Johnny Broderick

Johnny Broderick (January 16, 1896 (some sources say 1894, 1895, or 1897) – January 16, 1966) was a New York City Police Department detective who became known in the 1920s and 1930s as one of the city's toughest officers, patrolling the Broadway Theater District and policing strikes as head of the NYPD's Industrial Squad, sometimes personally beating gangsters and suspects.

In his career as a detective between 1923 and 1947, Broderick built a reputation for physical courage, for assaulting gangsters like Jack "Legs" Diamond and "Two-Gun" Crowley, and for facing down armed gunmen in a prison break at The Tombs prison.

Broderick was a "celebrity detective" whose exploits were a favorite of gossip columnists and the press. He and his sometime partner Johnny Cordes were probably the best known officers in the NYPD in the era between the two world wars. A character based on Broderick was the subject of the 1936 film Bullets or Ballots, with the Broderick character played by Edward G. Robinson. He was also portrayed in a comic book about police, and a film, TV series, and Broadway musical based on his life were once contemplated.

Broderick won eight medals for valor during his career, but he was dogged by accusations of excessive force. The Industrial Squad under his command was accused of corruption and brutality toward strikers, with Broderick himself accused of taking bribes, and he once beat a prisoner in his custody so badly that he was permanently crippled. He would sometimes beat up innocent people, and brutality complaints against him were futile. He was finally forced into retirement by Mayor William O'Dwyer for associating with gangsters.