July 13, 2021

Among Those Promoted was the First Female Lieutenant in Department’s 114-Year History

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently promoted 10 members of its police division during a ceremony at the Staff Sgt. Robert H. Dietz DEP Police Academy in Kingston, New York. Among those promoted was the first female lieutenant in the department’s 114-year history.

“I want to congratulate the members of our police division who were promoted today,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said. “New Yorkers are fortunate to have a highly skilled, trained and dedicated police force to protect our water supply system and the lands that surround it. Thank you for your dedication to public safety and public health.”

The following members of the DEP Police Division were promoted on Friday:

• Andreas Ortiz was promoted to Captain. Captain Ortiz was appointed to the DEP Police in December 2001 and began his career on Patrol reporting out of the Croton Precinct. In September 2003, he was selected for and transferred to the newly formed Special Operations Division, becoming one of the first Emergency Service Unit members. In December 2012, he was promoted to Sergeant and served as the Team Leader for First Squad. He was promoted to Lieutenant in December 2018 and assigned to Patrol reporting out of the Eastview Precinct, where he served until today.
• Joey Rosa was promoted to Captain. Captain Rosa was appointed to the DEP Police in December 2001 and began his career on Patrol reporting out of the Hillview Precinct. In September 2003, he was selected for and transferred to the newly formed Special Operations Division, becoming one of the first Emergency Service Unit members. In January 2007, he was promoted to Sergeant and assigned back to Patrol reporting out of the Hillview Precinct. In September 2014, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to Patrol as the Executive Officer for the Hillview Precinct.
• Walter Judd Jr. was promoted to Lieutenant. Lieutenant Judd was appointed to the DEP Police in July 2006 and began his career on Patrol reporting out of the Hillview Precinct. He was promoted to Sergeant in December 2012, where he remains active today.
• Christina M. Murphy was promoted to Lieutenant. Lieutenant Murphy was appointed to the DEP Police in January 2009 and began her career on Patrol out of the Schoharie Precinct. In April 2010, she was transferred to the Ashokan Precinct, where she remains active today. She was promoted to Sergeant in June 2016.
• Jose E. Rivera was promoted to Lieutenant. Lieutenant Rivera was appointed to the DEP Police in July 2002 and began his career on Patrol reporting out of the Hillview Precinct. In February 2007 he was selected for and transferred to the Special Operations Division, Emergency Service Unit. He was promoted to Detective in April 2013. He was promoted to Sergeant in March 2014 and assigned back to Patrol reporting out of the Eastview Precinct.
• Luis Alvarez Jr. was promoted to Sergeant. Sergeant Alvarez was appointed to the DEP Police in January 2009 and began his career on Patrol reporting out of the Hillview Precinct, where he remains active today.
• Olivia Bachor was promoted to Sergeant. Sergeant Bachor was appointed to the DEP Police in September 2011 and began her career on Patrol reporting out of the Ashokan Precinct. In May 2014, she was selected for and transferred to the Special Operations Division, Emergency Service Unit, where she remains active today. She was promoted to Detective in June 2016.
• Alexandra L. Gundermann was promoted to Sergeant. Sergeant Gundermann was appointed to the DEP Police in November 2017 and began her career on Patrol reporting out of the Eastview Precinct.
• Brett Misenar was promoted to Sergeant. Sergeant Misenar was appointed to the DEP Police in October 2002 and began his career on Patrol reporting out of the Croton Precinct and then was transferred to the Eastview Precinct. In May 2018, he was selected for and transferred to the Detective Division, where he remains active today. He was promoted to Detective in December 2019.
• Jose Salas was promoted to Sergeant. Sergeant Salas was appointed to the DEP Police in January 2002 and began his career on Patrol reporting out of the Hillview Precinct, where he remains active today.

The DEP Police Division was established more than 100 years ago. It is charged with protecting the city’s water supply system, which includes two dozen reservoirs and lakes, more than 2,000 square miles of watershed land across nine counties, hundreds of miles of tunnels and aqueducts, dozens of dams, treatment plants, laboratories and other facilities. DEP police patrol the watershed by foot, bicycle, all-terrain vehicle, motorcycle, boat and helicopter. They also maintain specially trained units that include a detective bureau, emergency service unit, canine unit and aviation unit. The DEP Police Division includes 222 sworn officers.

The division traces its roots back to the Bureau of Water Supply Police, which was created through the 1905 Water Supply Act. It was not until 1907 that the first provisional appointees were hired and assigned. On July 9, 1908, the first permanent police officers were appointed and assigned to precincts in Peekskill, Garrison, Brown’s Station, and High Falls. The Bureau of Water Supply Police was the first police agency in upstate New York with a multiple county police jurisdiction. In 1983, the Bureau of Water Supply became the Department of Environmental Protection and the New York State Legislature revised the Criminal Procedure Law, part of New York State Law, to include DEP police officers. In 1999, the DEP jurisdiction was extended to include the five boroughs of New York City. Members of the DEP Police are New York State certified police officers. The DEP department maintains jurisdiction in 14 counties.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $168.9 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with $20.1 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.