HAWTHORNE, NY (June 5, 2022) — Commissioner-Sheriff Thomas A. Gleason of the Department of Public Safety retired on June 3, capping a 39-year career with the Westchester County Police. He has served as commissioner for almost four years.
Gleason was appointed commissioner-sheriff by County Executive George Latimer in Aug. 2018. The County Executive thanked Gleason for his four decades of service to Westchester County and its residents.
Gleason said it has been a privilege to lead the Westchester County Police and he thanked Latimer for trusting him to oversee the department, which has 301 police officers, 79 civilian employees and a $66 million annual budget. During his career, Gleason has served in every division and held every rank in the County Police: police officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, inspector, chief inspector and commissioner-sheriff.
Latimer said: “He has literally done every assignment in the Department. He has performed admirably in each of those positions and he has performed admirably as commissioner of the department since 2018. I want to thank Tom Gleason for a job well done, for a career well served. We are very appreciative of his great service.”
Gleason holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science/Economics from Fordham University in the Bronx, NY. He also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy 200th Session, Quantico, Virginia.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this County. I especially want to thank the County Executive for having the faith and confidence to allow me to cap my law enforcement career by leading our Department these past four years,” Gleason said.
“I am so proud of the men and women of the County Police and of the great work they do every day to keep the people of Westchester safe. Throughout the past few years with all the challenges we have faced, from the pandemic to the police reform process, they continued to demonstrate the commitment and professionalism that make them second to none,” Gleason said
Gleason began his law enforcement career when he joined the Department of Public Safety in January 1983. After graduating from the Westchester County Academy, he was assigned to the Patrol Division. He was appointed Detective in 1987 and worked in the General Investigations and Welfare Fraud Units.
In 1989, he was promoted to Sergeant and returned to the Uniform Patrol Division until 1990, when he was reassigned to the Detective Division and served as both Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of the Warrant-Fugitive Unit.
In 1993, he was reassigned to the Civil Division as the Executive Officer, and in 1994, he was promoted to Lieutenant and remained in the Civil Division as Commanding Officer.
In 1997, Gleason returned to the Detective Division as Commanding Officer of the Narcotics Unit, during which time the unit affected one of the largest cocaine and cash seizures in the history of the department (97 kilos of cocaine and over $1.2 million dollars in cash).
In 1998, Gleason was assigned as Commanding Officer of the General Investigations Unit, and served in that capacity until 2003, when he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the Office of Professional Responsibility and Special Investigations.
In 2007, he was promoted to Captain and assigned as the Commanding Officer of the Investigative Services (Detective) Division.
In 2010, Gleason was assigned as the Commanding Officer of the Patrol Services Division, serving there until 2012, when he was promoted to Inspector and assigned as the Executive Officer of Field Services, which oversees both the Patrol and Special Operations Divisions.
In 2014, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the Support Services Division.
On August 3, 2018, he was promoted to Chief Inspector and subsequently named Commissioner-Sheriff — the first department member in more than 25 years to hold the Department’s top post.