New police recruit ready to serve his hometown

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Glen Cove’s new police recruit Marcello Zuccaro was born and raised in Glen Cove. He graduated from Glen Cove High School in 2009, and went on to attend St. Francis College, where he played on its Division I soccer team and graduated with a B.S. He speaks Italian and Spanish and helps out at his family’s restaurant Il Villaggio, in Sea Cliff.

During his junior year at St. Francis, Zuccaro interned for the Secret Service in Manhattan. He assisted the special agents between four and five days a week with anything they needed during their investigations. While he couldn’t elaborate too much because of a clearance waiver that he signed, Zuccaro said he was most impressed with the general potential of the agency and its resources. “Their ability to make connections, their ability to track people down was very impressive and the time they did it in was very impressive,” he explained.

In 2015, Zuccaro graduated with a master’s in criminal justice from John Jay College, following a suggestion that it would help him in a career in agencies like the Secret Service.

Zuccaro applied to a number of bureaus, and soon after graduation joined the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency where he was stationed at JFK Airport.

While at JFK, his responsibilities involved processing and screening travelers entering the U.S. He interviews included questions like the reason for their visit, what connections they had to the U.S., if they have family here, etc.

Although he did enjoy that position, he didn’t know if that was exactly what he wanted to do. So, he continued to apply for other agencies in local, federal and state departments to keep his options open. “I did like it, I was able to network a lot because we work with a lot of agencies because we were the first line of contact,” he said.

After two years in border protections, Zuccaro received a call from the Glen Cove Police Department. “I found it to be a good match for what I wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve always had an interest in service [and] I always wanted to find ways to give back to the community.”

Zuccaro is currently in training at the Nassau County Police Academy. As a Glen Cove Police Recruit, his position is contingent on graduating the academy, which he expects to do in February.

His training now involves understanding New York State laws and how they apply, and combining classroom work with physical training and tactics.

“Mr. Zuccaro’s experience and local knowledge will be an asset to our Police Department and community,” said Glen Cove Police Chief William Whitton. “Marcello’s loyalty to his hometown was reinforced when I learned that he turned down a position with the FBI to join our department.”

Zuccaro is looking forward to serving his hometown. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of a team, the best team I could be a part of and that’s what I think the Glen Cove Police Department is.”