Officer of the Year 1999
Sgt. Heriberto (Eddie) Carattini
Jersey City, New Jersey Police Department
Through his heroic actions, Sgt. Carattini, a highly decorated 16-year veteran, defused a dangerous situation in which a gunman had taken control of a precinct station, saving the lives of fellow officers. On Feb. 8, 1998, at about 2 a.m. Carattini arrived at Jersey City’s West District station after volunteering to work a second consecutive shift. He had just completed an evening shift in another district. As he parked his squad car, he noticed someone entering the station and, as he walked up the building stairs, he heard gunshots. Upon entering the lobby, Carattini saw a desk officer taking cover behind the front desk and heard the shift lieutenant yelling, “Eddie, I’m hurt, don’t let me die. Eddie, come and get me.” That is precisely what Carattini did. First, he motioned the uninjured desk officer to safety, then made his way to the lieutenant, who was injured behind the desk, bleeding profusely from two bullet wounds, to the abdomen and thigh. The gunman then charged toward Carattini and, after he refused to surrender, Carattini shot him once in the chest, dropping him to the ground. The lieutenant, who had been shot with his own gun, eventually recovered, while the gunman, who authorities said was enraged after Newark police caught him in an unregistered car three days earlier, was charged with multiple felony counts. According to his supervisors, Carattini has a reputation for bravery. During the same month, his actions as a hostage negotiator were credited with saving seven lives. The recipient of more than 20 police awards, Carattini distinguished himself as a uniformed patrol officer and later as a top-flight narcotics and anti-robbery detective. Carattini’s courageous acts at the precinct station and at other times are emblematic of valor well above and beyond the call of duty and set an enviable standard for law enforcement officers throughout the nation.
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