Obituary for Albert Louis DiGiacomo
ALBERT L. DiGIACOMO
THE CHILD THAT WOULD BECOME THE SLEUTH, THE PROTECTOR, THE MENTOR and THE CONFIDANT
Since he was a young child, Albert L. DiGiacomo was inspired to be a crime fighting hero much like the TV shows his sister Mary Anne vividly recalls watching with him: Dragnet, The Detectives, and Zorro were among his favorites. He would run around his childhood home in full Zorro costume - mask, cape, and sword, catching the bad guys and exacting justice.
Al’s youngest sister Diana explains, “As a first-born son in a very proud family, Al knew that position came with the responsibility to care for his siblings, especially his 3 sisters. He was their protector throughout his early years and later, in 1986 after the death of his father, he became the anointed patriarch of the DiGiacomo clan taking his father’s position.”
Without provocation and at the young age of 14, Al possessed the concern and compassion to check in on his older sister, Judy, nightly. Judy was a newly married 19-year-old young mother. As she was alone when her husband worked the evening shift, Judy remembers with total gratitude and awe how Al would come home from school, eat dinner, complete his homework, then call her on the telephone, and talk for hours until her husband walked in the door from work. He would say to her, “I won’t hang up until I know that you’re safe!”
Diana remembers how her big brother was there on one of the most special and sacred day of her life, her wedding day. Distraught about the absence of her father to walk her down the aisle, Albert was honored and stood proud to step up and once again fulfill the role of loving brother and now father.
His sisters describe him as dependable, the voice of reason, deeply caring, disciplined and highly intelligent. Any task or problem to be solved, he approached it calmly and analytically and didn’t finish until it was meticulously completed. To his siblings, Al was the ultimate role model and continued to be this throughout his life.
Al’s parents recognized his many talents and exceptional intellect and enrolled him in Norwood Academy for his elementary education, and St. Joseph Preparatory School for his secondary education.
After graduating from St. Joseph Preparatory School in 1966 at the age of 16, Al aspired to be a police officer. To assure continuity of his father’s funeral home business should anything unforeseen happen to his father, Al attended The Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and obtained his funeral director’s license in 1969. Now that his familial duty was complete, Al could now pursue his dream of a career in law enforcement.
A LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER AND A MAN WHO NEVER FORGOT TO PAY IT FORWARD
Al graduated the Philadelphia Police Academy on December 7, 1970, Class 215. First assigned as a patrol officer to the 18th District, which covered Southwest Philadelphia, he then served in the K-9 Unit. Al’s younger brother, Louis, recalled, “I remember the first time my brother showed up with his dog, a beautiful but scarry looking German Shepard named Shane. It was 1972 and I was 10-years old at the time, and I remember thinking I want to grow up to be as cool as my older brother. There was a big age difference between us – 13 years – and I never told him that I always looked up to him until we talked about his life in his final days. But I think my brother always knew that … just like the detectives that worked for him all commented that Al knew what everybody was thinking.”
Subsequent to K-9, he was assigned to the Juvenile Aid Division for a couple of years. Upon his promotion to Detective, he was then transferred to the District Attorney’s Office. Al honed his investigative skills in his next assignment, the Organized Crime Unit (OCU), where he was mentored by the late Inspector Frank Wallace. While at OCU in 1980, he completed his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Temple University.
He was promoted to sergeant in 1982, and showing much talent as an investigator, he was transferred to the Central Detective Division. In 1984 he was assigned to the Internal Affairs Division, where he served for two years, before being promoted to lieutenant and appointed to the Police Academy.
While focused intently on his duties at the police academy, Al experienced with great anticipation one of the most amazing and rewarding joys in his life - the birth of his only child, Christopher L. DiGiacomo. Al continued the responsibility as the patriarch of the DiGiacomo family and now had the privilege to begin his own family. He looked forward to the years to come with Chris as they formed that irreplaceable and sacred father/son bond that Al knew so well with his own father.
In 1988 he was assigned to the 3rd Police District, followed by an appointment to the Dignitary Protection Unit. Upon his promotion to Captain in 1991, he was transferred to the Offender Processing Unit. His prior experiences in the various police divisions, coupled with his intellect, insight, and drive, formed the basis of his later tremendous success in his last assignment: the South Detective Division.
In June of 1992, Al took command of South Detectives, and immediately got to work transforming it into what would become the most revered investigative field division in the Philadelphia Police Department. John Gallagher, a retired detective captain, who was a sergeant under Al from 1996 to 1999, and who is now a police chief, said, “There is no question that Al DiGiacomo was one of the most influential figures in the history of the city's Detective Bureau, regardless of rank. As a commander, he was held in such high regard throughout the entire department, but especially in the Bureau." He continued, “The administrative policies and procedures, along with the operational techniques for the division, that Al developed were so unique and effective that then-Police Commissioner John Timoney wanted all detective divisions and units to follow his example. Al was so detail-oriented that, as detective supervisors, he used to drive us crazy, but we loved and respected him and we would do our very best to protect the command's impeccable reputation, because we knew that Al expected nothing less from his management team. Al was a college graduate, but he realized that a cop's education wasn't nearly as important as his character. He valued hard work, grit, effort, and sheer determination more than anything. He was an excellent trainer. Al had great foresight and vision about the department and could almost predict how things would work out in the future for the organization. He had such perspective; he was ahead of his time, and often ahead of what his team was thinking. South Detectives became the premier detective division in the department. The division's reputation was unparalleled, because of the unprecedented leadership of Captain Albert DiGiacomo." Gallagher added, “Al was a man of tremendous character, and he had a moral compass that was second to none. He was dedicated to the core values of the Philadelphia Police Department - Honor, Integrity, and Service.”
Ray Evers, now Inspector in the Central Police Division in Philadelphia, served as a detective in South Detectives under Captain DiGiacomo’s tenure. He recounts, “Al was a visionary. He set the gold standard on how detective divisions should be run at the time, and even to this day. All detective divisions changed how they operated to emulate what South Detectives were doing.” He added, “He wanted you focused, and made you work. Al was a good man.”
Captain DiGiacomo’s management style was one of calm demeanor and attention to detail. He was known for being quick-witted. “Al was very intelligent and if you were a worker, you could always count on his backing. We all make mistakes, but Al always appreciated a persistent investigator who persevered and followed every possible lead to get to the truth. He always appreciated a hard worker and that’s what he instilled in you.” According to Mike Morrin, Deputy Chief of Police at University of Pennsylvania, who was one of Al’s squad lieutenants in the South Division. “Al instilled in you the qualities it took to be a great investigator. He was very detail oriented and expected you to be a detailed investigator. He made you think about what you were doing and the process of investigating. Al was constantly refining the investigative process. Before you met with him in his office about an investigation, you wanted to be ready, to have all the answers, because you knew he was going to think of something that you didn’t think of.”
Frank Vanore serves as a Deputy Police Commissioner in the Philadelphia Police department. He recounts: “I was a sergeant in South Detectives then. Al was very systematic with his orders. The written policies and procedures established at South Detectives under his command at the time had a profound effect on the entire city. He made you a better investigator. I learned a lot being around him.” Deputy Commissioner Vanore recalled one time when he and another detective were working on an investigation. “We went to Al in his office all prepared and confident, showed him the file, and told him that we’ve Identified the suspect of the crime. Al looked at us unimpressed and said, ‘That’s great, but just make sure he doesn’t have a brother.’ Well, we dug a little deeper and found out that, sure enough, the suspect not only had a brother, but he was his twin brother! Upon our discovery, the other detective was astonished and looked at me and said, ‘How in the world did Captain DiGiacomo know he had a brother?’ His foresight was uncanny. Al was always after you to be thorough and troubleshoot the case before you submitted it to him.”
Yet despite his drive for South Detective division to continually be better investigators, Al had a tender, more caring and humorous side. “If I had one word to describe Al DiGiacomo, it would be ‘compassionate’, recalls Gary Neill, a former detective in the South Division, now Physical Security Manager for SAP global security. “Al understood people. He truly cared about your well-being and took an interest in you, which is extremely rare for a top-level manager both in the public and private sector. And once he understood the problem, Al would take the necessary action(s) to help you. He wanted all of us there to succeed and he did everything that he could to help further our careers. There is no doubt he was the most influential captain in my career, a true leader, and I, like many others who worked for him, have all modeled our leadership, management, and people skills after him.”
During his tenure at South Detectives, Al was selected in 1996 to attend the FBI National Academy, a prestigious 11-week training curriculum where less than one percent of police officers world-wide are selected to attend. One of the proudest moments in his career was the completion of the FBI National Academy program, receiving his brick at the end of the Yellow Brick Road obstacle course.
When asked by his brother what the pinnacle of his law enforcement career was, he immediately responded, “My time at South Detectives; they were the golden years.”
In 1999, Al scored very high on the Inspector’s list, and if he stayed in the PPD there was a good chance of him making the rank. At that time another opportunity arose: The Chester County District Attorney’s Office was looking to fill a vacancy for the Chief Detective position. Knowing the politics of promotions in the PPD, he decided to apply for the Chief Detective position. He was appointed by the District Attorney, after reviewing his credentials and the strength of his reputation. While at Chester County Detectives, Al earned his master’s degree in criminal justice from St. Joseph University. He served the citizens of Chester County honorably until 2008.
One did not have to work directly under Captain DiGiacomo to know of his widely regarded reputation, leadership skills and performance record. Bill Jeitner was a computer forensic specialist working in the same building as South Detectives. His department consisted of him and one other person. “I worked directly with the detectives, and I can tell you Al DiGiacomo’s reputation was legendary. When he left the PPD to take the Chief of Detectives job in Chester County, computer forensics was in the early stages of use in fighting crime at that time, but Chester County had no formal computer forensics unit. He was very forward-thinking and ahead of his time and pushed to establish and finalize the architecture for the county’s first computer forensics unit. He knew of me, and I certainly knew of his reputation, so I applied for the job. The position paid significantly less than what I was currently earning in my own business, and I would be taking a 50%+ pay cut. Because of a new challenge and, more importantly, a chance to be mentored and work under the tutelage of Al DiGiacomo, I took the job. Let me just say, similar to what he did when he took over South Detectives, Al transformed the Chester County Detectives unit, and significantly raised the level of professionalism and performance under his leadership. He showed no favoritism and was passionate about helping people in whom he saw talent and drive. Now, as Supervisory Special Agent for the PA Attorney General’s Office Financial Crimes Unit, I look back at that decision in 2004 to work with Al DiGiacomo. Knowing what I’ve learned from him at that time, I would do it again in a heartbeat. He was an impressive leader, and we became good friends.”
Since 2008, Al also worked as a consultant to the Department of Justice, involved in assessment and evaluation of federal grant applications for forensic and management funding requests. Bill Jeitner accompanied Al on many of the Department of Justice meetings. Bill states, “At those meetings he was extremely effective in his presentations and methodical in his thoughts.”
Al was passionate about recognizing law enforcement officers, especially those on patrol, for outstanding performance. As a board member and past-president of Delaware Valley Association of Police Officers, he created and established the "Legion of Excellence" annual award recognizing individual acts of valor and bravery of officers from the five-county Philadelphia metropolitan area. Bill Daly, retired Horsham Township Police Chief, and a member of the Delaware Valley Association, recalls: “Al worked tirelessly to see that officers that did quality police work were properly recognized. He was the face of the Legion of Excellence Award. He always had a ‘never say never’ attitude.”
While at Chester County Detectives, the seeds of Al’s teaching aspirations were sown when his son, Christopher, asked him to give a talk at his school. In 2004, Christopher was a junior at Conestoga High School, and enrolled in a Criminal Justice Class. The instructor asked the students if anyone’s parents had law enforcement experience and if they could come in and talk to the class. Christopher volunteered his father, and Al came to give a talk to the class. “I thought this was going to be bad. Think about it: A bunch of know-it-all teenagers in high school having an outsider come in and talk. That’s a great opportunity to goof off. Instead, the students sat quietly and on the edge of their seats, mesmerized. They were impressed and my dad really liked interacting with the students. At his lecture I saw my dad in a different light; I realized what a ‘natural’ he was at teaching. I was so proud of him. He got invited back every year to talk. That development ignited his passion for teaching.”
After his time in Chester County Detectives, Al’s passion for teaching was realized when he was hired by West Chester University to teach Criminal Justice classes on terrorism, white collar crime, and organized crime. He was a very popular tenured faculty member, and students would seek out his classes. Mary Brewster, Chair of the Criminal Justice Department at WCU states, “He was a well-loved colleague, valued by everyone in the department and very professional in his behavior. In higher education it is very easy to get bogged down and caught up in minutiae, yet Al never sweated the small stuff. Students liked him so much because he was able to synthesize his extensive law enforcement experience with academic concepts. Al mentored so many students with law enforcement aspirations.”
Christopher, who Al affectionately used to call his “Budman,” recalls many memorable times with his father, attending the US Open on Father’s Day, golfing with his father at various courses, his vacations to Avalon, NJ, among others.
IF YOU SHOOK HIS HAND, HE CHANGED YOUR LIFE
If Al was your friend, he was a friend for life. Each one of his friends can remember where and how they met Al, and why they stayed friends for life. On a personal note, Al will be remembered by countless friends who he made so many great memories with, his many buddies at the Jersey shore where they formed lifetime bonds that live on today, and, of course, his golf pals that shared his passion for the game. All who had the pleasure of being in his company, both personally and professionally, knew that he was fun loving, reliable, athletic, and a captivating storyteller. Al exhibited genuine care and concern with authentic loyalty to family, friends, and colleagues consistently throughout his life. Among his many interests were his love for cars, trips to Avalon, NJ, golfing, and cooking.
Louis fondly remembers, “My brother’s attributes of being hard working, having meticulous attention to detail, being respectful to everyone regardless of their status or rank in society, and having high ethical standards, were formed early on by the example set by our parents in raising our family and characteristics all of us siblings live by today.”
SERVICES
He is survived by his wife Susan DiGiacomo (nee Fields), his loving son, Christopher (Meaghan), cherished twin granddaughters Abigail and Isabelle, beloved siblings Judith Ann DiGiacomo, Maryanne Kurtz (Chick), Louis A. DiGiacomo (Susan), and Diana Capirano, and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews. Al was preceded in death by his parents, the late Louis A. and Anne B. DiGiacomo (nee Burke).
Relatives, friends, members of the Fraternal Order of Police, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, The Delaware Valley Chiefs of Police Association, and faculty at West Chester University, are invited to attend his visitation Monday, February 27, 8:15am until 10:15am at Louis A. DiGiacomo Funeral Home, Inc., 1055 Southampton Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19116, followed by his concelebrated funeral mass, 11:00am at St. Christopher Church, 13301 Proctor Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19116. Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Delaware Valley Association of Professional Police Officials, c/o The Legion of Excellence Award, 1760 South Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18901, or Tunnel to Towers Foundation at t2t.org.
Share memories at www.DiGiacomoFuneralHome.com
THE CHILD THAT WOULD BECOME THE SLEUTH, THE PROTECTOR, THE MENTOR and THE CONFIDANT
Since he was a young child, Albert L. DiGiacomo was inspired to be a crime fighting hero much like the TV shows his sister Mary Anne vividly recalls watching with him: Dragnet, The Detectives, and Zorro were among his favorites. He would run around his childhood home in full Zorro costume - mask, cape, and sword, catching the bad guys and exacting justice.
Al’s youngest sister Diana explains, “As a first-born son in a very proud family, Al knew that position came with the responsibility to care for his siblings, especially his 3 sisters. He was their protector throughout his early years and later, in 1986 after the death of his father, he became the anointed patriarch of the DiGiacomo clan taking his father’s position.”
Without provocation and at the young age of 14, Al possessed the concern and compassion to check in on his older sister, Judy, nightly. Judy was a newly married 19-year-old young mother. As she was alone when her husband worked the evening shift, Judy remembers with total gratitude and awe how Al would come home from school, eat dinner, complete his homework, then call her on the telephone, and talk for hours until her husband walked in the door from work. He would say to her, “I won’t hang up until I know that you’re safe!”
Diana remembers how her big brother was there on one of the most special and sacred day of her life, her wedding day. Distraught about the absence of her father to walk her down the aisle, Albert was honored and stood proud to step up and once again fulfill the role of loving brother and now father.
His sisters describe him as dependable, the voice of reason, deeply caring, disciplined and highly intelligent. Any task or problem to be solved, he approached it calmly and analytically and didn’t finish until it was meticulously completed. To his siblings, Al was the ultimate role model and continued to be this throughout his life.
Al’s parents recognized his many talents and exceptional intellect and enrolled him in Norwood Academy for his elementary education, and St. Joseph Preparatory School for his secondary education.
After graduating from St. Joseph Preparatory School in 1966 at the age of 16, Al aspired to be a police officer. To assure continuity of his father’s funeral home business should anything unforeseen happen to his father, Al attended The Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and obtained his funeral director’s license in 1969. Now that his familial duty was complete, Al could now pursue his dream of a career in law enforcement.
A LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER AND A MAN WHO NEVER FORGOT TO PAY IT FORWARD
Al graduated the Philadelphia Police Academy on December 7, 1970, Class 215. First assigned as a patrol officer to the 18th District, which covered Southwest Philadelphia, he then served in the K-9 Unit. Al’s younger brother, Louis, recalled, “I remember the first time my brother showed up with his dog, a beautiful but scarry looking German Shepard named Shane. It was 1972 and I was 10-years old at the time, and I remember thinking I want to grow up to be as cool as my older brother. There was a big age difference between us – 13 years – and I never told him that I always looked up to him until we talked about his life in his final days. But I think my brother always knew that … just like the detectives that worked for him all commented that Al knew what everybody was thinking.”
Subsequent to K-9, he was assigned to the Juvenile Aid Division for a couple of years. Upon his promotion to Detective, he was then transferred to the District Attorney’s Office. Al honed his investigative skills in his next assignment, the Organized Crime Unit (OCU), where he was mentored by the late Inspector Frank Wallace. While at OCU in 1980, he completed his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Temple University.
He was promoted to sergeant in 1982, and showing much talent as an investigator, he was transferred to the Central Detective Division. In 1984 he was assigned to the Internal Affairs Division, where he served for two years, before being promoted to lieutenant and appointed to the Police Academy.
While focused intently on his duties at the police academy, Al experienced with great anticipation one of the most amazing and rewarding joys in his life - the birth of his only child, Christopher L. DiGiacomo. Al continued the responsibility as the patriarch of the DiGiacomo family and now had the privilege to begin his own family. He looked forward to the years to come with Chris as they formed that irreplaceable and sacred father/son bond that Al knew so well with his own father.
In 1988 he was assigned to the 3rd Police District, followed by an appointment to the Dignitary Protection Unit. Upon his promotion to Captain in 1991, he was transferred to the Offender Processing Unit. His prior experiences in the various police divisions, coupled with his intellect, insight, and drive, formed the basis of his later tremendous success in his last assignment: the South Detective Division.
In June of 1992, Al took command of South Detectives, and immediately got to work transforming it into what would become the most revered investigative field division in the Philadelphia Police Department. John Gallagher, a retired detective captain, who was a sergeant under Al from 1996 to 1999, and who is now a police chief, said, “There is no question that Al DiGiacomo was one of the most influential figures in the history of the city's Detective Bureau, regardless of rank. As a commander, he was held in such high regard throughout the entire department, but especially in the Bureau." He continued, “The administrative policies and procedures, along with the operational techniques for the division, that Al developed were so unique and effective that then-Police Commissioner John Timoney wanted all detective divisions and units to follow his example. Al was so detail-oriented that, as detective supervisors, he used to drive us crazy, but we loved and respected him and we would do our very best to protect the command's impeccable reputation, because we knew that Al expected nothing less from his management team. Al was a college graduate, but he realized that a cop's education wasn't nearly as important as his character. He valued hard work, grit, effort, and sheer determination more than anything. He was an excellent trainer. Al had great foresight and vision about the department and could almost predict how things would work out in the future for the organization. He had such perspective; he was ahead of his time, and often ahead of what his team was thinking. South Detectives became the premier detective division in the department. The division's reputation was unparalleled, because of the unprecedented leadership of Captain Albert DiGiacomo." Gallagher added, “Al was a man of tremendous character, and he had a moral compass that was second to none. He was dedicated to the core values of the Philadelphia Police Department - Honor, Integrity, and Service.”
Ray Evers, now Inspector in the Central Police Division in Philadelphia, served as a detective in South Detectives under Captain DiGiacomo’s tenure. He recounts, “Al was a visionary. He set the gold standard on how detective divisions should be run at the time, and even to this day. All detective divisions changed how they operated to emulate what South Detectives were doing.” He added, “He wanted you focused, and made you work. Al was a good man.”
Captain DiGiacomo’s management style was one of calm demeanor and attention to detail. He was known for being quick-witted. “Al was very intelligent and if you were a worker, you could always count on his backing. We all make mistakes, but Al always appreciated a persistent investigator who persevered and followed every possible lead to get to the truth. He always appreciated a hard worker and that’s what he instilled in you.” According to Mike Morrin, Deputy Chief of Police at University of Pennsylvania, who was one of Al’s squad lieutenants in the South Division. “Al instilled in you the qualities it took to be a great investigator. He was very detail oriented and expected you to be a detailed investigator. He made you think about what you were doing and the process of investigating. Al was constantly refining the investigative process. Before you met with him in his office about an investigation, you wanted to be ready, to have all the answers, because you knew he was going to think of something that you didn’t think of.”
Frank Vanore serves as a Deputy Police Commissioner in the Philadelphia Police department. He recounts: “I was a sergeant in South Detectives then. Al was very systematic with his orders. The written policies and procedures established at South Detectives under his command at the time had a profound effect on the entire city. He made you a better investigator. I learned a lot being around him.” Deputy Commissioner Vanore recalled one time when he and another detective were working on an investigation. “We went to Al in his office all prepared and confident, showed him the file, and told him that we’ve Identified the suspect of the crime. Al looked at us unimpressed and said, ‘That’s great, but just make sure he doesn’t have a brother.’ Well, we dug a little deeper and found out that, sure enough, the suspect not only had a brother, but he was his twin brother! Upon our discovery, the other detective was astonished and looked at me and said, ‘How in the world did Captain DiGiacomo know he had a brother?’ His foresight was uncanny. Al was always after you to be thorough and troubleshoot the case before you submitted it to him.”
Yet despite his drive for South Detective division to continually be better investigators, Al had a tender, more caring and humorous side. “If I had one word to describe Al DiGiacomo, it would be ‘compassionate’, recalls Gary Neill, a former detective in the South Division, now Physical Security Manager for SAP global security. “Al understood people. He truly cared about your well-being and took an interest in you, which is extremely rare for a top-level manager both in the public and private sector. And once he understood the problem, Al would take the necessary action(s) to help you. He wanted all of us there to succeed and he did everything that he could to help further our careers. There is no doubt he was the most influential captain in my career, a true leader, and I, like many others who worked for him, have all modeled our leadership, management, and people skills after him.”
During his tenure at South Detectives, Al was selected in 1996 to attend the FBI National Academy, a prestigious 11-week training curriculum where less than one percent of police officers world-wide are selected to attend. One of the proudest moments in his career was the completion of the FBI National Academy program, receiving his brick at the end of the Yellow Brick Road obstacle course.
When asked by his brother what the pinnacle of his law enforcement career was, he immediately responded, “My time at South Detectives; they were the golden years.”
In 1999, Al scored very high on the Inspector’s list, and if he stayed in the PPD there was a good chance of him making the rank. At that time another opportunity arose: The Chester County District Attorney’s Office was looking to fill a vacancy for the Chief Detective position. Knowing the politics of promotions in the PPD, he decided to apply for the Chief Detective position. He was appointed by the District Attorney, after reviewing his credentials and the strength of his reputation. While at Chester County Detectives, Al earned his master’s degree in criminal justice from St. Joseph University. He served the citizens of Chester County honorably until 2008.
One did not have to work directly under Captain DiGiacomo to know of his widely regarded reputation, leadership skills and performance record. Bill Jeitner was a computer forensic specialist working in the same building as South Detectives. His department consisted of him and one other person. “I worked directly with the detectives, and I can tell you Al DiGiacomo’s reputation was legendary. When he left the PPD to take the Chief of Detectives job in Chester County, computer forensics was in the early stages of use in fighting crime at that time, but Chester County had no formal computer forensics unit. He was very forward-thinking and ahead of his time and pushed to establish and finalize the architecture for the county’s first computer forensics unit. He knew of me, and I certainly knew of his reputation, so I applied for the job. The position paid significantly less than what I was currently earning in my own business, and I would be taking a 50%+ pay cut. Because of a new challenge and, more importantly, a chance to be mentored and work under the tutelage of Al DiGiacomo, I took the job. Let me just say, similar to what he did when he took over South Detectives, Al transformed the Chester County Detectives unit, and significantly raised the level of professionalism and performance under his leadership. He showed no favoritism and was passionate about helping people in whom he saw talent and drive. Now, as Supervisory Special Agent for the PA Attorney General’s Office Financial Crimes Unit, I look back at that decision in 2004 to work with Al DiGiacomo. Knowing what I’ve learned from him at that time, I would do it again in a heartbeat. He was an impressive leader, and we became good friends.”
Since 2008, Al also worked as a consultant to the Department of Justice, involved in assessment and evaluation of federal grant applications for forensic and management funding requests. Bill Jeitner accompanied Al on many of the Department of Justice meetings. Bill states, “At those meetings he was extremely effective in his presentations and methodical in his thoughts.”
Al was passionate about recognizing law enforcement officers, especially those on patrol, for outstanding performance. As a board member and past-president of Delaware Valley Association of Police Officers, he created and established the "Legion of Excellence" annual award recognizing individual acts of valor and bravery of officers from the five-county Philadelphia metropolitan area. Bill Daly, retired Horsham Township Police Chief, and a member of the Delaware Valley Association, recalls: “Al worked tirelessly to see that officers that did quality police work were properly recognized. He was the face of the Legion of Excellence Award. He always had a ‘never say never’ attitude.”
While at Chester County Detectives, the seeds of Al’s teaching aspirations were sown when his son, Christopher, asked him to give a talk at his school. In 2004, Christopher was a junior at Conestoga High School, and enrolled in a Criminal Justice Class. The instructor asked the students if anyone’s parents had law enforcement experience and if they could come in and talk to the class. Christopher volunteered his father, and Al came to give a talk to the class. “I thought this was going to be bad. Think about it: A bunch of know-it-all teenagers in high school having an outsider come in and talk. That’s a great opportunity to goof off. Instead, the students sat quietly and on the edge of their seats, mesmerized. They were impressed and my dad really liked interacting with the students. At his lecture I saw my dad in a different light; I realized what a ‘natural’ he was at teaching. I was so proud of him. He got invited back every year to talk. That development ignited his passion for teaching.”
After his time in Chester County Detectives, Al’s passion for teaching was realized when he was hired by West Chester University to teach Criminal Justice classes on terrorism, white collar crime, and organized crime. He was a very popular tenured faculty member, and students would seek out his classes. Mary Brewster, Chair of the Criminal Justice Department at WCU states, “He was a well-loved colleague, valued by everyone in the department and very professional in his behavior. In higher education it is very easy to get bogged down and caught up in minutiae, yet Al never sweated the small stuff. Students liked him so much because he was able to synthesize his extensive law enforcement experience with academic concepts. Al mentored so many students with law enforcement aspirations.”
Christopher, who Al affectionately used to call his “Budman,” recalls many memorable times with his father, attending the US Open on Father’s Day, golfing with his father at various courses, his vacations to Avalon, NJ, among others.
IF YOU SHOOK HIS HAND, HE CHANGED YOUR LIFE
If Al was your friend, he was a friend for life. Each one of his friends can remember where and how they met Al, and why they stayed friends for life. On a personal note, Al will be remembered by countless friends who he made so many great memories with, his many buddies at the Jersey shore where they formed lifetime bonds that live on today, and, of course, his golf pals that shared his passion for the game. All who had the pleasure of being in his company, both personally and professionally, knew that he was fun loving, reliable, athletic, and a captivating storyteller. Al exhibited genuine care and concern with authentic loyalty to family, friends, and colleagues consistently throughout his life. Among his many interests were his love for cars, trips to Avalon, NJ, golfing, and cooking.
Louis fondly remembers, “My brother’s attributes of being hard working, having meticulous attention to detail, being respectful to everyone regardless of their status or rank in society, and having high ethical standards, were formed early on by the example set by our parents in raising our family and characteristics all of us siblings live by today.”
SERVICES
He is survived by his wife Susan DiGiacomo (nee Fields), his loving son, Christopher (Meaghan), cherished twin granddaughters Abigail and Isabelle, beloved siblings Judith Ann DiGiacomo, Maryanne Kurtz (Chick), Louis A. DiGiacomo (Susan), and Diana Capirano, and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews. Al was preceded in death by his parents, the late Louis A. and Anne B. DiGiacomo (nee Burke).
Relatives, friends, members of the Fraternal Order of Police, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, The Delaware Valley Chiefs of Police Association, and faculty at West Chester University, are invited to attend his visitation Monday, February 27, 8:15am until 10:15am at Louis A. DiGiacomo Funeral Home, Inc., 1055 Southampton Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19116, followed by his concelebrated funeral mass, 11:00am at St. Christopher Church, 13301 Proctor Road, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19116. Interment Resurrection Cemetery, Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Delaware Valley Association of Professional Police Officials, c/o The Legion of Excellence Award, 1760 South Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18901, or Tunnel to Towers Foundation at t2t.org.
Share memories at www.DiGiacomoFuneralHome.com