Former state police superintendent to speak at UAlbany graduate school commencement

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Goot

Thomas A. Constantine, former superintendent of the New York State Police, will address the University at Albany graduate school commencement on May 19.

The event will take place at 9 a.m. in the SEFCU Arena. A Niskayuna resident and native of Buffalo, Constantine was appointed by Gov. Mario M. Cuomo to be the 10th superintendent of the New York State Police in 1987. Constantine began his career as a trooper in 1962 and he was the first superintendent to come through the ranks in 30 years. He is credited with transforming the state police into a major force in combating drug trafficking and establishing initiatives such as the 1-800-CURB-DWI Program.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Constantine to be administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, where he oversaw a workforce of more than 7,000 special agents and support staff and DEA offices in all 50 states and more than 50 countries. He created new programs to foster closer cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies and to enhance their ability to fight violent drug crime. He also directed efforts to help foreign governments combat the world’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations. A joint operation with the nation of Colombia led to apprehending the leading figures of the Colombian Cali Drug Mafia.

He accepted an appointment by the United Kingdom secretary of state in May 2000 to serve as oversight commissioner of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland. He led a team of policing experts from the U.S. and Canada in initiating police reforms. In 2007, he was appointed to a select Senior Advisory Group to the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, where he provided independent assessment and guidance on security and law enforcement issues.

Constantine holds an associate’s degree from Eric Community College, a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University at Albany.

Constantine has served as a public service professor at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy since 1999 and developed a leadership development program for mid-level state police officers designed to enhance the overall strength of the police force.