Final week Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch was pressured to confess the NYPD had mistakenly allowed a police officer to retire earlier than he might face pending disciplinary costs for the demise of a Queens teenager experiencing a psychological well being disaster.
What Tisch didn’t point out was that the division had additionally failed for months to inform the state Division of Prison Justice Companies of the cop’s retirement, a failure that may have allowed him to leap to a different legislation enforcement company in New York after leaving the NYPD.
By legislation the division should notify the state when an officer dealing with disciplinary costs retires, and the state then locations the officer’s title on an inventory of cops who’ve been “eliminated for trigger.” That forestalls them from working in one other legislation enforcement jurisdiction.
Officer Salvatore Alongi was dealing with costs of abuse of authority and pointless use of drive within the demise of 19-year-old Win Rozario throughout a March 2024 psychological well being emergency name inside {the teenager}’s house. Physique digicam footage confirmed Alongi hitting Rozario with a taser after his mom had taken away scissors he was wielding; his accomplice, Officer Matthew Cianfrocco, fatally shot the teenager.
The Civilian Grievance Evaluate Board cited each cops in September 2025, they usually awaited an administrative disciplinary trial. Alongi retired Could 15, however the NYPD didn’t get round to notifying the state prison justice company of his retirement till Oct. eighth.
The notification got here the day after Rozario’s household introduced they might “reveal details about one of many officers who killed Win and name for swift and decisive motion.”
At an Oct. 8 press convention outdoors Metropolis Corridor, the household denounced the police division for failing to inform the CCRB of Alongi’s retirement as required. That failure allowed Alongi to retire earlier than dealing with trial.
MORE: NYPD Blames ‘Human Error’ After Officer in Win Rozario Taking pictures Is Allowed to Retire
Hours after the press convention, Commissioner Tisch issued an announcement admitting the failure to inform CCRB, however she mentioned nothing in regards to the division’s failure to inform the state.
On Tuesday, Janine Kava, a spokesperson for DCJS, mentioned the police division often recordsdata its listing of names for decertification quarterly. In Alongi’s case that may have been by July 1. Kava mentioned the division didn’t submit any names at the moment and referred The Metropolis Reporter to the NYPD “in regards to the delay reporting its Q2 removals.”
On Wednesday, police spokesperson Bradley Weeks mentioned the division is barely required to report the names of officers who’re not within the division yearly, in January, however that they “work with DCJS to share names on a quarterly foundation so they’re proactively knowledgeable.” He didn’t touch upon the timing of the disclosure coinciding with the day of the Rozario household’s press convention.
“DCJS workers monitor all businesses required to report and routinely work with them to enhance the timeless of their reporting. We anticipate all employers of police and peace officers to adjust to their reporting obligations,” Kava mentioned.
Loyda Colon, govt director of the prison justice reform group the Justice Committee, castigated the NYPD for its double failure.
“Win Rozario’s household mustn’t need to take off work and manage a press convention simply to get the NYPD to observe state legislation,” Colon mentioned.
In the meantime, the officer who shot Rozario, Cianfrocco, continues to be employed by the division and nonetheless faces an administrative trial prosecuted by CCRB. As of Wednesday, the CCRB had but to schedule a date.
