailed out has to have identification, it states that the person posting the bail has to have identification."
As it turned out, the alleged man identifying himself as Marc Quarcini was, in reality, his brother Michael Quarcini, who was also wanted on a somewhat more serious charge.
Until that night, Capt. Frank Granto had never had a personal meeting with Butch Quarcini.
"I wouldn't have even known him, other than I had seen his pictures in the paper," Granto said.
He resents the dubious claim that an "old boys network" somehow exists, making it easier for some people to get justice.
"I just did my job, like I always do," he said. "If it was anybody, I'd have done the same thing."
Frank Granto, a good cop, is being played by the politicians and the media because his cousin might run for mayor. It makes me nauseous. Here's a guy who's laid his life on the line countless times over the years having his reputation sullied by a cowardly newspaper editor lying in bed with an ex-nun who got elected mayor with an end run around the truth.
I know prejudice when I see it. Italian-Americans built this town and code words like "old boys network" should not be tolerated.
When I talked to Frank the other night I told him that, if I was him, I would just quit. He has way more than enough years for a fine retirement. He won't, though, not without a fight. His son, Nick, is a sheriff's deputy, and there's three other kids who depend on him.
Watch what happens now, and think about it.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 17 2002 |