This page is in Memorium of Thomas Daniel McCarthy, Class of 1965
It is a “living” Memorium, meaning that you are encouraged to please send in photographs, remembrances, and other media (audio, video, documents, etc.,) to help remember and honor Tom.
On a funeral home memorial page, classmate and fellow-alumni Dan Zelem write the following memoir;
“I knew Tom as a young man growing up on Long Island, NY. Tom is one of those people who left an impact on me.
I have fond memories of playing flag football, lifting weights, going to the drive-in movies, and clamming on the Great South Bay with Tom and his brother Kevin.
He will always have a special place in my heart and memory.
Rest in peace, Tom. Dan Zelem, September 14, 2009.
In his early years, Tom McCarthy, Class of 1965, spent a lot of time on the Great South Bay.
In school, he played football for Sayville High.
Later, he served his county in the United States Coast Guard and was deployed to Viet Nam.
Then began his career as a police officer. Tom lived full of enthusiasm for family, friends, fellow officers, and the communities he served. He could always be counted to defend the weak and to fight for what was right. He believed good should prevail over evil and Tom strived to make it so.
As we honor the memory of Tom we recall the words engraved on the national law enforcement memorial in Washington D.C.: “it was not how these officers died that made them heroes; it is how they lived.”
Where do we get police officers like Tom McCarthy? Well, some have come from Sayville. Tom’s example of compassion, bravery, and devotion is not forgotten… it is an endless wave.
Miami Herald, The (FL) – September 11, 2009
Author/Byline: ELINOR J. BRECHER ebrecher@MiamiHerald.comEdition: FinalSection: Metro & StatePage: 4B
BY ELINOR J. BRECHER ebrecher@MiamiHerald.com
Thomas Daniel McCarthy , Fort Lauderdale police chief for 18 months in the 1990s, died Monday following a heart attack. He had been interim chief in Hope Mills, N.C., since June 1.
McCarthy , who had a history of cardiac problems, was 62.
He joined the Fort Lauderdale department in April 1993 after serving as police chief of Gaston County, N.C., and left in September 1994 to become Gaston County’s assistant manager.
By all accounts, he left the Fort Lauderdale department in better shape than he found it, with a newly signed union contract, more cops on the street and higher morale.
When McCarthy arrived, Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Bruce Roberts was a captain in the department. McCarthy came with a reputation for “caring tremendously” about his officers and the community, Roberts said.
“He had a good command presence, but also was very accessible,” said Roberts, whom McCarthy promoted to major, in charge of operations. “He allowed me to think outside the box.”
McCarthy inherited a 450-officer department in turmoil. His predecessor, Joe Gerwens, retired after being cleared of charges that he’d had an affair with a department employee — the wife of a high-ranking assistant.
“We were coming out of another recession and three years of imposed contracts and were in the top five large cities in our crime rate,” Roberts said.
McCarthy realigned departments to create street crime units, which are still in place today. He worked well with the union, Roberts said, which meant “the end of imposed contracts.”
He resisted a civilian review board — unpopular with his officers — but in the face of citizen complaints endorsed a “community policing” board to improve relations with the neighborhoods.
The day he announced he would be leaving his $91,000-a-year job, Sonya Friedman, department spokeswoman at the time, told The Miami Herald: “Walking down the halls over here it’s like someone died. Everybody really liked the guy. We looked up to him. A lot of people around here learned a lot from him.”
“I’m heading back to God’s country,” McCarthy told the newspaper.
A Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, native, McCarthy graduated from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kans., taught for two years, then became a police officer in Newport News, Va.
Reminiscing about Brooklyn to The Herald, he said that “education was a serious endeavor. As a first-generation Irishman, my father was the first of more than a dozen family members to be educated by the Dominican nuns of St. Patrick’s Elementary School. . . We learned the meaning of hard work and the value of swift discipline.”
Accepting the Fort Lauderdale post, McCarthy said: “I plan to do a lot of listening. You can’t have community policing unless you meet with people.”
In 2001, McCarthy took over the Fayetteville Police Department, serving for six years. “He was as good as it gets in terms of being a police chief,” Roger Stancil, the former Fayetteville city manager who hired McCarthy , told the hometown paper.
The following year, McCarthy suffered a second heart attack, and two years ago lost the chief’s job in Chapel Hill after failing an entry physical.
McCarthy is survived by his wife, Lynn, and daughters Laura, Rebecca and Katy. A memorial service will be held Monday in Spring Lake, N.C.
The Reeves Funeral Home in Hope Mills is handling arrangements.
Record: 1187741Copyright: Copyright (c) 2009 The Miami Herald
Photo above taken during Annual Special Olympics Torch Run at the Fayetteville Police Department, NC. Officer next to Chief McCarthy is the Police Dept. Chaplain Coley. Man in the shorts next to Chaplain Coley is the Assistant Chief Tom Bergamine who was McCarthy’s successor and became Chief after McCarthy retired.
Chief Bergamine is a NY native also and he and McCarthy became great friends. An Italian and an Irishman… what a team! -Lt. David Sportsman (retired)
Chief McCarthy at his retirement ceremony in 2007 at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum. He’s pictured with Fayetteville Police Sgt. Carter Broadhurst and his wife Donna.
Thomas D. McCarthy, who served briefly as police chief during a tumultuous time in Fort Lauderdale’s history, died Monday. He was 62.
McCarthy was chief of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department during a time of high crime in the early 1990s. He was popular among the rank and file.
Fort Lauderdale’s 10th police chief, McCarthy served for 18 months, leaving in October 1994 to return to North Carolina for a job as Gaston County’s assistant county manager. McCarthy had served as police chief in Gaston County for five years before taking the Fort Lauderdale job.
He died Monday, according to The Fayetteville Observer. The North Carolina newspaper reported that McCarthy died of a heart attack and is survived by a wife and three daughters. His most recent job was as interim police chief in Hope Mills, N.C.
To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.
Published in Sun-Sentinel from Sep. 8 to Sep. 13, 2009.
I worked for Chief Tom McCarthy from the time he was hired as Chief for the Fayetteville Police Department in Fayetteville, NC in 2001 until his retirement in 2007.
I was the night shift Watch Commander at the time. One of the things he did at our department that he’ll be remembered for was implementing the COMPSTAT process.
This process of policing was new to our organization and was originally developed by the NYC Police Department during Chief William Bratton and Mayor Giuliano’s time in office when they were cleaning up the city at that time. COMSTAT included four components: timely and accurate information on crime, rapid deployment of resources, effective tactics and relentless follow-up.
McCarthy modified this process to fit the needs of our department and it worked very well. He ensured all the Commanders and the officers were familiar and trained on it and he held District Commanders accountable for the crime in their respective districts.
This process worked very well in addressing crime in the city. So well, that the department continues to use it today 13 years after he retired from the department in 2007. Now that speaks volumes in my opinion.
In 2005 Chief McCarthy asked me to head up and command the Chiefs Staff Unit which reported directly to him in the organization. The Chiefs Staff encompassed Internal Affairs, Community Affairs, and the Crime Analysis unit. I was assigned there for 5 years, 2 of which were during Chief McCarthy’s time and the other 3 were under Chief Tom Bergamine’s.
The first two years commanding the Chiefs Staff Unit under Chief McCarthy were awesome. I learned so much and experienced his leadership abilities in action on a daily basis.
He was a pleasure to work for. He cared very much about the officers and employees of the department. He was an excellent speaker and never needed notes because he spoke from the heart, from his experience, and his knowledge which was very easy for him.
He was also a very caring and gentleman and had a special place in his heart for the military and veterans. Fayetteville, NC is just outside one of the largest military installations in the U. S. Ft. Bragg.
Chief McCarthy developed a very good working relationship with the leaders and Commanders at Ft. Bragg and the respect was delivered both ways. I have to say it was a sad day when Chief McCarthy announced his retirement. He was loved and respected by so many.
It is a shame that he wasn’t able to enjoy his retirement very long as he passed two years after retiring from a heart attack in 2009. Chief McCarthy’s legacy lives on in our department as do many other Chiefs before and after him. I can take comfort in knowing that my memories of him will always continue to keep him and his legacy alive.
-Lt. David Sportsman (retired)
From: Chuck Doll <tishchuckdoll@aol.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 4:04 PM
Subject: Re: Tom McCarthy Story
To: bvenegas107@gmail.com <bvenegas107@gmail.com>
Funny story about Tom. I made contact with him during our search for our 45th. May be a little off in detail but Tom was Chief of Police in Gaston County, NC. He had retired when I caught up to him…I think.
We had several good conversations and I believe he was planning to come to the reunion. Before that event occurred, he had a massive heart attack. Tom was a funny guy, always reminded me of a comic back in the day!
In regards to Tom: I have to say he was terrific. I completed 38 years active in law enforcement, and then began instructing leadership at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Tom was one of kind. He was by the far the most people person I have had the honor and privilege to work with in my entire career.
He truly cared about the citizens we serve, and the officers who worked for him. Tom worked so hard at getting along with everyone. One of the things Tom was known for was his stories.
The man had a story for just about every event which arose. Either had to do with his childhood in Brooklyn, his time in Sayville High School, many of which had to do with the football team.
I use to kid him all the time about that: I would ask him if he ever went to class or just played football for 4 years in high school. He would come back with at least I didn’t spend 5 years in high school. He also told the stories of the Coast Guard. We had to remind him in Fayetteville (Ft. Bragg right there), that the Coast Guard was really not considered a part of the Armed Services. That you to get a rise out of him.
We use to have an 8:30 meeting every morning, Capt.’s and above to go over the last 24 hours of crime activity within the city. The meetings were supposed to last 30 minutes. Sometimes with the storytelling, they would last a bit longer. After his first year on board, a buddy and mine played a joke on him. Tom started getting into one of his stories. After a few minutes, we pulled out a paper from our notebooks. I said to my buddy, Bill, this is story #9. My buddy looked at me and said no it’s not, I have it as story #5. Tom turned pretty red as everyone around the table started laughing. He stopped the meeting stating: meeting dismissed, except for you two assholes. After everyone had left, he said let me see those damn notes. He really turned pretty red when he saw we had nothing on the paper. Having had have the last say: he said get the f–k out and you better not say another word!
He was pretty astute on leadership, this is why all the stories. He believed in lessons through stories. Tom did so much for me when he came to the Department. He worked hard at mentoring me, and I believe that was hard work. He used to ask me if my folks had to beat me every day as I was sorted of hardheaded (still am), but I hide it pretty well because of Tom. I was born in the Bronx, so he would always throw in the Brooklyn-Bronx thing.
He was a great teacher and mentor. He did a lot for our Department. As a leader, he was willing to try many different approaches, even if some were not popular at the time. If they were not popular, Tom would be Tom and talk, and talk to folks to see it his way. When that didn’t work, he would still move forward not giving up. If he was wrong, he was never afraid to admit it. I truly enjoyed working with him and we became very close. I was very saddened at his untimely death.
Chief Tom Bergamine (retired)
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