With God on My Side

Richard J. Spota has had a long and illustrious career. Within these pages, we get a glimpse into his long and remarkable life of service as a detective, lieutenant, and chief of police.Some of the highlights include the time he was a detective working on organized crime who, after making several felony arrests, was assigned to testify before a grand jury. After facing two failed murder attempts, he continued to testify before the grand jury under protective custody.There is the case of the Connecticut Bank Robbery gang, where he worked alongside a lieutenant surveilling the bank being cased by the gang. Spota drove the car which chased the robbers at high speed. After a shoot out, the three perpetrators were arrested and brought into custody.Or the case where former Westchester County District Attorney Carl Vergari said, 'This is believed to be the first time a person has been indicted for homicide for the death of a person he sold drugs to.'There's the case of the Dating Game Serial Killer, who was eventually brought to justice three decades later, on December 14, 2012. And the Sing Sing Escape case where, after a lot of work and dedication put into action by Spota, the convicts were apprehended and brought into custody. For his valiant efforts, Spota received a very sincere written commendation from Governor Mario M. Cuomo.