There is a new head honcho in Patrol Borough Queens South (PBQS).
At a ceremony last week, Chief Thomas V. Dale was promoted to Chief of Personnel. Stepping into his shoes is Assistant Chief James Secreto, 53, who served as commanding officer of the NYPD’s School Safety Division.
Secreto, a former Queens Village resident, has 30 years on the Force, including commander of the Queens narcotics unit, which in 2004 took down an elaborate heroin smuggling ring by Columbian lords that was operated in Maspeth. The value of the drugs seized reportedly exceed $22 million.
The new Commanding Officer of PBQS has said that he hopes to continue his predecessor’s work in reducing crime.
Patrol Borough Queens South saw a nearly 28 percent drop in murders through December 27, 2009 compared with the same time the year before. PBQS was one of the few areas where the murder rate soared in 2008, causing local legislators and residents to express concern about the spike in violent crime.
City Councilmember Leroy Comrie specifically credited the work of Dale, who Comrie said has done a great job with limited resources, a sentiment echoed by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall.
Dale, who served in the United States Marine Corps, joined the NYPD in 1970. He was named Deputy Chief in June 1999 and Assistant Chief in August 2002.
Among others, he has served in the Special Events Squad, Traffic Division, Organized Crime Control Bureau, Arson & Explosion Squad, Terrorist Task Force,
Central Investigation and Resource Division, Office of the Chief of Patrol, Patrol Borough Bronx, Patrol Borough Queens South, and the Midtown North, 60th, 83rd, 90th, 103rd, 107th and 114th Precincts.
