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.

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.