Jim Cirillo - Another Good Man Gone

Jim was killed in an automobile/truck accident on Thursday July 12th. See: http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070713/NEWS/70713003 for more details.

I seem to remember I first met Jim Cirillo back in the early to mid 1980's when I worked for the U.S. Customs Service as a patrol officer. I met him at a firearms range in his capacity of Firearms Instructor. Earlier today when I thought back, to those way back times, I had thought I met him at the NYPD range at Rodman's Neck in NYC, but upon further thinking about it, we may have first met at the FLETC either when I was in the Border Patrol Academy in 1979/80, or when I was there for the CPO academy in 1983. Whenever is not so important, what is important, at least to me is that I met him at all, and that he took his time to make me a better shooter and better law enforcement officer.

When we first met, I was almost immediately enthralled by his feisty, yet gentlemanly mannerisms, and by his stories of his time on the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Stakeout Unit (commonly called the Stakeout Squad). I say almost because if I remember right, I at first wondered who was this crusty older guy who was reprimanding me for whatever I had just done wrong regarding how I was aiming, when I figured I had done it right. Boy did I still have a lot to learn about getting it right regarding combat/tactical shooting, and there I was being chewed out, unknown to me at that moment, by one of the all time most experienced shootists the world has known. He got me to pay attention right away, but what else could I have done than pay attention to him with his slightly antagonistic, self assured, yet pleasantly dynamic personality. Despite my thinking I was right, and despite my wondering who was this crusty old geezer (and he was not all that old but I was all that young still in my twenties) he got me to listen to him that very first time, and not only did I listen, I actually learned something. I got better at tactical shooting with the very next shot. Oh those days of blued steel revolvers and the real men who shot them!

Later on, one of the other range officers told me who he was, and told me about him. I was awestruck, and the reason for it was because I just had been in contact with a living legend, but yet a man who considered himself just a regular guy. He was in fact a living legend because of his time on the NYPD Stakeout Unit during which time he was in multiple armed encounters, and during many of which he shot it out with the bad guys - him always coming out the winner as far as I can recall. If I have it right, while he was on the Statkeout Squad from 1968 through 1973 he was involved in 17 shoot outs with bad guys, 11 of which resulted in fatalities (yes - of bad guys).

I was honored to realize he had just taken some time to pay attention to me. After that we were on friendly terms in the way you are friendly with people at work while at work. Jim always had a good story, a good joke, and a good way about him. Over the years, I saw him at FLETC and also at the NYPD range at Rodman's Neck when he visited NY and stopped by to say hi while we Customs folks were using the NYPD range. He always remembered me and I was nicely surprised by that. Up until just before his death, Jim remained active as a firearms instructor. I am sure that many others owe him a debt of gratitude for the skills he taught them.

I will remember him always, he really was a good guy; and the stuff he taught me is still useful to me today. I have been in a few armed encounters in my career, only one where I had to shoot someone and that was while off duty. I am sure what he taught me at least helped me in part to come out a winner.

My condolences to his loved ones and friends, and to all of you, who like me, will miss him.

I also wish to express my hopes that the other driver involved in the accident recover quickly.

All the best,
Glenn B