Jim Cocalas

Thrice decorated, twice commended by the FBI, Jim Cocalas served and protected the citizens of New York City for thirty years as a patrolman, sergeant and lieutenant. Some fortunate people, their children, and grandchildren walk those city streets today because he put his own life in jeopardy to save theirs.

He patrolled the Big Apple’s poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods with compassion, borne of deep understanding, having been raised in similar circumstances. After spending his childhood in a tough area of Brooklyn, during the Depression, cursed with poverty, but blessed with the love of family, Jim believes he “was growed up lucky.” Although, reading his memoirs, one might consider him lucky to have “growed up” at all.

During the Korean War, Jim joined the U.S. Navy and served his country aboard the world’s largest ship of its day, the USS Midway. He traveled the world from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean, Guantanamo Bay to Gibraltar, Haiti to Nova Scotia, and many ports beyond.

Now, with his service to country and the people of New York finished, his children raised, and his beloved wife at rest, Jim is pouring his considerable energies into yet another career. As an author, he shares his countless stories, heartbreaking and joyful, in an effort to inform his readers about what it means to serve as a police officer.