Published on : Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Reorganization under Chief Security Officer includes promotions and appointments of new leadership and elevation of two female officers to highest rank attained by a female officer
Under the leadership of the Port Authority’s first ever Chief Security Officer, the agency today announced a new command structure to lead the nearly 1,600-member police force.
During a ceremony in Jersey City, Chief Security Officer Joseph Dunne announced the internal promotions of existing PAPD personnel and the hiring of highly qualified police personnel from outside departments. The new PAPD command structure includes the promotion of two female officers to assistant chief – the highest rank ever achieved by a female officer in the department’s history.
The addition of high-ranking staff will result in cost savings and efficiencies through better supervision of police personnel and overtime at the agency’s facilities. The increase in supervisory personnel also will enable the PAPD to be more proactive and enhance coordination with directors at the various facilities.
Port Authority leadership including Port Authority Chairman David Samson, Executive Director Pat Foye, Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni and Superintendent Michael Fedorko joined CSO Dunne at the ceremony. In total, they announced the promotion of 54 officers from the Port Authority Police to ranks ranging from assistant chief to detective and the appointment of 10 officers hired from major police departments in the region to fill other top positions in the PAPD.
Two female PAPD police inspectors, Gloria Frank and Norma Hardy, were promoted to the rank of assistant chief. Assistant Chief Frank, of Patchogue, New York previously was the commanding officer at the World Trade Center site and is a recent FBI Academy graduate. Assistant Chief Hardy, of Neptune, New Jersey is a Medal of Valor recipient for acts of courage during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Both Frank and Hardy began their careers as PAPD officers and rose through the ranks.
In addition, Michael Guarnieri of Long Island, New York, a 29-year PAPD veteran and the former commanding officer at JFK Airport, and Steven Rotolo of Bergen County, New Jersey, a 15-year PAPD veteran and former commanding officer at the seaport and the Staten Island Bridges, also were promoted to the rank of assistant chief.
The 10 newly hired police commanders include highly experienced supervisors from major departments including the NYPD, the MTA Police, Newark Police Department and the New Jersey State Police. They include Matthew M. Wilson, a 28-year New Jersey State Police veteran who retired from the agency in 2013 as a lieutenant colonel; John Bambury, an NYPD veteran and attorney; Brian McPherson, a major in the NJ State Police and a recent graduate of the FBI Leadership Academy; Robert Terrett, a retired inspector from the MTA Police Department; and Steven Yablonsky, a retired captain from the Newark Police Department.
The new command structure will help the agency meet the objectives set out by the Board and its leadership team, including enhancing safety and security at its facilities and better management of police overtime. In addition, the new commanders will help oversee the influx of new Port Authority Police Officers that are now in the agency’s Police Academy.
“The Port Authority Police Department is among the most elite law enforcement agencies in the world, and today’s restructuring further illustrates this agency’s commitment to ensuring the highest levels of security and public safety at its transportation facilities,” said Port Authority Chairman David Samson.
“This new command structure will give us a more nimble department, allowing us to better respond to the changing needs across the agency,” ” said Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye. “These changes will further enhance the great proactive police work of the men and women of the Port Authority Police Department and bolster the safety and security of Port Authority assets.”
“These law enforcement commanders from both the PAPD and these other highly respected departments are the best of the best, and we’re pleased they have taken on the enormous responsibility to help lead one of the nation’s finest police departments,” said Port Authority Chief Security Officer Joseph Dunne.
A total of 64 promotions and appointments included four to assistant chief, two to deputy chief, five to inspector, two to deputy inspector, and eight to captain. Additionally, three members were promoted to lieutenant, 29 members were appointed to the rank of sergeant, and 11 police officers were promoted to the rank of detective.
The Port Authority Police Department, created in 1928, has full police powers in both New York and New Jersey. Its responsibilities include law enforcement, the protection of life and property, and the safety and security of Port Authority facilities.
Source:- Port Authority
Tags: Chief Security Officer Joseph Dunne, port authority
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