More than 50 years after Frank Serpico testified about endemic corruption in the New York Police Department, the department finally recognized his injury in the line of duty with an official certificate and inscribed medal of honor.

"I have mixed emotions and sort of anticlimactic in a way, but I guess it was a sort of closure," said Serpico about receiving the honor. 

Serpico, who is now 85 years old, spoke to NY1 on a call from his home. He said even after being denied the recognition all these years, it holds the same meaning for him.  

"It never loses the value or the honor of what it stands for — all those that gave their lives for it," Serpico said. 

Serpico said, throughout the years, many NYPD commissioners ignored his request for the honor. Back in December, the controversy was brought to light in a New York Daily News article.  Serpico posted a message on Twitter Thursday, thanking the mayor and others. 

"It took so long because I believe the New York Police Department held me in contempt for what I did," Serpico revealed.

After joining the NYPD in 1959, he said corruption paved the way for advancement, but he refused to take part. He said he simply wanted to do the job he loved. 

"I felt that was my calling, that’s what I wanted to be. I loved my work," Serpico said.

Throughout his 12-year career, Serpico revealed that not taking part in any illegal activity made him an easy target within the force, isolating him from his fellow officers. He was even shot in the face during a narcotics bust in Brookln. And though his comrades did not help, Serpico said he holds no resentment.  

"Not really, because it was well known within the department, I had fellow officers who would say to me, ‘That's the way it works.’”

In April 1970, Serpico was one of the main whistle blowers in an expose published in the “New York Times.” This resulted in a public hearing — the Knapp Commission — and his testimony led to revealing mass corruption in the NYPD. 

"I did feel vindicated, it went out to the whole world," he admitted. 

After retiring in 1972, Serpico penned his autobiography, later the subject of a movie starring Al Pacino. He then spent years traveling the world, but he said he's still an officer at heart. 

"There's corruption. The problem is some people believe that when they become law enforcement they have a right to break the law and abuse people: they are bullies," Serpico said. "This must never be accepted within the department. Law enforcement is supposed to enforce the law equally," he added.

Editor's Note: Frank Serpico received an NYPD Medal of Honor for an injury sustained while in the line of duty. An earlier version of the story was incorrect.