Cover photo: Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina at the H. Lee Dennison Building on Wednesday afternoon (Credit – Matt Meduri)
When County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) (pictured below) was inaugurated last year, he named Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) Chief Robert Waring as acting Police Commissioner. Waring has served in that role since last year, and Executive Romaine has put forth a nominee to serve as commissioner in an official role.
Romaine has put forth SCPD Deputy Commissioner Kevin Catalina as his nominee.
Catalina’s résumé, according to Romaine and a bipartisan slate of Suffolk County Legislators, equips him for one of the top law enforcement positions in the county. He served as Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer of the NYPD Intelligence Bureau in the Operational and Analytical Section, which was part of twenty-six-year career in New York City. He has worked in counterterrorist operations, investigations, logistical planning, and site security, prime examples of which include coordination and security for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the New York City Marathon.
Catalina (pictured below) also served as the Commanding Officer of the NYPD Gang Division from 2014 to 2016. He also helped pioneer an initiative in the South Bronx that reduced shootings by 40%. He also served as Commanding Officer of the Queens Gang Squad, as well as Deputy Inspector Commanding Officer for the thirty Thirty-Second Precinct, based in Harlem.
Joining Romaine and members of law enforcement were Commissioner Waring, Deputy Commissioner Belinda Alvarez-Groneman, Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy (R-Nesconset), Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset), and Suffolk County Legislators – who will have the final say in Catalina’s appointment – Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset), Trish Bergin (R-East Islip), Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park), Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches), Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport), Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), and Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon).
Romaine humorously described Waring’s desire to take on the role of Commissioner as “reluctant,” but that he persuaded Waring to take the job until a permanent replacement could be found.
“We chose someone [Waring] who had thirty-nine years in the police department, our chief. I said, ‘You have the experience, you have the ability, please lead this department as acting commissioner, and when you want to go back [to serve as Chief], it’s yours,’” said Romaine.
“He has proven himself as someone that knows what police work is. He’s proven himself a leader. He has proven himself, and I have confidence in him to be my department,” said Romaine of Catalina. “And I have the good fortune to have Rob Waring going back to his original position as chief of the department. You cannot get a better leadership team.”
“It was a privilege. When I entered police work in 1986, I never thought I would have the opportunity to serve as chief and commissioner as well,” said Waring (pictured above) of serving in the acting commissioner role for the last year.
Catalina thanked his executive staff, as well as his co-deputy commissioner in Belinda Alvarez-Groneman, whom, he joked, “pretty much tells me what I have to do every day.”
“I couldn’t do it without Belinda,” said Catalina.
Catalina also thanked acting Commissioner Waring, saying, “The importance of your leadership cannot be overstated. The police department is where it is today because of your tireless effort, dedication, and everything you put into the job. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from you over the last year…Every day I go to work, I try to learn something, and I can’t even begin to remember how many things I’ve learned over the years. So, thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Catalina said that the position of commissioner is one he “couldn’t have dreamed of,” adding that he’s been a Suffolk County resident his whole life, growing up “admiring the Suffolk County Police Department,” and joined law enforcement a “long, long time ago” with the hopes of becoming a member of Suffolk’s Finest.
“It’s been the best year of my policing career,” said Catalina. “This is the best police department in the country, probably the world. I look forward to working with the people of Suffolk County to make everybody safer, and make all of your lives better in any way that we can.”
“We interviewed a lot of people. There’s a lot of great law enforcement talent out there, and a lot of that talent is currently in our department,” said Romaine, adding that Deputy Commissioner Alvarez-Groneman will remain in her current role and acting Commissioner Waring will return to his post as Chief of Police. Later this year, the County will name nominees for Chief of Detectives and Chief of Operations, consulting with the police commissioner to fill the vacancies.
“We have put in over two hundred additional police officers, an additional five percent, and we’ll be improving the facilities. Some of our precincts could use a major overhaul, including the Marine Bureau. We’ll be looking to include those and make investments so that people can comfortably come to work in a place that’s neat, orderly, and a place they want to work.”
Romaine called the current era of law enforcement one that is “not an exciting time for criminals.”
Catalina made his pitch by using a football analogy, appropriately timed with the upcoming Super Bowl.
“You’ve got two locked down corners, you’ve got an open safety, and then you’ve got an outside linebacker who let the lead get sacked. What we’re able to do is say, ‘no one’s going to be able to throw a ball on us anymore.’ Everybody’s going to stack the box and we’re going to glide against the run, and nobody’s ever going to be able to score point goals again because of our great defense,” said Catalina. “We can change the way we allocate people.”
Catalina said his department has been successful in driving down violent crime, sharing that homicides are down 38% this year, and 60% over a four-year period. The shooting numbers, Catalina says, echoes those statistics.
“One shooting is one shooting too many, but what we are able to do is kind of build on that success,” said Catalina.
Catalina said that roadways would be a primary focus of his administration, saying that law enforcement and residents alike feel that roadways are too dangerous. The department is already working to expand the size of the highway unit, and Catalina says it’s likely those efforts will be furthered. He also spoke of the opioid issue as one of the department’s top priorities.
“We just can’t tolerate this in Suffolk County. I think there’s probably not one person in Suffolk County who doesn’t know somebody who has been affected by the opioid epidemic,” said Catalina.
“We’re going to continue to target the people who have funneled a lot of these opioids [to Suffolk]. We’re going to continue to work with our action groups to help people who are unfortunately addicted to opioids, and we hope to drive those numbers down even further,” said Catalina.
Catalina also mentioned working closely with town public safety personnel to address violations that can affect practically anyone, even in simple cases of quality-of-life disputes.
Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Lou Civello issued a statement endorsing Catalina for commissioner.
“Kevin Catalina brings decades of law enforcement experience, a spirit of innovation, and unsurpassed dedication to the role of Suffolk County Police Commissioner,” said Civello. “As the former Deputy PC, he worked diligently to make Suffolk one of the safest counties in the nation earning the respect of the rank and file. We congratulate him on being appointed Police Commissioner and look forward to continuing to work with him protecting Suffolk County residents.”
Catalina will undergo a hearing before the County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee. If the committee advances his nomination to the full horseshoe, Executive Romaine will submit a certificate of necessity (CN) on Tuesday to put Catalina’s nomination before a full eighteen-member vote for his confirmation.
