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The wizard is Ozzie! Public servant finally gets due

By Roland Li
for The Brooklyn Paper
JoJo Whilden
He’s DA man: Osceola (Ozzie) Fletcher just got an award for working for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office for 60 of his 87 years. That’s a good run.

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Osceola “Ozzie” Fletcher is the Carl Ripken, Jr. of public service.

Fletcher, who currently works in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, clearly has a record that can’t be beat:

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• He served in World War II.

• He came home and became a cop — and even uncovered a plot to blow up the Statue of Liberty in the 1960s.

• During his 24-year career in the NYPD, he was promoted to detective, and then sergeant of a narcotics squad.

• He retired in 1973, but began a teaching career at Boys High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

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• After earning two Masters degrees, he returned to public service in 1990, when he joined the DA’s Crime Prevention Program, educating teens and the elderly.

Why are we telling you all this? Because last week, Fletcher, 87, became the oldest and longest serving government employee to win the Sloan Public Service Award, which recognizes civil servants for their commitment.

Minutes before receiving his medal at Cooper Union in Manhattan, he was still humble about his work.

“I just deal with whatever trouble pops up,” he told The Brooklyn Paper.

His boss, DA Joe Hynes, was a bit more effusive.

“Ozzie Fletcher is a perfect example of what a public servant should be,” he said. “He has dedicated his life to improving the lives of Brooklynites and is a role model to everyone.”

©2009 Community Newspaper Group

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