The namesake of our city’s first COP officer, Officer Marty Defatte joined the Racine Police Department in 1965, after serving our nation as a member of the Police Unit of the United States Army. Officer Defatte faithfully served the citizens of Racine as a police officer for nearly 30 years until his retirement in 1995. During the course of his distinguished career, Officer Defatte served in a number of positions, including the Community Relations Office, Hostage Negotiation Team, and the 1-person Crime Prevention Unit.
In...
The namesake of our city’s first COP officer, Officer Marty Defatte joined the Racine Police Department in 1965, after serving our nation as a member of the Police Unit of the United States Army. Officer Defatte faithfully served the citizens of Racine as a police officer for nearly 30 years until his retirement in 1995. During the course of his distinguished career, Officer Defatte served in a number of positions, including the Community Relations Office, Hostage Negotiation Team, and the 1-person Crime Prevention Unit.
In response to the challenges associated with juvenile delinquency, in 1971, Officer Defatte worked to create a drop-in center located at 333 Main St. to provide guidance and mentoring to local youth. In 197, Officer Defatte Championed the need for a community shelter of abused women, paving the way for the creation of the Women’s Resource Center.
Following the introduction of the community policing philosophy in 1992, Officer Defatte was selected as the department’s first neighborhood Community Oriented Policing (COP) Officer. Through leveraging years of public trust established over the course of his career, Officer Defatte worked with the residents of the West 6th St. community to develop problem-solving partnerships at the neighborhood level. This partnership led to record-low rates of crime in this community.
Officer Defatte is also a founding member of the Racine Community Outpost, the non-profit organization that owns and maintains the community policing houses located in Racine and Mount Pleasant. In 2019, the West 6th St. COP house was named in honor of Officer Defatte for his tireless effort in improving the quality of life in this area.
The Defatte COP house is home to a one-of-a-kind bicycle and scooter repair shop. This house also staffs Wisconsin Department of Correction Probation and Parole Agents. Racine Neighborhood Watch hosts meetings each month at this location. Please contact Officer Carlos Reyes at 262-635-7863 or via email at Carlos.Reyes@cityofracine.org for times and questions.
