RINCON — Rincon Police Chief Mark Gerbino’s moral compass points to a picture on a wall in his office. 

“See this guy right here? He taught me,” Gerbino said while talking about his father, John “Jack” Gerbino, a 32-year veteran of the Rochester (N.Y.) Police Department.

One of the lessons Gerbino learned from his dad, who died in 2013, is how to be a servant leader. In that vein, he worked a patrol shift Christmas Day so that duty officers could spend more time with their families.

“My dad and the two other guys in the picture — my brothers who were police officers — we all manage  like that. There is no other way to manage, not only just for cops, but people,” he said. 

Gerbino, named Rincon police chief in October,  is a proponent of emotional intelligence — the capacity to be aware of, control and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. 

He is aware of how important Christmas is to his officers. Many of them have small children.

“Care about your people and don’t ask them to do anything you wouldn’t do,” Gerbino said. “How good of a leader would I be if I didn’t express how much they mean to me? That’s all this is about.”

Gerbino’s choice to work Christmas Day during many of his 43 years in law enforcement forces his large family to juggle holiday plans.

“They are used to me (doing this),” he said. “I am the oldest of seven kids and there is a lodge in Rochester with 60 of my relatives that I Facetimed. That’s how I spent my holidays with them.

“I could not leave this group down here and go up there. It wouldn’t be right. They need to see me as what I am — a person who cares about them.”

Even with Gerbino’s gesture, not everyone in the department could take Christmas Day off. The demands of the small department were too great.

“The good thing about the people we have here is that someone may be disappointed (that they may have to work) and they accept that willingly,” Gerbino said. 

Like Gerbino, K-9 Supervisor Brad Hayes volunteered to work Christmas Day.

“You talk about good police leadership, good police values and integrity. It’s right here,” Gerbino said while discussing Hayes’ holiday contribution.

Officer Brian Mahuta sacrificed time with his wife and 12-year-old daughter to help others, too.

“That speaks to the account of people we have policing the city,” Gerbino said.

Hayes said family support is crucial to police officers, especially during the holidays.

“When you are a cop, your wife is your backbone,” he said. “If you don’t have a supportive system at home, you won’t make it.”

Public Information Officer Robert Lipovsky agreed. A former military man, he has been married to an understanding partner for 15 years.

“My wife understands that I’m not going to be there and I’m not going to be able to do everything that is needed at home,” he said. “Sometimes those things take a backseat to nation support and community support.”

Conversely, Mahuta said the “family atmosphere” in the department is key, too.

“My wife needs to know that the guys and girls here have my back so that I can get home safe,” he said. “She doesn’t worry too much because we have helping hands and backups.”

Officer Dee Whitten has a special way of dealing with missed holidays with her husband and seven-year-old daughter. 

“You make up for it every day of the week,” she said. “Every day had better be special because you are either going to go home or get shot .... It’s a gamble every day you go to work.”

Gerbino noted that 147 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2018. That’s why he relishes the chance to help those he leads by working Christmas Day.

“Is this an inconvenience? Heck, no,” he said. “Because of my dad and my mentors in law enforcement, it fills my heart with joy that I can celebrate a holiday with them and back them up. If I can’t do that for them then I shouldn’t be chief.”