Police Executive Training

Joseph A. Gramaglia
Police Commissioner
Buffalo Police Department

Joseph A. Gramaglia was appointed as the 42nd Police Commissioner of the City of Buffalo on March 2, 2022. The Buffalo Police Department is the second largest city police department in New York State with a budgeted force of over 800 sworn members and 275 civilian professional members.

Commissioner Gramaglia is a graduate of the State University of New York at Fredonia with a bachelor’s degree in communications and the State University of New York College at Buffalo with a Master of Public Administration. Additionally, he has attended the FBI National Executive Institute and the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police.

With over 28 years of police experience, Commissioner Gramaglia is a staunch advocate for reducing gun and gang violence through community engagement and scientific data driven strategies. He believes in building strong relationships within the community based on trust and transparency. Commissioner Gramaglia has instituted numerous evidenced based strategies within the department including an enhanced custom notification based program and in 2022, implemented an enhanced data driven micro-hot spot violent crime reduction plan that has shown immediate results in the reduction of shootings throughout the city.

Commissioner Gramaglia began his career with the Buffalo Housing Police Department in 1994 as a public safety officer patrolling the municipal housing developments in the City. In 1996, he was hired by the Buffalo Police Department as a police officer assigned to patrol until 2008 when he was promoted to Lieutenant assigned to patrol. He was also a member of the Underwater Rescue and Recovery Team as a scuba diver for four years. In 2013, Commissioner Gramaglia was promoted to Captain and assigned as the commander of the Homicide/Crimes Against Persons Division. In 2016, he was promoted to Chief and assigned Buffalo’s Central District, which included the central business district, entertainment areas, sporting arenas and many diverse city neighborhoods. In this assignment, he was tasked with large scale planning for many events including parades, races, large festival events, and concerts. Then-Chief Gramaglia focused on a robust community policing strategy to increase community trust and engagement that resulted in significant crime reduction and fostered deeper community relationships. In May of 2018, Commissioner Gramaglia was promoted to Deputy Police Commissioner of Operations, overseeing all policing operations and homeland security operations for the department.

Commissioner Gramaglia is a member of the Major Cities Chiefs’ Association and the eastern region board member, Police Executive Research Forum, the New York State Chiefs of Police Association and the Erie County Chiefs of Police Association.

Darren B. Cox 
Assistant Special Agent in Charge
FBI - Buffallo

In June 2021, Darren B. Cox was selected to serve as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the FBI's Buffalo Field Office, responsible for the Criminal and Administrative branches of the division with oversight of the Jamestown Resident Agency. ASAC Cox began his career as a Special Agent with the FBI in December 2001 and was assigned to the Phoenix Field Office, where he investigated matters related to White Collar Crime and Violent Criminal Enterprises.

ASAC Cox was promoted as a FBIHQ Supervisor Special Agent in 2011, serving in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD) where he managed several high profile WMD investigations. In December 2009, he was assigned to the Pittsburgh Division working matters related to International Terrorism and Drug Trafficking Organizations.

In March 2017, he promoted to FBI Headquarters as the Chief of Staff for the Finance and Facilities Division. He was then selected to serve in FBI’s Washington Field Office in December 2018, where he supervised the Safe Streets Gang Task Force responsible for Firearms Act violations and Racketeering Enterprise Investigations.

Prior to entering the FBI, ASAC Cox worked in Public Accounting as a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Anthony Geraci
Police Chief
Newberg Police Department

Anthony W. Geraci is a 20-year veteran of New York State law enforcement, beginning his career in 1998 with the New York City Police Department. While with the NYPD, he was assigned to the 113th Precinct, Transit District 1, Midtown North Precinct, Anti-Crime Unit and the Police Academy as a physical fitness and tactics instructor. In 2003, he joined the City of Albany, New York, Police Department where he rose through the ranks and served in a variety of capacities. His last assignment was the Commanding Officer of the Neighborhood Engagement Unit (NEU), which is a citywide unit comprised of beat officers, community service officers, school resource officers, prevention services unit, anti-violence coordinator, youth aide, and the Police Athletic League. He formerly served as the Commanding Officer of the Training Unit and Director of the City of Albany Police Academy. While he served at the senior management level, the Albany Police Department was recognized by the White House as one of fifteen model agencies for the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. He retired from the Albany Police Department in July 2019 and became the Chief of Police for the city of Watervliet, where he has made Procedural Justice a cornerstone of his administration, both internally and externally. This approach has afforded collaborative partnerships to cultivate, community trust and legitimacy to be attained, and the ability to create a learning organization which is continually expanding its capacity to create their future.

Anthony holds a Bachelor of Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Master of Public Administration from Marist College. He has served as an adjunct professor at the State University of New York, Albany School of Criminal Justice and Columbia-Greene Community College. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Northeast Chiefs of Police, and he serves as the 2nd Vice President on the Executive Board for the Zone 5 Regional Law Enforcement Academy. He proudly became a National Policing Institute Executive Fellow in November 2019.

Anthony is married to his wife Jackie and has four children.

Mike Ranalli
Police Chief (Ret.)
Glenville Police Department

Michael D. Ranalli, JD, retired as Chief of the Glenville, New York, Police Department Chief Ranalli began his career in 1984 with the Colonie, New York, Police Department and held various ranks. He also spent 12 years on the Colonie Police Special Services Team.

Chief Ranalli is a frequent presenter and author on various legal issues including search and seizure, use of force, legal aspects of interrogations and confessions, wrongful convictions, supervision and leadership and civil liability. He is the author of two books on search and seizure and civil liability.

Chief Ranalli is a past president of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police (NYSACOP) and a member of the IACP Professional Standards, Image & Ethics Committee. He is a Certified Force Science Specialist and graduate of the 2009 FBI Mid-Atlantic LEEDS.

He holds a Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School. He is admitted to the New York State Bar and the Federal Bar (Northern District of New York).

Dave Phelps
Director
Monroe Crime Analysis Center

Dave began his 27-year career with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in 1990. During his early career, he was the lead defensive tactics instructor, patrol training coordinator, and a member of the SWAT Unit. Dave was promoted to sergeant in 2005 and served as a patrol supervisor, airport security supervisor, and criminal investigation supervisor. In 2009, he was promoted to Lieutenant and was assigned to lead the Internal Affairs Unit and then the Office of Communications. In 2012, Sheriff O’Flynn appointed Dave to the position of Commander, where he oversaw recruitment, training, records management, fleet, accreditation, and property management. In 2015 Dave became the Chief Deputy. As the Chief Deputy Dave led the Sheriff’s Patrol Bureau, which was staffed by 350 members. Dave retired from the Sheriff’s Office in December 2017. In 2018 Dave was hired by the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services to be the Director of the Monroe Crime Analysis Center in Rochester. Dave holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Change Management from Nazareth College. Dave is an adjunct instructor at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he teaches technology in criminal justice.

Justin Collins
Sergeant
Rochester Police Department

Justin Collins is a 19-year veteran of the Rochester Police Department (RPD). During his time with RPD he has worked in some of the most challenging, high crime neighborhoods of the city. In 2010 Justin was promoted to the position of Sergeant and later promoted to Public Information Officer (PIO) for the department. After his time as the PIO, Justin joined the Technical Services Section Unit (TSS) where he has fostered a culture of professionalism and dedication to protecting the community. 

Outside of his work with RPD, in 2007 Collins founded the Badge of Honor Association (Badge of Honor) a 501c3 nonprofit organization that supported police officers involved in critical incidents and the children of fallen officers across Western and Central, NY. Badge of Honor united thousands of people and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of the mission during its 11 years in existence. SGT. Collins is credited for reestablishing and leading the Rochester Police Activities League (PAL) in 2011. During the 12-year period Collins managed PAL he recruited over 1,000 police officers to volunteer and fostered relationships between RPD and community event organizers. In 2016 Justin focused his off-duty time on launching and managing his own business, Police Exam Career Prep (PECP), a recruitment and workforce development company that prepared quality, passionate professional candidates for positions with public safety agencies through engaged training and mentoring. In the six years that he ran PECP, the organization helped over 200 dedicated men and women land jobs in more than 15 different police agencies from across the region. 

In January of 2022, Collins turned his attention to supporting the recruitment efforts within the RPD when he took over management of RPD’s Recruitment Unit. Collins was tasked with the creation and adoption of a progressive and proactive approach to recruitment and candidate development. At the time, RPD had just come off one of the poorest recruitment campaigns recorded in RPD history and the department was facing community backlash due to several high-profile use of force events both locally and nationally. Collins management of the Recruitment Unit included developing a workforce development solution for mentoring program candidates through the challenging RPD police hiring process. Under this leadership, the Recruitment Unit completed two successful campaigns that recruited over C1,000 applicants and launched the department’s first workforce development program which successfully graduated 19 hires so far. 

When not working, Sgt. Collins spends time with his wife and very active 12-year-old son. He can be found coaching youth football and hockey or cheering on the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.

Ryan Perlongo
Downstate Advisor
NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services

Ryan Perlongo is the Downstate Advisor for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Law Enforcement Strategic Assistance Unit. This unit provides hands-on strategic counsel to New York State law enforcement agencies focusing on evidence-based policing practices, violent crime prevention, and community trust building. Ryan’s role includes the design of portfolio-specific training and guidance tailored to local legislation and priorities.

In addition to his work with the Strategic Assistance Unit, Ryan serves as Master Police Instructor for the DCJS Principled Policing Training Series. Ryan’s 15-year career in sworn service was rooted in developing and administering officer training and professional development programs in Pennsylvania and New York, where he served in multiple roles retiring as Assistant Chief of Police.

Ryan holds an M.S. in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego, is a doctoral candidate at St John’s University Criminal Justice and Homeland Security Program, and was recently selected as a recipient of the NIJ Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) merit-based scholarship which provides members direct insight from forward-thinking practitioners who value research and the role it plays in supporting law enforcement nationwide.

Charles Woody
Director of Community Engagement & Recruiting
Broome County Sheriffs Office

Charles Woody is the Director of Community Engagement and Recruiting for the Broome County Sheriff’s Department. Born and raised in the inner City of Binghamton NY and at the age of thirty joined the police department. Retired in 2018 with 20 years of service, 15 of those were as an Investigator in several different details within the department.  In 2016, he was assigned to BPD recruiting efforts to attempt to increase minority interest in law enforcement careers.  Upon retirement, Charles transitioned to the private sector working as a training supervisor with American Airlines for three years and officiating college basketball which I have been doing for several years. After NY State Police Reform Act, he was contacted by a former Binghamton Police Chief about the recruiting/retention problems and returned to law enforcement as the Broome County Director of Recruiting and Outreach.  Concurrently, Charles has started his own business - 146 Police Professionals LLC. 

Jeff Rinaldo
Captain (Ret.)
Buffalo Police Department

Captain Jeff Rinaldo is a 23-year veteran of the Buffalo Police Department.  He is also a graduate of Canisius College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.  Over the course of his 23-year career, he has worked as a patrol officer, a Community Police Officer, a Detective in the Sex Offense Squad also investigating juvenile crimes and elder abuse, Patrol Lieutenant, Lieutenant in charge of special projects where he supervised social media platforms, the department body camera and Taser implementation programs, and assisted in the implementation of the BPD Emergency Response Team.  Captain Rinaldo was promoted to his current rank in 2017 and became the department Chief of Staff where he oversees all media relations, the department Body Camera Program, citywide camera surveillance system, discovery unit, FOIL unit, management information systems, Commander of the Hostage Negotiations team and other important projects.  In his 3 years as the department Public Information Officer, Captain Rinaldo has established himself as an effective and respected PIO handling numerous in custody deaths, the on-duty death of an officer, officer misconduct cases, and many New York State Attorney General investigations.

Jaclyn Goldberg
Attorney
Keane & Beane Attorneys at Law

Ms. Goldberg acts as Labor Counsel to various municipalities and private employers, attending to matters including general compliance with state and federal laws, collective bargaining with unions, employee discipline, improper practice charges, grievance hearings and arbitrations. Ms. Goldberg provides advice to municipal boards and department heads regarding all aspects of labor management. She represents clients in litigation before administrative tribunals and federal and state courts concerning a wide range of employment issues, including discrimination and

retaliation cases, including claims brought under Federal Civil Rights Statutes, such as 42 U.S.C. § 1983, Title VII, Title IX, ADA, ADEA, FLSA, civil rights actions and wage and hour disputes. Ms. Goldberg also represents clients in arbitrations held pursuant to the rules of the New York State Public Employment Relations Board and the American Arbitration Association. Ms. Goldberg also concentrates her practice on the defense of police misconduct, malicious prosecution and false arrest. She provides counsel training to clients on a wide variety of labor and employment issues. She has also conducted various employment related investigations including harassment and employee misconduct.

Additionally, Jaclyn Goldberg serves as General Counsel and Labor Counsel to numerous public-school districts in Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Nassau Counties, NY. Ms. Goldberg provides advice to boards of education and school district administrators regarding all aspects of school district operations. She represents school districts in litigation before administrative tribunals and federal and state courts, as well as in appeals to the Commissioner of Education. Ms. Goldberg handles student disciplinary matters and investigations of employee or student misconduct.

Ms. Goldberg joined the firm in 2010 with prior experience representing municipalities.

Greg Veitch
Police Chief (Ret.)
Saratoga Springs Police Department

Greg Veitch retired as Chief of Police for the Saratoga Springs Police Department after a 25-year career in law enforcement.  Greg is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, DEA Drug Unit Commanders Academy and holds a master’s degree in Leadership from SUNY Plattsburgh.  He is a published author and is frequently invited to present at state and national conferences.  In addition to teaching in the Criminal Justice Program at SUNY Adirondack, Greg has taught leadership and management principles to thousands of police leaders across the country through his company, Noble Cause Training and Development.  Greg is married to his high school sweetheart, Jen and together they have raised five children in their hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY.   

Jennifer Lackard
Deputy Police Commissioner for Special Initiatives
Mount Vernon Police Department

Jennifer Lackard was appointed as the Deputy Police Commissioner for Special Initiatives for the Mount Vernon Police Department in 2020.  She oversees the development of police reforms, behavioral health and wellness programs for officers and the community, a new Civilian Complaint Review Board and support for those formerly incarcerated.  One of Commissioner Lackard's most significant life achievements was the creation of an agency to provide behavioral health options for those navigating the criminal justice system.  In 2007, she founded the Ivy House Center for Self-Sufficiency in North Carolina.  This program grew to into a full-service program with outpatient mental health and substance abuse therapy and was the catalyst for the creation of a mental health court. 

Scott Neff
Program Manager
NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services

Scott Neff is a program manager in the Program Services Unit of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Office of Public Safety.  He presents across NYS on the topics of law enforcement suicide prevention, PTSD and Officer Wellness. He is the architect of the NYS DCJS T.R.A.U.M.A. program, coordinates the NYS DCJS peer support training efforts, coordinated the development of the DCJS Officer Wellness Curriculum for the Basic Course for Police and developed, and presents, the Officer Wellness Curriculum Orientation training with Doctor Matthew Carpenter. He has attended the ICISF Assisting Individuals in Crisis and Group Crisis Intervention classes as well as the ASIST suicide intervention class. He also serves as a peer for NYLEAP Post Critical Incident Seminars. Scott is also a current curriculum development panel member with IADLEST and NYS OMH. He has served in the NYS LE community for over 30 years.

Matt Carpenter
Police Officer
Rochester Police Department

Matt has been a police officer for more than 18 years. He started his career in the Bronx (46) with the NYPD before transferring Upstate. Matt has served primarily in patrol; but, he has had many different assignments throughout his career to include his current role - Resilience Officer with his Department’s Officer Wellness & Resilience Unit. He is also a member of the Leadership Team at Serve & Protect (www.serveprotect.org), a 501 (c)(3) Nonprofit organization that confidentially locates mental health services for First Responders across the United States. Matt is an Instructor for FBINAA Comprehensive Officer Wellness, lead instructor for NYS DCJS Officer Wellness, Defensive Tactics, Use of Force, ASR, PR-24, MEB, Ancillary Law, and a Master TASER Instructor.

William Georges
Asst. Chief (Ret.)
NYSACOP Traffic Safety Liaison

William P. Georges is an Assistant Chief (ret.) with the Albany, New York Police Department.  During his 25 year career he held positions including Commanding Officer of the Traffic Safety Division, Chief of Special Operations and Chief of Patrol.  During his career, he was temporarily assigned to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. where he was assigned to their Police Traffic Services Division.  He is a member of the international Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Roadway Safety Committee and the Traffic Law Enforcement Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies.  He is the Chairman of the NYSACOP Traffic Safety Committee, serves as a NYSACOP Traffic Safety Outreach Liaison (TSOL) and has conducted training both throughout the United States and internationally.

Megan Wnek
CPA
Drescher & Malecki LLP

Megan Wnek, CPA, joined Drescher & Malecki LLP (D&M) in January 2013 after receiving her MBA from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. D&M is a CPA firm dedicated to providing services exclusively to governmental and not-for profit entities. At D&M, Megan oversees audits and provides consulting services specializing in Towns, Villages, Cities, Counties and School Districts. She also spent three years serving as the Director of Finance for the Town of West Seneca, NY from 2017-2020 before returning to D&M in 2021 as a Manager. Megan is a member of the New York State Government Finance Officers' Association (NYSGFOA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA).

Nichole Ruf
Director
Drescher & Malecki LLP

Nichole Ruf, CPA, serves as Director at Drescher & Malecki LLP.  She joined the firm in October 2007. Since 2007, she has gained significant experience serving governmental entities.

Nichole graduated from Canisius College with an MBA in Professional Accounting. She also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion and Textile Technology from the State University of New York, Buffalo State, where she graduated summa cum laude.  Nichole currently serves as a member of the Special Review Committee for the Government Finance Officers’ Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program and as a board member of Boys & Girls Club of Orchard Park – Boston. She is also a member of the New York State Government Finance Officers' Association (NYSGFOA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA).

Jonathan Luterek
Lieutenant
West Seneca Police Department

Lieutenant Jonathan Luterek began his law enforcement career in 2011 with the West Seneca Police Department. He served as a patrol officer for 9 years where he was also a Field Training Officer. He was promoted to Patrol Lieutenant in 2020. Lt. Luterek is currently a Public Information Officer, Supervisor of the CIT/Behavioral Health Team, Social Media Manager, and in charge of the Department of Defense 1033 surplus program.

Lt. Luterek's professional Law Enforcement Education consists of the the First Line Supervisors Course and Certification; Instructor Development Certification, the FBI Great Lakes Leadership Seminar, along with numerous other job specific courses. Lt. Luterek has received his Department's Life Saving award, Officer of the Year "Valor" award, and the Chief's "Officer of the Year" award. He graduated in 2005 from the University at Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning with a B.A. in Environmental Design with a minor in Business Administration.

Dan Denz
Chief (Ret.)
NYSACOP Traffic Safety Services Coordinator

Chief (Ret.) Daniel Denz began his law enforcement career in January 1988 as a Police Officer with the City of Virginia Beach Police Department, VA.  He moved back to his hometown in 1989 when he was hired as a police officer for the Town of West Seneca.  Chief Denz served 32 years as a police officer rising thru the ranks, serving as Chief of Police for the last 8 years of his career.

During his law enforcement career, Chief Denz served as President of the Erie County Chiefs of Police Association, 2^nd VP of the NY State Association of Chiefs of Police, is the sitting  Treasurer of the Western New York Chiefs of Police Association, and is an active member of the International Chiefs of Police Association. 

Chief Denz is currently employed as the NYSACOP Traffic Safety Services Coordinator.  He holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Science in Management and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 212.  

Brian Ross
Detective (Ret.)
Buffalo Police Department

Detective Brian Ross retired from the Buffalo Police Department in 2015. He is also a graduate of Buffalo State College with a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Over the course of his 23-year career, he has worked as a patrol officer, a Community Police Officer, and a Detective in the Homicide and Cold Case units, where he investigated several Officer involved critical incidents.

After his retirement from the Buffalo Police, he took a position as an Investigator at the NYS Attorney General’s Office, He was assigned to the Public Integrity Bureau, where he investigated political corruption. In addition, he was assigned to the Special Investigations and Prosecution Unit (SIPU), which investigated deaths of unarmed civilians in the custody of Police, per Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Law 147. Lastly, he was assigned to the Executive Protection details for Attorney’s General Eric Schneiderman, Barbara Underwood, and Letitia James. He left the AG’s office in 2020 and is now currently on Staff at the Erie County Law Enforcement Training Academy.