Louis Anthony Olivero
Agency: Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Missouri
Officer Louis Anthony Olivero was born, Luigi Olivero, in Northern Italy. His father was a member of the Italian Carabinieri's Royal Secret Service. After immigrating to the United States, Louis joined the U.S. Army where he served as a non-commissioned officer for three years. He joined the Kansas City Police Department in 1911 and was quickly promoted to detective and became an invaluable asset to the KCPD in its efforts to suppress Black Hand activities in the 'Little Italy' area of Kansas City.
While Deputy Olivero served for the police department, he arrested and assisted in the prosecution of numerous Italian Mafia members. Detective Olivero left the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department in 1920 to join the United States Immigration Service, an agency he had worked on special assignment with during his employment with the Kansas City Police Department to assist in hunting down criminal illegal aliens. In 1929, he then became a booking clerk in the jail for the Jackson County Sheriff's Office where he was employed at the time of his murder.
Deputy Sheriff Louis Olivero was shot with a shotgun from a vehicle and killed from ambush as he walked to work. It is believed that members of the Italian mafia approached him and shot him in the back of the head in retaliation for his persecution of Mafia members. Deputy Olivero had received repeated Black Hand letters threatening his life during his previous service with the Kansas City Police Department culminating at one point in an arson in which a fire was set in the kitchen of his home.
Deputy Olivero had served with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for 20 years. He was survived by his wife, Maria.
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