Cover photo: Catalina (center) joined by family, his father ‘Jack’ (left, ‘thumbs up’) and County Clerk Puleo (right)
(Credit – Matt Meduri)
Last Wednesday, County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) announced Suffolk County Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina as his nomination for the department’s full-time commissioner.
Commissioner Robert Waring served in an acting capacity for the last year under the condition he would return to his post as SCPD Police Chief.
Catalina then went before the Suffolk County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee for a de facto “job interview,” before his nomination was submitted to the full eighteen-member horseshoe.
At Thursday’s general meeting, Catalina was unanimously confirmed as the SCPD’s next Police Commissioner.
Joined by friends, family, and a host of law enforcement leaders and personnel, Catalina laid out his résumé for the edification of the full Legislature.
Catalina started his law enforcement career in 1992 as a police officer in South Jamaica with the NYPD. After six years at that post, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He then moved to northern Queens, working in an area covering Jackson Heights and Corona. He was then invited to interview for the Queens Gang Squad in 1999, the time at which the area was first encountering members of the deadly gang MS-13.
Catalina also played a role in the search-and-rescue efforts following the September 11 Attacks, where he spent nearly a month in the morgue helping identify remains from the tragedy.
He was then promoted to lieutenant and put back in Queens, followed by a promotion to captain two years later. He then ran the Gang Squad for the entire borough of Queens.
“In order to move up in rank, they [the NYPD] like you to run precincts in Harlem,” said Catalina, which he credits with his deep understanding of community policing.
“Harlem is a community that cares deeply about itself. I met a lot of great community partners there and it really got me to understand the value of community policing at that level,” said Catalina.
After five years in Harlem, Catalina then ran the Forty-Fourth Precinct in the Bronx, a jurisdiction of about 100,000 residents. He then ran city-wide gang enforcement thereafter.
“We developed the strategies and techniques to go after gangs on a larger level and we were very, very successful in continuing to drive down violent crime at that point and got into historic lows,” said Catalina, adding that he and his team got the violent crime rate down to the low-300s, from a staggering 2,000-plus when he started in New York City since 1992.
He then served as the Operations Commander for Manhattan North, running twelve precincts and helping facilitate safety for events like the New York City Marathon and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Afterward, Catalina served in the Operational and Analytical Section of the Intelligence Bureau, the core of NYC’s covert counter-terrorism operations.
It was after a year in that post that Catalina was approached by friend and colleague Sheriff Errol Toulon (D) to work in the Suffolk County Sheriff’s office.
Catalina said it was a “tough decision” to leave his job and tenure in the city, but said that he is “certainly glad” he made the move. He worked with Toulon as an under-sheriff and worked closely with the intelligence side of corrections, particularly data mining.
“It was always a lifelong dream of mine to be a South County Police Officer, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” said Catalina, calling Toulon a “mentor and friend.”
No Legislators had questions for Catalina, but instead, remarks and praise and optimism for Suffolk’s safety going forward.
“Thank you for accepting the position. We’re happy to have you on board,” said Majority Leader Nick Caracappa (C-Selden).
Deputy Presiding Officer and Chair of the Public Safety Committee Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwars) echoed these sentiments.
“I’ve already been working with you for over five years. Besides your resume, you always stood out; quiet strength and intelligence,” said Flotteron. “I think we’re very fortunate to have you here in this county, which is one of the safest counties in the country, and let’s even make it safer.”
“Congratulations in advance. We’re very excited that you are choosing to serve,” said Legislator Rebecca Sanin (D-Huntington Station).
Following a unanimous vote, Catalina approached the horseshoe for the oath of office. Joined by his wife, daughters, and father, John “Jack” Catalina, Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) offered a touching sentiment.
“Your mother would be very proud of you,” said Richberg, alluding to the recent passing of Catalina’s mother just weeks before his nomination and confirmation.
Catalina was then administered the oath of office by Suffolk County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset), along with Executive Romaine’s signing of the resolution, making his position as Commissioner official.
Catalina told reporters afterward that he “studied” and “admired” his various mentors throughout his decades in law enforcement.
Catalina remarked that one of his and his team’s crowning achievements was the effective solving of the catalytic converter crime spree, which he says came down to just several individuals responsible for thousands of thefts across the Tri-State area. He also reiterated his previously-shared statements on violent crime.
“One violent crime is one violent crime too many. It’s a tremendous responsibility, but it’s a responsibility that I welcome and am in favor of,” Catalina told reporters.
Catalina also shared that his last six years within Suffolk law enforcement has helped him in understanding the various communities and the different needs they have. He credits much of his community relationship-building to Deputy Commissioner Belinda Alvarez-Groneman, alongside whom he served as a co-deputy until his confirmation on Tuesday.
“It’s super important to have those relationships so we can have honest conversations about what might have occurred and how to fix it,” said Catalina.
Catalina told The Messenger that one of his top priorities remains the opioid epidemic and safer roadways, particularly with the disruptive and potentially-deadly drag races and sideshows perpetrated deliberately by out-of-towners who treat Suffolk’s more rural attributes as a personal vehicular playground. Some instances have severely delayed first responders and have blocked off parking lots and shopping centers from regular traffic.
“Roadways are still too dangerous in Suffolk County and that’s something we’re certainly going to consider,” Catalina told The Messenger. “I think that’s bad for law enforcement, it’s bad for the people of Suffolk County, and, quite frankly, it makes us look impotent and the public hates to see it and we hate to see it.”
