Interview with Vic Ferrari

Hello Detective - a greeting from a Netflix show that I was dying to say that out loud, but didn’t. Here, retired NYPD Detective Vic Ferrari takes us behind the scenes of the NYPD, sharing stories that have relatable leadership lessons woven throughout.

At 10 years old, he was fascinated with the men in uniform he saw around him. He’d poke into police cars to look at their equipment and knew then that he had a path to follow. By 21 he was in the academy. After six months, he was in the field. Shiny and new, there were mistakes to be made and learning to embrace.

He noted that there’s a “terrible twos” phase in which he learned nuance. And I’d say that’s true of pretty much any of us starting into something new. It takes about two years to really feel comfortable learning a new role and settling into it.

Other lessons include becoming aware of who to follow. There are people out there that have flash and want to show off to show the way. In Vic’s world, those people ended up being suspended, removed from the force, and incarcerated.

Vic lets us in on some of the grittier happenings of the force and the road he took. And another relatable lesson for us came from his realization that not everyone or everything is the same. There are people out there who just want to complain. There are people out there who will just show up to do the job. And there are people out there, Vic estimates that between 5% or 10% are there to learn, hone, and believe in the craft.

Listen in as Vic tells us about busting a car-theft ring that was run by organized crime. And if you’re up for some fun reading, please visit Amazon.com and search Vic Ferrari.