Two Brockport officers honored for heroism

While it may have been all in a day's work for two Brockport officers, they were recently honored by the Brockport Elks Club for their acts of heroism.

Officers Joe Morabito and Stephen Mesiti were on the beat on March 4 when Officer Morabito saw smoke at the Laundromat on Main Street. Morabito called it in to the fire department and cleared the customers out of the building. Officer Mesiti arrived on the scene and he and Morabito went into the smoke filled building's upper apartments and began evacuating the residents. By the time the fire department arrived on the scene there was a fully engaged fire in the basement.

"The officers went above and beyond the call of duty," Police Chief Dan Varrenti said. "The officers were on the scene, called it in, began removing the patrons and then went upstairs to notify the apartment residents. Not only did they potentially save the lives of these people, but they may have saved the entire block from going up."

Varrenti praised his officers for taking a potentially volatile situation and having a good conclusion come from it. "This is exactly what routine patrol in the village is supposed to accomplish," he explained. "This was textbook police work."

Mesiti and Morabito were commended for their actions by the Brockport Elks Club and received certificates for their actions. Annually the Elks Club hosts a dinner where they honor the men and women who serve on the Monroe County police departments.

"Law enforcement is a thankless job so when we are honored at an event like this one, it is an extreme honor," Varrenti said. "When someone stands up and says thank you to members of our force, it means an awful lot."

Varrenti said his officers are out there on the streets making arrests for individuals who are driving drunk, stopping speeders and cracking down on drug activity in the community and they rarely get praised. "We always hear how we have ruined someone's life. It would be nice to receive a thank you for getting those drunk drivers and other law breaking individuals off the streets," he said. "There's never been anyone who has stood up at a board meeting and thanked us for that."

In his 24 years in law enforcement, Varrenti said that working with the Brockport police officers has been the best part of his career. "These officers do a great job," he said. "I'm blessed to work here and I can unequivocally say that the Brockport officers are the best I have ever worked with."