THE HAPPY COPPLE
Pair promoted to captain in first for NYPD
A married pair of NYPD cops celebrated their “brass’’ anniversary Friday when both were promoted to captain at the same time — a first for the department.
“We did a little research, and as far as we can tell, this will be the first time in the history of the NYPD that a husband and wife will become captains on the same day,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill told a cheering crowd at the department’s promotion ceremony, which involved more than 100 officers, at headquarters in Manhattan.
Luis Barcia and Alex Sarubbi-Barcia, both 39, met in 2002 as bright-eyed recruits out on the track field during their Police Academy training, Alex’s sister said.
“I remember [Alex] telling me, ‘I’ve fallen in love with a guy named Barcia,’ because she ran behind him and she could see his name on his shirt,” Gina Sarubbi-Duffy, a retired NYPD detective, said to reporters after the ceremony. “She told me, ‘I love how he runs.’ ”
The pair married four years later in the Bahamas and have steadily risen through the ranks since then.
During the ceremony, each newly promoted captain walked across the stage in alphabetical order, except Luis. He stayed behind to wait for his wife, whose hyphenated last name left her toward the back of the line.
When it was their turn, Luis’ name was called first, and he walked on stage. Alex walked on next, with the announcer saying, “And his better half, Sarubbi-Barcia!” The crowd roared. The couple posed for a picture with Commissioner O’Neill and then returned to their seats.
“It seems they might have a lot to thank the Police Department for,” O’Neill quipped. “We know that both policing and marriage required a high level of commitment. There’s also nothing like a little healthy competition at home.”
“I can’t wait to see who gets promoted to [deputy inspector] first,” he added.