How this hometown boy got to be a hero after 6 months as a cop: #BlueFriday

There are little moments in police work that matter too. And to the people police help, those little moments can be everything. They can be lifesavers.

That was the case when, earlier this month, Monroe Police Officer William Pintozzi — a hometown boy just six months on the job — got a call about a woman in distress. It turned out Joan Longo, eating dinner with husband Anthony, choked on a piece of ravioli and needed help.

When Pintozzi was called in, he was across town. But the longtime local resident knew his way around. He got to the Longos' home even before the paramedics.

"The first thing I noticed was that her face was blue," Pintozzi told me Friday morning, as we celebrated #BlueFriday on New Jersey 101.5.

He pulled Joan from her chair, and did about 15 or 20 abdominal thrusts — dislodging the ravioli and saving her life.

There are so many little stories like that out there. They don't get enough eattention.

As I told Pintozzi, "To me, to the station, to our listeners, you're a hero."

He told me that ever since he was a little kid, he wanted to be a police officer "just because I wanted to help people."

Well, just months into the job, he got that chance — and he stepped up.

My experience, since starting #BlueFriday, is that many officers shy away from the recognition for the good work they do. I'm glad Pintozzi came on the show. Police officers like him — and he's far from alone — deserve the recognition. For all we hear about bad cops or cops who screw up, people need to know how much good they do day-to-day.

"The feedback has been overwhelming, from friends, family," Pintozzi told me.

Know a great cop? Tweet @NJ1015 using the hashtag #BlueFriday or use the form below.

Last week's honoree: