Monday, August 20, 2018

NYPD Places Embedded Intelligence Officers around the Globe


Sunday, June 24, 2018

Introducing Touro Law's Public Advocacy Center


A former chief of detectives of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Phil Pulaski holds a bachelor degree in chemical engineering and master degree in environmental engineering from Manhattan College in the Bronx, New York. While working full-time as an engineer at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Phil Pulaski attended St. John's University School of Law in Queens, New York at night, and received a juris doctor degree in May 1980. He passed the New York State Bar examination in July 1980, and was admitted to practice law in New York State. Phil Pulaski was subsequently admitted to practice law in the US Supreme Court, US Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, and US District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of NY. 

Phil Pulaski served as a supervisory attorney in the NYPD’s Legal Bureau for several years and, as he was promoted to higher executive ranks in the department, he continued to closely collaborate with the Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters particularly regarding the law involving search and seizure, arrest, eyewitness identification, interrogation and electronic surveillance. Phil Pulaski also provided a significant amount of legal training to members of the NYPD including 10 New York State Bar Continuing Legal Education courses.

Since retiring from the NYPD in 2014 and continuing to work as a law enforcement executive, Phil Pulaski attended Touro College School of Law in Suffolk, New York at night, and received a master of laws advanced law degree (LLM) in January 2018. While studying for his LLM advanced law degree, he maintained a 4.0 GPA and graduated summa cum laude.

Along with offering several academic programs, Touro Law oversees a number of public service initiatives, including the William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center (PAC). Designed to provide legal training while assisting those in need, the PAC is home to several nonprofit agencies serving the local community. At the Center, Touro Law students meet their pro bono requirements by providing advocacy services, research work, and client-relations support for the member agencies. 

The list of nonprofit groups that currently maintain offices at the PAC includes Breaking Barriers, Long Island Advocacy Center, ProBono Partnership, and the Empire Justice Center. The PAC also works with approximately 20 affiliate members, including Hope For Youth, Literacy First, Prison Families Anonymous, and Vision Long Island. To learn more about the PAC and other Touro Law public service initiatives, visit www.tourolaw.edu.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

The ASCLD/LAB International Accreditation Program


Phil Pulaski has 36 years of law enforcement experience, and was Chief of Detectives of the NYPD for more than 5 years where he was responsible for 3,600 personnel. In the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Phil Pulaski managed the NYPD’s counterterrorism and weapons of mass destruction operations. From 1995 until his retirement in 2014, Phil Pulaski managed all NYPD physical evidence programs including the multi-agency “Forensic Initiative” that involved: 
• Overseeing the operations of the NYPD’s uniformed Evidence Collection Teams that annually collected more than 30,000 items of DNA evidence and 5,000 items of fingerprint evidence, and
• Collaborating with the 5 NYC District Attorney’s Offices, Special Narcotics Prosecutor and NYC Law Department; and, the NYC OCME Toxicology, DNA, Pathology and Anthropology units. 

Phil Pulaski received a Juris Doctor Degree in 1980 from St. Johns University School of Law and a Master of Laws advanced law degree from Touro Law School in 2017. He practiced law privately and for the NYPD for more than 35 years. Before going to law school at night, Phil Pulaski received a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering in 1974 and Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering in 1975 from Manhattan College, Bronx NY. Phil Pulaski worked as an engineer for the US Environmental Protection Agency for 4 years. 

As Commanding Officer of the Forensic Investigations Division, Deputy Commissioner of Operations and ultimately as Chief of Detectives, Phil Pulaski significantly re-engineered the operations of the NYPD Police Laboratory, Crime Scene Unit, Latent Print Section, Bomb Squad, Forensic Artist Unit, Computer Crimes Squad and NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) Liaison Unit. Because of his remarkable educational background and extraordinary experience he was chosen to serve as a Commissioner on the US Department of Justice’s “National Commission on Forensic Science”. Phil Pulaski was responsible, together with the Director of the Police Laboratory, for ensuring the NYPD’s Police Laboratory was accredited twice under the ASCLD/LAB International Program and once under the Legacy Program. Phil Pulaski is currently leading a team that is developing national standards and protocols for the use of RAPID DNA technology by crime scene technicians to expeditiously produce actionable investigative leads and CODIS eligible DNA profiles

A program of authorization and certification that is overseen and approved by the ASCLD/LAB Board of Directors, the ASCLD/LAB International Accreditation Program attests to the overall proficiency of a forensic laboratory’s general technical operation and management system. This accreditation is intended to contribute to a comprehensive framework of quality assurance measures that should also include regular continuing education and customer liaison efforts. 

Designed to provide an independent and objective system of forensic laboratory standards, the ASCLD/LAB International Accreditation Program strives to improve the quality and efficiency of individual forensic laboratory services while offering a context in which to assess these improvements. The program also endeavors to serve the general public by identifying specific forensic laboratories that have demonstrated full compliance with industry standards.

Friday, February 2, 2018

IACP Technology Conference Examines New Law Enforcement Technologies


Phil Pulaski is a law enforcement executive with over 35 years of experience. Phil
Pulaski formerly served as chief of detectives of the New York City Police Department,
and was responsible for 3,600 personnel who investigated more than 256,000 felony
and misdemeanor crimes, and arrested more than 39,000 offenders. During his career
in the NYPD Phil Pulaski also served as Deputy Commissioner of Operations and
Commanding Officer of several large commands including the Intelligence Division,
Counterterrorism Bureau, FBI / NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force, Detective Borough
Manhattan, Detective Borough Bronx, Special Investigations Division and Forensic
Investigations Division.

Phil Pulaski belongs to a number of law enforcement associations, including the
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The organization will hold its 2018
IACP Technology Conference in May.

The conference provides a forum for the exploration and discussion of information,
learned lessons, and best practices regarding the latest law enforcement technology.
Addressed areas range from information management and sharing to communications
and interoperability, and the conference highlights information about technology
standards. Attendees can participate in training and professional development sessions
while learning about new and emerging technologies.

Scheduled events include more than 30 technology-oriented educational sessions that
cover a wide array of topics, such as next-generation first responders and real-time
monitoring of social media. A number of plenary sessions and concurrent workshops
will also be available throughout the conference. In addition, networking events give
attendees the opportunity to meet leading solution providers and connect with other
agencies and practitioners.

Registration fees vary according to membership with IACP and the chosen registration
category, which includes categories for exhibitors, speakers, and students. Individuals
unable to attend the entire conference may also purchase a single-day pass.
The 2018 IACP Technology Conference will take place May 21-23 at the Rhode Island
Convention Center.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The National Commission on Forensic Science Looks Toward the Future


Phil Pulaski is an experienced law enforcement professional who served more than 33 years with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), ultimately retiring in 2014 as the chief of detectives. Among his other accomplishments, Phil Pulaski is extremely well versed in forensic science, and managed all NYPD physical evidence programs including the multi-agency “Forensic Initiative”, and the NYPD’s uniformed Evidence Collection Teams that annually collected more than 30,000 items of DNA evidence and 5,000 items of fingerprint evidence. During December 2013, Phil Pulaski was selected to serve as a commissioner on the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Commission on Forensic Science (NCFS).

For a period of four years, the NCFS diligently worked to improve the practice of forensic science by developing guidance concerning the intersection between forensic science and the criminal justice system. The NCFS also worked to develop policy recommendations for the U.S. Attorney General, including uniform codes for professional responsibility and requirements for laboratory accreditation and forensic scientist certification. The NCFS also worked in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to refine operational practices and improve overall reliability within the forensic sciences.

Although the federal charter of the NCFS expired on April 23, 2017, the Commission released a final business document that identified the important work that other agencies and organizations must address going forward. Entitled “Reflecting Back-Looking Toward the Future,” this document summarized the many accomplishments of the NCFS and then described the work that still remained to be done. Among the recommendations, the NCFS called upon qualified individuals and organizations to promulgate nationally accepted forensic analysis standards, address context and cognitive bias, implement policies to promote a uniform code of professional responsibility and address rapidly evolving technological advancements in the field of digital forensics.