Daniel E. Brooker Sr., retired Philadelphia police detective, pioneering fraud investigator, and veteran, has died at 83
He specialized in economic crime and bank fraud, he said, because those offenses affect so many aspects of modern life. “It happens to everyone from the CEO to the laborer on the street,” he said.
Daniel E. Brooker Sr., 83, of Abington, retired Philadelphia police detective, pioneering expert in fraud prevention and risk management, longtime security analyst and consultant, and veteran, died Sunday, Jan. 28, of bronchiectasis at his home.
Mr. Brooker spent 17 years in the Philadelphia Police Department, from 1963 to 1980, as a patrol officer, plainclothes officer in the Stakeout Squad and Surveillance Unit, and detective in the Police Intelligence and Major Crimes Units. He responded to countless violent incidents early in his career, honed his skills as a plainclothes investigator, and later spent a decade as a detective probing complex and sophisticated financial crimes.
He cofounded National Fraud Investigation Center Inc. in 1988 and served as president until 2002. He told PR Newswire in 1989 that the firm was unique because it incorporated “sophisticated databased research” and “modern analytical methods into a dynamic intelligence program.”
The company specialized in banking fraud, and he told The Inquirer in 1991: “It doesn’t get the attention of a bank holdup, but it costs the bank more money. It’s a lot easier to rob a bank with a ballpoint pen than a gun.”
He also worked as chief investigator, supervisor of security, and risk management consultant for companies such as Certifax, TransUnion, Siemens, and Cerner. “What I love about this job is there is always a trail,” he told The Inquirer. “That’s what always hangs them. We take the time to see what you don’t.”
Energetic and collegial, Mr. Brooker served as president and chairman of the Council of International Investigators, and executive director of the International Fraud Symposium. He was quoted in The Inquirer and Daily News often, spoke at international conferences and workshops about economic crime and other law enforcement issues, and was a member of the American Society for Industrial Security, Police Chiefs Association of Southeast Pennsylvania, and other groups.
He joined the Air Force in 1958 after high school, was stationed in Germany during the Cold War, and served until 1963. His family said in a tribute that he was an example of “courage, humility, and tenacity.” His grandson, Finn McGovern, said: “Pop was the best man I knew tenfold. I hope I can emulate him in my life going forward.”
Daniel Elliott Brooker was born Dec. 27, 1940, in Philadelphia. He spent much of his childhood in the Pennsport neighborhood along the Delaware River and visited often with his father’s family in Southeast Georgia.
He graduated from South Philadelphia High School in 1958, the Police Academy in 1963, and studied police science and administration at Temple University and Community College of Philadelphia.
He met nurse Linda Nihill at Hahnemann Hospital while he was guarding a prisoner, and they married in 1965. They had daughter Sue and son Daniel Jr., and lived in Oak Lane before moving to Abington in 1985.
Mr. Brooker enjoyed fishing, sailing, scuba diving, and lounging on the beach in Florida. He was good at party games and home improvement projects, and listened often to Jimmy Buffett, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. He danced both the jitterbug and the Mummers strut.
He liked to garden and read, told sentimental stories of growing up in South Philadelphia, and followed the Phillies and Eagles closely. He spent quality time with his nieces and two grandsons, and he and his wife traveled the country and to Scotland, India, Europe, and elsewhere.
“Family was everything to him,” his grandson Finn said. “Even in the eye of a tornado, at 80 years old, he wrangled his way through downed power lines, electrical wires, and fallen trees to rescue my mom and sibling. He opened his home to them and gave them food to eat and peace of mind.”
His family said: “He was happiest hearing about his family’s happiness.”
In addition to his wife, children, and grandsons, Mr. Brooker is survived by a sister and other relatives. A sister died earlier.
A celebration of his life is to be held later.
Donations in his name may be made to the Salvation Army, 701 North Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123.