Politics & Government

Lower Merion Police Vet Emilio Liberatore, 46, Dies of Cancer

Liberatore, who served on the township police force for 21 years, was a family man and a real character, fellow cops said.

Lower Merion Police Officer Emilio Liberatore was one of the true township “characters,” an inspiration to colleagues and an example to younger officers, fellow police officers said.

Liberatore, 46, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer, police said late Wednesday evening, after his passing was marked by a moment of silence by the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners.

A Facebook page marking his death included one woman who said she “experienced his fairness and kindness” in one particular area of the township. A fellow cop said he’ll remember and keep certain “Emilio-isms” for the rest of his life.

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“I hope that his family realizes the impact one man, Emilio Liberatore, had on so many lives,” the officer wrote. “It is a testament to his character.”

Liberatore, a “dedicated Lower Merion police officer” for 21 years, first came to work for the township police in February 1990, Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners Liz Rogan said Wednesday evening.

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Liberatore leaves behind his wife Melanie, 37, and two sons: Emilio, 5, and David, 4, Rogan said.

Manning the highway unit and traffic enforcement, Liberatore “worked right up to his death every day—until he literally could not work anymore,” said Gavin Goschinski, a colleague on the force and president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 28. “He was just an unbelievable example for everybody.

“This is a really tough one for the department.”

Liberatore is the kind of guy cops will tell stories about for years, Goschinski added.

He said he did not know why Liberatore's illness was considered something Rogan would not, or could not, speak with the press about after the Board of Commissioners meeting.

Calling hours for family and friends will be held on Friday, July 8, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 9, from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., with a memorial Mass at the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 196 North Trooper Road in Norristown, Rogan said.


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