Chief Taffe Brings 30 Years of Law Enforcement Experience to Role
25 MTAPD Members Promoted at Ceremony
View Photos of Chief Taffe
View Photos of Ceremony
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber today announced he has appointed Thomas J. Taffe as Chief of the MTA Police Department (MTAPD). Chief Taffe, who had served as Acting Chief of the MTAPD for four months, brings 30 years of law enforcement experience including more than two years as the MTAPD Chief of Operations. He will oversee the more than 1,400-member MTAPD that is responsible for patrolling and securing the MTA’s operating region. Chief Taffe was sworn in today by MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper at an MTAPD promotion ceremony.
“With his 30 years of law enforcement experience including an exceptionally strong background in strategic management, I have no doubt Tom Taffe is the right person to steer the MTA PD,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Customers can ride with confidence knowing there’s top-notch, capable leadership in place at all levels in the department.”
“The work of the MTA Police Department to create a safe and secure environment for riders has never been more important,” said MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper. “I’m thrilled to have Tom Taffe onboard who I know along with the impressive men and woman promoted today and their fellow officers will continue to serve riders with courage, honesty and perseverance.”
“It’s an honor to lead the MTA Police Department and I look forward to continuing to serve the millions of New Yorkers who rely on this department to keep the transportation system safe,” said MTA Chief of Police Thomas J. Taffe. “Congratulations to the men and women who received their hard-earned promotions today and together we’ll continue to uphold MTAPD’s values of excellence in leadership, integrity and professionalism.”
Chief Taffe joined the MTAPD after serving more than 27 years in the New York City Police Department (NYPD). In his most recent role as the MTAPD Chief of Operations, he ensured the department adhered to the mission of the MTA through strategic management of operations. During this time, Taffe managed MTAPD’s development of new patrols to work alongside NYPD at subway stations adjacent to MTA Terminals, and patrols at MTA bridges and tunnels. He also developed plans to establish the department’s first Police Academy.
Taffe began his law enforcement career with the NYPD after graduating from the NYPD Police Academy as the 1996 valedictorian. As an NYPD officer and supervisor, he served in various patrol commands in the Bronx and Manhattan and also served several years as a supervising instructor and training evaluator at the NYPD Police Academy. He was later promoted to Deputy Chief in 2018 while working in the Office of the Police Commissioner. Before joining the MTAPD, he served as the Commanding Officer of the NYPD Management and Budget Bureau.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Taffe currently lives in Westchester County with his wife and two daughters. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Police Science with a minor in Sociology and a master’s degree in Economic Crime Management and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar Trilogy Program, and the Columbia University Business School, Police Management Institute.
Chief Taffe was promoted at the ceremony today along with 25 other members of the MTAPD. Three members were promoted to captain, one to detective sergeant, 17 members were promoted to sergeant, and three to detective. And one civilian, Catecher Williams, was promoted to emergency communications supervisor. This is the first time MTAPD has included a civilian member in a promotion ceremony.
About the MTA Police Department
The MTA Police Department is responsible for patrolling and securing MTA property, including, Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, MTA yards and shops, and the over 5,000-square mile footprint of the MTA’s Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad from Montauk to Poughkeepsie. In recent years, the department has expanded patrol operations in the NYC subways and on the MTA-managed Bridges and Tunnels. Officers of the MTA Police Department’s Patrol Bureau police the LIRR, Metro-North and the Staten Island Railway via 11 districts across 14 counties in New York and Connecticut. The department also includes the following regionwide units:
- Investigative Bureau
- Intelligence Division
- Detective Division
- Interagency Counterterrorism Task Force
- Special Conditions Unit
- Special Operations
- Emergency Services Unit
- Highway Unit
- Hybrid Threat Unit
- Canine
- Subway Safety Unit
- Bridge & Tunnels Unit
The MTA Police Department was formed in 1998 with the consolidation of the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad police departments. After 9/11, MTAPD increased its counterterrorism capabilities, adding canine teams and emergency services officers. In 2005, the Staten Island Railway Police Department merged with the department. On March 3, 2016, MTAPD attained accreditation status from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services—Accreditation Council.