Nassau’s top cop, acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter, is retiring, effective July 20.
Krumpter was named acting commissioner of the department in 2014 — a tenure that included the controversial consolidation of police precincts in a cost-cutting effort and a union-blocked move to usher in body cameras. But Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano never formally nominated him to be top cop, which would have required Krumpter to face public scrutiny before the Nassau County Legislature — which votes on all commissioner-level appointments.
His retirement comes after 25 years in the department.
.@NassauCountyPD Acting Commissioner Krumpter on his retirement: "You just get to a point when it's time." pic.twitter.com/dheLmegUO1
— Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) June 5, 2017
A Long Island native
Krumpter grew up in South Huntington and graduated from St. Anthony’s High School in 1985, the same year his father retired from the Nassau police department.
He served as a U.S. Marine before working as a New York City Housing Authority police officer from 1989 to 1992, when he joined the Nassau County Police Department.
Krumpter announces increased patrols in communities in 2016. Photo by Howard Schnapp.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Old Westbury in 2005 and a master’s in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2013. He is married with two sons.
Though he has been in talks to become the chief of the Lloyd Harbor Village Police Department, Krumpter said Monday he is juggling several job opportunities, both in government and the private sector.
State of the department
Krumpter has sought to address some of the thorniest issues facing law enforcement recently, from a national wave of anti-police feelings to the surge in gang-related killings across Long Island. He frequently butted heads with the previous head of the police union on issues including body cameras for officers.
Precinct consolidation
One of the department’s most dramatic changes — the precinct merger plan — came before Krumpter’s time in the top spot, though he was the point person on it as first deputy commissioner. The plan was approved in March 2012 when Thomas Dale was commissioner. It called for eight precincts to be consolidated into four, with the closed precincts converted into lighter-staffed “community policing centers.” In the end, only part of the plan was enacted.
Krumpter at the grand opening of the new First Precinct in Baldwin. Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr.
The proposal was touted by Mangano and Krumpter who said it would save $20 million annually. It was the subject of scores of public meetings, during which critics charged the mergers would result in more crime, slower response times and increased police overtime. Police officials countered that the same number of police would be on patrol and crime would not spike.
Combating the heroin problem
The police department launched its heroin task force in 2015, shifting eight detectives to its Narcotics Unit. The detectives were tasked with gathering intelligence on heroin dealers and making arrests. In 2016, Krumpter joined Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini in launching a joint heroin task force to try to trace the origins of every overdose, officials said. Detectives from each county and an intelligence analyst were assigned to the unit full time.
Mangano touted it as one of the tenets of Krumpter’s time as commissioner. “With the formation of a Joint Heroin Task Force, we have combined resources with Federal, State and local law enforcement partners to track down the sources of fatal heroin overdoses. We have arrested hundreds of drug dealers, seized firearms and taken thousands of glassines of heroin and pain pills off our streets,” he said in a statement.
Use-of-force policy
In 2016, the police department revamped its use-of-force policy, urging officers to use de-escalation methods rather than physical force. The policy also expanded and tracked the incidents involving physical force reviewed by top brass and limited the use of the controversial chokehold.
Krumpter discusses the new use-of-force policy in July 2016. Photo by Howard Schnapp.
The policy tweaks came about two years after the department embarked on the first major overhaul of its policy in more than three decades in the wake of a pair of high-profile shootings involving Nassau officers.
A question about morale
Earlier this year, Krumpter and newly elected Nassau Police Benevolent Association President James McDermott traded public remarks about officer morale in the department.
In response to comments Krumpter made to Newsday, in which he said that officers who don’t like their jobs should quit, McDermott said that morale was at a low point and that the commissioner was not in a position to know how officers view their jobs. McDermott pointed to a wage freeze, loss of longevity pay, and poor work conditions in some precincts.
Krumpter pointed to the average salary of $125,000 to $130,000 a year, and said “if someone can’t be happy with that on the Nassau police department, I am not sure they’ll be happy with any police department.”
Officer fired
In May 2014, early into Krumpter’s tenure as commissioner, the police department fired Officer Anthony DiLeonardo, who was off-duty and not in uniform when he shot a retreating, unarmed cabdriver in Huntington Station after a night of drinking with another cop.
June 23, 2013: How Newsday covered the story.
DiLeonardo, who police internal affairs investigators found recklessly escalated a roadside dispute, was never suspended after the Feb. 27, 2011, incident in which he fired his service weapon five times at cabbie Thomas Moroughan. An internal affairs investigation concluded in 2012 that DiLeonardo be brought up on 19 departmental charges, but disciplinary actions against the officer did not begin until after Newsday reported about the lawsuit.
Krumpter called DiLeonardo’s conduct a “breach of public trust” and said it would “not be tolerated by the Nassau County Police Department.”
Record crime lows
Under Krumpter’s watch, the overall crime rate in Nassau County in 2016 dropped to a new all-time low as crimes in almost all categories — including homicides and shootings — fell slightly compared with 2015, department statistics show. Krumpter credited the use of increased technology and more aggressive policing for the drop.
How the record 2016 numbers compared with the 2015 numbers, which were also low:
1.64%
Decrease in overall crime
8.7%
Decrease in violent crime, including homicide, rape and shootings
16.78%
Decrease in residential burglaries
Krumpter said in March that the department would maintain those numbers with a plan to add hundreds of new license plate readers and gunshot detection devices to county streets, and expand the network of paid informants.
What’s next?
Deputy Commissioner Patrick Ryder will serve as acting commissioner after Krumpter retires, Mangano announced.
Ryder was appointed to his current position on Jan. 1, 2017, the top promotion among a slew to replace top brass in the department after retirements in 2016 and 2015.
Krumpter and Patrick Ryder after Krumpter’s retirement announcement. Photo by Howard Schnapp
Ryder was previously a detective sergeant and was the commanding officer of the department’s Asset Forfeiture and Intelligence Unit. By taking on a civilian post as deputy commissioner, Ryder saw his salary decrease from the base of $273,709 in 2016 to $249,425 — a $23,284 pay cut.
Brian Hoesl, president of the Superior Officers Association, the union representing those at the ranks of captain and above, said while he has “great respect” for Ryder, whom he called “talented,” he questioned Krumpter on his decision to appoint the detective sergeant to the deputy commissioner post, bypassing several higher-ranking officers.
The move was not unprecedented, however, as lieutenants and sergeants have been promoted to deputy commissioner three times previously, officials said.
Krumpter defended his choice, pointing to Ryder’s expertise in asset forfeiture, which has seized about $141 million from illegal activity that has been used to fund a host of equipment purchases and initiatives. He said Ryder “brings a skill set to the table that is unique.”
Experience 10 of Long Island’s best restaurants
Experience 10 of Long Island’s
Best Restaurants
While enjoying a meal at your favorite restaurant, have you ever wondered what’s going on inside the kitchen? Get a behind-the-scenes look at some of LI’s top eateries with the videos below. Hit play and drag the video left, right, up or down for a 360 view without leaving your living room.
Arata Sushi
Recommended Dish: The “Invincible Sandwich” RollFrom the outside, it looks like a hundred other Long Island sushi restaurants. Inside, it’s got neither glitz nor glam. All the fireworks at Arata Sushi in Syosset are behind the sushi bar, where chef-owner Jimmy Lian, alumnus of New York’s vaunted Nobu, prepares pristine, innovative sushi that never crosses the line into wackadoo over-orchestration. Try the omakase — the chef’s choice of what’s best from the market that day, which may include white tuna with salsa verde and fluke with onion salsa; ceviche-packed fish tacos; or the signature “invincible sandwich roll” with salmon, avocado, flyingfish roe and Lian’s own “special sauce.” They don’t encourage lingering at Arata — there are too many people waiting to get in.
Yelp Rating
BBD’s – Beers, Burgers, Desserts
Recommended Dish: Griddle burgerRalph Perrazzo named his restaurant for his three great obsessions: beers, burgers and desserts. On the beer front, he’s got a state-of-the-art tap system with 28 beers on tap, one cask brew and more than 90 beers by the bottle. Burgers are done three ways: “steakhouse style” — a full 12 ounces grilled over live coals; griddled — seared to crispness on a hot flat-top; and steamed, for those who always wondered what White Castle would be like if the beef were fantastic. Killer desserts include banana splits and overstuffed s’mores. Since he opened in 2013, the restless Perrazzo has also developed some new obsessions . . . er menu items: wings and ramen. But BBDWR’s seemed like too clunky a name.
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Bigelow’s
Recommended Dish: Fried Ipswich clamsAlong a distinctly nonmaritime stretch of Sunrise Highway in Rockville Centre is one of Long Island’s most iconic seafood eateries: Bigelow’s — essentially 30 stools and one long counter curving around a Fryolator station — which seems not to have changed since it opened in 1939: It’s a lean, mean, seafood-frying machine. All the fried seafood here is recommended — whiting, shrimp, calamari, smelts, oysters, scallops — but the undisputed stars of the show are the fried Ipswich clams, soft-shell and with the bellies still attached. The clams are tender, nutty, delicate, crisp — everything that makes fried soft-shell clams one of the world’s absolute best things to eat. Brothers Anthony and Christo Andreolas also do a fine job with Manhattan clam chowder.
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Biscuits & Barbecue
Recommended Dish: Peach cobbler a la modeEveryone who happens upon Biscuits & Barbeque wants to think it’s their own little secret: a vintage railroad-car diner on a forlorn block at the edge of a Mineola’s industrial park that serves robust Louisiana cooking and smokehouse barbecue. But after five years, the secret is out. Cajun favorites include grapefruit-sized biscuits blanketed with creamy andouille sausage gravy; house-made potato chips topped with spicy chicken jambalaya; Louisiana gulf shrimp and grits; and all manner of po’ boys. From the smokehouse: ribs, pulled pork and chickens. Don’t leave without a slice of homemade pie.
Yelp Rating
Hendrick’s Tavern
Recommended Dish: Rack of lamb with a panko crustWith its timbered ceilings and rich leather accents, Hendrick’s Tavern looks like a country inn that’s been there forever; in fact it dates only from 2012, when brothers George and Gillis Poll transformed the historic but rundown George Washington Manor into a favored watering hole among Roslyn’s smart set (with a parking lot to prove it — no Kia Sorrentos here). The venue sprawls with multiple dining rooms and bars, and more rooms and bars for catered events. The food shoots for classic, and scores. Among executive chef Mitch SuDock’s winners: Kobe beef hot dog wrapped in puff pastry (in other words, an $18 pig in a blanket), lobster-truffle mac-and-cheese, steaks, chops, and, yes, spaghetti and meatballs.
Yelp Rating
Kyma
Recommended Dish: Grilled octopusDrive by Kyma any night of the week and silhouetted through the tall windows you’ll see most of Roslyn enjoying themselves. But not only is this Greek eatery the hottest spot in town, it’s also one of Long Island’s best fish restaurants. Displayed in the dining room on a bed of ice is a collection of whole fish that usually includes black sea bass, royal dorado, pompano, red snapper, pink snapper, branzino, octopus, calamari and langoustines. Of course there’s also salmon, tuna and swordfish, and a good selection of steaks and chops too. All of these get expertly grilled over live coals by executive chef Chris Kletsides. Managing partner Reno Christou said Kyma (“waves” in Greek) was inspired not just by the Greek islands, but by “good times on vacation at a little tavern at any seaside resort.”
Yelp Rating
Maple Tree BBQ
Recommended Dish: House-smoked pastramiHeading east on Route 25, the scent of smoke signals you have reached Maple Tree BBQ. Over the last eight years, the little free-standing building opposite the Peconic River has evolved from a deli with a smoker out back to a proper barbecue restaurant. Last year, Andrea Glick and Dennis O’Leary bought the place, spruced up the dining room and installed even more smokers out back. In addition to smoked ribs, brisket, pulled pork and chickens, Maple Tree also puts out pastrami and pulled chicken as well as smoked chili and smoked clam chowder, plus sandwiches and soft-corn tacos. You could do worse than to fill an insulated food carrier with barbecue and head a few miles farther east for a picnic lunch at your favorite North Fork winery.
Yelp Rating
Mosaic
Recommended Dish: Barbecued prawn eggrollOther restaurants offer a chef’s tasting menu; at Mosaic in St. James, that’s all there is. Other restaurants change their menus occasionally; Mosaic changes it nightly. The meal you are served depends entirely on the market, the season and the whims of chef-owners Jonathan Contes and Tate Morris, who often pick up their produce, fish and meat on the way to work. Count on five artfully wrought plates that usually include a salad, fish, pasta, red meat and dessert sampler. The restaurant is resolutely modest: 30 comfortable seats in a small, quiet dining room. All the flash comes from the tiny kitchen, where Contes and Morris work in near silence with only a dishwasher to help them.
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Thomas’ Ham & Eggery
Recommended Dish: Pulled pork sandwich meltWhen Tom Koukoulas took over Thomas’s Ham ’N’ Eggery in 1984, he was three owners removed from the original Thomas, who established the diner in 1946. But 33 year later, he has earned the right to have his name immortalized on the vintage neon sign, a landmark on Old Country Road. Where most Long Island diners compete to have the biggest menus — everything from chef salads to shrimp scampi — Thomas’s focuses on breakfast (albeit breakfast served from 6 a.m. to the 9 p.m. closing). Oatmeal is slow-cooked in big vats; cakes, pies and muffins are made from scratch in a distinctly non-industrial-sized five-quart KitchenAid; and most of the egg dishes are served in individual, stainless-steel skillets, many of which were acquired by the original Thomas and kept in gleaming condition by the current Thomas’s diligent (and elbow-grease-endowed) kitchen crew.
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Verde Wine Bar & Ristorante
Recommended Dish: Cod puttanescaPapa Joe’s pizzeria occupied this workaday location for 20 years before Anthony Carcaterra, the owners’ son, transformed it into a New American restaurant and bistro in 2014. The architectural bones of the pizzeria are still visible (and every entree still comes with a free salad — old habits die hard), but chef James Ahern’s menu is exceedingly modern. He’s got a thing for offal: starters include veal sweetbreads with speck and sage, and rabbit kidneys with ciabatta bread. Or hang out in the separate bar area and sip one of Verde’s imaginative cocktails such as the Penicillin, with Corsair Triple Smoke Bourbon, ginger, honey and lemon. Verde’s terrific wine list is all American, with one of Long Island’s best selections of Long Island wines.
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Credit: Interactive editor: Alison Bernicker | Design: Matthew Cassella | Development: James Stewart | Video shooters: Jeff Basinger, Raychel Brightman, Chuck Fadely, Megan Miller | Video editor: Matt Golub | Video producer: Jessica Kelley | Reported by: Erica Marcus