And They Found No Witches: A True Police Story

Tom Alessi was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He enlisted in the US Marine Corp for four years after graduating high school in 1967. Graduating from Monroe Community College in 1978 with an associate’s degree in criminal justice, Mr. Alessi joined the Rochester Police Department the following year, where he patrolled the streets as both an officer and a sergeant. In 1987, Sergeant Alessi transferred to the Special Criminal Investigation Section’s Narcotics Unit, where he served as commander of a specialized street drug enforcement unit until it was disbanded in 1990. After leaving the RPD in 1992, he worked for the Palmyra NY Police Department, then joining the East Rochester NY Police Department in 1995. While there, he served as it’s firearms instructor and began the department’s first DARE program. Mr. Alessi retired with the rank of sergeant in August 2003. In 2005 he relocated to South West Florida where he owns and operates a firearms training business. He has two adult children and five grandchildren.