Former LAPD gangster squad officer celebrates 100th birthday

RESEDA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Retired Sgt. Lindo Giacopuzzi was part of the Los Angeles Police Department's gangster squad in the 1940s and 1950s and faced off with mobsters like Bugsy Siegel and Mickey Cohen.

Now the last surviving member of the gangster squad, Giacopuzzi celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday.

The gangster squad was created in the 1940s to combat organized crime and take down big time gangsters.

"When they formed the gangster squad, he told Willie Burge I could speak Italian and a lot of the gangsters were Italian and I might be able to understand what they were saying," Giacopuzzi said.

Giacopuzzi wasn't a big fan of Hollywood's "Gangster Squad" starring Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling, but recalled for ABC7 what he remembered about his days on the job.

"We used to meet in Joey's office, he was the assistant chief, and he would tell us who would be coming into town and how they were coming in and that we would meet them and escort them out," Giacopuzzi said with a smile.

Giacopuzzi had three children and was an officer with the department until 1964.

He retired from the same police station where officers gathered on Tuesday to celebrate his birthday.