Joseph D’Amico oversaw the Organized Crime Task Force, Auto Insurance Fraud Unit, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Investigations Bureau for Cuomo. He also oversaw detectives in Manhattan and the Bronx.
D’Amico has no connection to the State Police, which in recent years have weathered allegations that some Troopers and supervising officers acted with at the behest of politicians. Cuomo issued a report about the subject as attorney general.
D’Amico joins two more aides from the AG’s office moving to the second floor: Richard Bamberger will stay on as director of communications, but he will likely have a more behind-the-scenes role than “counselor” Drew Zambelli, and Alphonso David will serve as deputy secretary for civil rights.
Cuomo also named Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, from Nassau County, as commissioner of the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
The full release is below.
Chief Joseph A. D’Amico will be nominated as Superintendent of the State Police. Chief D’Amico joined the Office of the New York State Attorney General in March of 2007 where he currently serves as the Chief Investigator. In this position he oversees and coordinates the efforts of 300 criminal and civil investigators statewide. These investigative units include the Organized Crime Task Force, the Auto Insurance Fraud Unit, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Investigations Bureau. Chief D’Amico had a 27 year career with the New York City Police Department, where he served in many patrol and investigative assignments in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens rising to the rank of Deputy Chief. Chief D’Amico has commanded numerous high-profile and extensive criminal investigations during the course of his NYPD and AG careers.
Prior to his retirement from the NYPD, Chief D’Amico served as the Commanding Officer of the Police Commissioner’s Real Time Crime Center. He was instrumental in developing a state of the art, 24 hour information and investigative support center to assist Detectives in solving violent crimes right from the scene of the crime. The Crime Center is a first of its kind project in US law enforcement. Prior to this position, he served as the Commanding Officer in the Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Manhattan South Detective Operations, Queens North Detective Operations, and Internal Affairs Bureau, Groups 21 and 41. He has also held the positions of Executive Officer in Detective Bureau Manhattan, and in the 43rd and 44th precincts.
Governor-elect Cuomo said, “The State Police is a vital and honored public safety force which will be of paramount importance in my administration. Chief D’Amico brings extraordinary police credentials and a fresh prospective to the State Police which will be a significant asset in reestablishing the good reputation of this distinguished force. The rank and file who are among the nation’s best will have a true leader in Chief D’Amico.”
“I commend Governor-elect Cuomo for his outstanding choice in Chief D’Amico to be Superintendent of the State Police. From his more than 27 years with the NYPD to his remarkable work as head of investigations in the Attorney General’s office, Chief D’Amico’s entire career has been one of absolute integrity, professionalism and a commitment to the safety and security of the people of the city and state of New York. I am pleased to have been a part of the transition committee that overwhelmingly recommended bringing Chief D’Amico’s unquestioned experience and leadership abilities to this critical post,” said New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
“I am proud to join with the other members of Governor-elect Cuomo’s public safety transition committee to overwhelmingly endorse Chief D’Amico’s appointment to serve as Superintendent. He has had a remarkable career in law enforcement, leading complex investigations on some of the most egregious frauds and modernizing the NYPD’s ability to investigate violent crimes. He is a true law enforcement officer in every sense,” said former FBI Director Louis Freeh.
“I have known Chief D’Amico since the time when he was serving as the officer in charge of the New York City Police Department Real Time Crime Center and he holds a reputation as a talented and experienced police executive. As Attorney General Cuomo stated in a recent report, rank and file troopers and supervisors of New York State Police remain a professional talented and honorable organization. These front line troopers will find Chief D’Amico a true professional chief executive and he will find the members of the division a loyal organization which supports its leadership. In the same report that Attorney General Cuomo recognized the efforts of the members of the division, he also recognized the dangers of political influence on law enforcement organizations. I am heartened that the State Police have now returned to their long and great tradition as one of the most outstanding police organizations in the country,” said former State Police Superintendent Tom Constantine
“The Division of State Police plays an invaluable role in preserving safety and order throughout our state. From counterterrorism, to patrolling our highways, to preventing crime and enforcing the laws of the state, New Yorkers deserve absolute honest and integrity from the Superintendent on down. Chief D’Amico’s independence makes him uniquely qualified to deliver on much needed reform within the state police,” said former Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Michael Balboni.
“Throughout Chief D’Amico’s career, he has demonstrated a profound respect for good policing and will undoubtedly command the respect of the Troopers he will soon lead. I believe he will bring transformational leadership to the State Police and New York will be a safer and more secure state because of him. I commend the members of the public safety transition committee for recommending and Governor-elect for selecting Chief D’Amico. ” said former U.S. Attorney Zachary W. Carter.
“Chief D’Amico has demonstrated through his experience with NYPD and the Attorney General’s office exactly the kind of integrity and honesty that will make him a great leader of the New York State Police,” New York PBA President Pat Lynch said.
Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez will serve as Commissioner of Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services. Ms. Gonzalez-Sanchez currently serves as the Commissioner and Director of Community Services at the Nassau County Department of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities Services, after working for two years as the Deputy Commissioner. Gonzales will play a key role in the review, redesign, and consolidation of the state’s human services agencies. She is also the Co-Chair of Nassau County’s Health Disparity Task Force. Under Gonzalez, Nassau County consolidated mental health, developmental disabilities, and drug and alcohol addiction services. Prior to working for Nassau County, Ms. Gonzalez-Sanchez served at New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for a decade. During her tenure, Ms. Gonzalez-Sanchez was an Associate Commissioner/NYC Regional Director, Assistant Commissioner/Regional Director for the Boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, the Director of Planning and Project Management and a senior consultant. From 1991 to 1992, Ms. Gonzalez-Sanchez served as the Director of the Bronx Health Corps, after working as the Assistant Administrator for the Fund for Aging Services, Inc. at the NYC Department for the Aging. Before working for the NYC Department of Aging, Ms. Gonzalez-Sanchez was Research Fellow at Cornell University, where she taught Cell Biology and Anatomy, and served as the Radiation Safety Officer. In 1982, Ms. Gonzalez-Sanchez was a genetic counselor in the Department of Pediatric and Medical Genetics at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center.
Alphonso David will serve as Deputy Secretary for Civil Rights. Mr. David currently serves as is Special Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights. He joined the Attorney General’s Office as the Civil Rights Deputy Bureau Chief in June 2008 and was promoted to Bureau Chief in June 2009, assuming his current role in May 2010. He served previously as Deputy Commissioner at the New York State Division of Human Rights and as a staff attorney at the Lambda Legal Defense and Educational Fund. At Lambda, Mr. David prosecuted and defended precedent-setting civil rights cases across the country affecting LGBT individuals and those living with HIV. He also teaches law as an Adjunct Professor at Cardozo Law School and Fordham University Law School, where he teaches “Constitutional Law: Sexuality and the Law.”
Richard Bamberger will serve as Director of Communications. Bamberger joined the Attorney General’s office in November 2008 and currently serves as Director of Communications. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Mr. Bamberger was an award winning journalist with almost 17 years of television news experience. Just prior to the Attorney General’s office, he was Managing Editor of Inside Edition. Prior to joining Inside Edition, Bamberger spent six years at WCBS-TV, New York, where he held several positions including managing editor, assignment manager, and manager of investigations and special projects. Bamberger also spent time as the managing editor at WJBK-TV in Detroit and as the assignment manager at WFOR-TV in Miami. Mr. Bamberger began his career as a producer at WRGB-TV in Albany, N.Y.
No comments:
Post a Comment