FBI official tapped as Suffolk County Police Commissioner
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced Thursday he has chosen Geraldine Hart, a senior supervisory resident agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Long Island office, as the next county police commissioner.
Ms. Hart, who has been with the FBI for 21 years, will be the first woman at the helm of the Suffolk County Police Department.
When she begins in mid-April, she will fill the position left vacant when Timothy Sini took office as the Suffolk County district attorney.
“Geraldine possesses the integrity, competence and excellence that we are looking for in someone to lead the Suffolk County Police Department,” Mr. Bellone said in a statement. “As our next Police Commissioner, she will bring a fresh perspective and build on the progress that we have made over the last two years.”
The Suffolk County Legislature has to approve Mr. Bellone’s nomination. Police Chief Stuart Cameron was appointed Thursday as the acting police commissioner until she begins. Her salary will be $171,007, according to his office.
“I am honored for the opportunity to serve the residents of Suffolk County and privileged to serve with the brave, hardworking men and women of the Suffolk County Police Department,” Ms. Hart said in a statement. “I am extremely optimistic about the future of the Suffolk County Police Department and what we can accomplish together.”
Ms. Hart, 50, has served as the FBI’s senior supervisory resident agent on the Long Island since February 2014. In that role, she “has effectively led and directed the operations and investigations of 115 FBI Special Agents, Task Force Officers, and support personnel, affecting a diverse region of over 3 million residents,” Mr. Bellone’s statement said. She has supervised the Long Island Gang Task Force and led the first multi-agency MS-13 Intelligence Center, which encouraged the sharing of information between the FBI, Suffolk police, New York State police, Nassau County police and local law enforcement agencies.
Mr. Bellone said she has also handled complex investigations from public corruption to white-collar crime, and terrorism to cyber crimes.
Her career started as an FBI Special Agent working on transnational organized crime. She helped dismantle violent organized crime enterprises, such as the Lucchese crime family. Mr. Bellone said that in 1999, a case she spearheaded led to the conviction of fugitive Frank Federico, who was responsible for the murders of garbage-industry haulers and informants Robert Kubecka of Greenlawn and Donald Barstow of Stony Brook.
She was awarded the Office of Inspector General’s Integrity Award for her work.
Ms. Hart has a bachelor of arts from St. Francis College and juris doctor from St. John’s University School of Law. She lives in Sea Cliff.
Photo caption: If confirmed as the Suffolk County Police Commissioner, Geraldine Hart will be the first woman ever to serve in that role. (Credit: Courtesy of the Suffolk County Executive’s office)
