Head of New York State Police resigns while under investigation
The head of the New York state police resigned Friday over allegations that he shielded a longtime colleague from discipline, state officials said.
N.Y. State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen put in his resignation on Friday, saying that his last day in office will be Oct. 19.
On Monday, Gov. Hochul confirmed reports that her office had launched an investigation into the superintendent. Bruen allegedly protected a coworker and human resources director he had a close relationship with from internal complaints and potential discipline, according to the Times Union newspaper.
That human resources director, MaryEllen Tedesco, resigned from the agency last month. The state’s Office of Employee Relations was investigating how she handled an application by a person with a wheelchair, according to the Olean Times Herald.
Former Gov. Cuomo appointed Bruen in June 2021.
Hochul said this week that she “inherited” Bruen, but she wasn’t making any decisions on whether she would fire the superintendent until after a full investigation was conducted.
Bruen was also accused of giving leniency to a trooper who had a romantic relationship with one of former Gov. Cuomo’s daughters.
A report by Inspector General Lucy Lang released in August claimed Bruen decided not to formally punish Trooper Dane Pfeiffer for dating Cara Kennedy-Cuomo while he was assigned to the ex-governor’s protective detail.
Instead, Bruen allowed Pfeiffer to resign, then punished a supervisor who knew about the dalliance but failed to inform the IG’s office.
“These failings prevented a full and fair review of the investigation, which, while problematic in any circumstance, is of even graver concern here, where the facts call into serious question the decision not to formally discipline Pfeiffer for his conduct, particularly when a simultaneous decision was made to discipline his supervisor for failing to take action upon learning of that same conduct,” Lang’s report read.
When Bruen departs, First Deputy Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli will become acting superintendent, a state police spokesman said.
The New York State Police Benevolent Association thanked Bruen for his leadership and said the superintendent “helped move the New York State Police forward during difficult times, including social unrest and the deployment of Troopers to help the men, women and children of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.
“We wish Superintendent Bruen well in his future endeavors,” the PBA Board of Directors said in a statement.
