A Reflection on Service and Resilience with Det Joseph Vigiano, NYPD

Joseph John Vigiano is a former U.S. Marine and currently serves as a Detective with the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit (ESU), where he is assigned to Squad 7 in Brooklyn. Joe is a 2015 graduate of SUNY Maritime College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation and obtained a Third Mate's Unlimited Tonnage License. Upon graduating from college, Joe enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve as an 0352 Antitank Missileman. He served as a Sergeant in Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines. While serving with 2/25, Joe deployed to Afghanistan in 2018 as part of the Georgian Liaison Team. Joe joined the ranks of the NYPD in 2017 and was assigned to the 75th Precinct in East New York, Brooklyn—the same command where both of his parents began their careers with the NYPD. While assigned to the 75th Precinct, Joe served as a patrol officer and as a member of the Midnight Public Safety Team, the predecessor to Anti-Crime. Joe graduated from the Emergency Service Unit's Specialized Training School in 2023. ESU is the NYPD's tactical and technical rescue team, responsible for a wide range of operations, including high-risk search warrants, barricaded perpetrators, emotionally disturbed persons, rope rescue, weapons of mass destruction/HazMat incidents, and vehicle extrications. Joe is currently assigned to ESU Squad 7 and was promoted to Detective Specialist, 3rd Grade, in 2025. Joe and his wife, Jenny, are the parents of Joseph Vincent Vigiano II, who was named after Joe's father, 9/11 hero Detective Joseph Vincent Vigiano. Joe has two brothers, James and John. James is also a member of the NYPD, assigned to Brooklyn North's Community Response Team, and is a Marine Corps veteran who served with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines. His younger brother, John, currently serves as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps with the 3rd Littoral Regiment in Hawaii. Joe is the grandson of the late Captain John Vigiano, FDNY, and Mrs. Jan Vigiano, who actively honored their sons' sacrifices through tireless advocacy on behalf of our nation's post-9/11 military veterans. Captain Vigiano served as the principal mentor for Leadership Under Fire from its inception until his passing from 9/11-related cancer in 2018. This conversation about leadership, risk, and resilience is drawn from a Leadership Under Fire online Emerging Leaders Development Course. Fall Leadership Development Course on the Farm