Joe Serb

Fox’s Pizza, Guinness, Big Corner Tavern, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour as we return to our First Responders Tour at our new recording location, Big Corner Tavern, and this week we welcome old pal of Houli’s and retired 29 year CPD veteran, Lt. Joe Serb. Joe grew up in East Rogers Park in St. Jerome’s parish and attended St. Patrick’s High School. He took the test when he was just 19 and  started out in the 19th District where he spent over 8 years. He worked on the Violent Crimes Mission Team and was promoted to Sergeant where his first assignment was working midnights in the18th District. Joe also worked in Special Operations Unit 153 from 2002 to 2016 as the Critical Incident Coordinator where he dealt with hazardous materials. He and Houli discuss the Clandestine Drug Labs, the serious danger of Fentanyl and the high rate of deaths related to the lethal drug. Joe is the middle child of 11 and two of his brothers are CFD Lieutenants, Chris is a Deputy District Chief and Steve is a Battalion Chief – 3 Lieutenant Serbs!  Joe has 4 children and his son, Peter, is a firefighter with CFD Truck 11. He chats about how he and his lovely wife, Marli, have been together since they were 19! Houli and Joe look back at when they met at the Irish American Heritage Center and these two pals cover many topics including the recent Mayoral election, Brandon Johnson’s link to the “Defund The Police” movement and the differences between today’s CPD force compared to when Joe began his career. He explains how appreciative officers are when receiving compliments and positive words from the public. Joe has an array of stories to share from his long career, as well as some great jokes! He tells Houli about a couple of officers who were wounded on the job and how important humor was to help put them at ease. “Faith and humor got me through.” His work-related stories range from a cow being arrested to getting into a serious car wreck where his vest and seatbelt saved him! He ends his interview with a few more great stories including the time a guy name dropped ‘Joe Serb’ to Joe himself to try and get out of trouble -you have to hear it to believe it! We’re honored to have this great guy and pal on the show to share some wonderful stories from an impressive career. Houli then brings us up to date on the recent obituaries followed by his take on the recent Mayoral election results. We end another great show with a trip to our favorite place called “Houli-Town”.