Date: Jan 11, 2010

Hofstra taps Nassau Police veteran as Public Safety Director

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY - Nassau County Police Chief of Department Karen O'Callaghan, the highest-ranking woman in the agency's history, has been named to succeed Edward Bracht as the University's new Director of Public Safety, President Stuart Rabinowitz announced today.

O'Callaghan, a 27-year-veteran of the Nassau County Police Department, will be the first woman to hold the post of Director of Public Safety at Hofstra.  Bracht is retiring at the end of this month after 25 years on the job. John C. O'Malley, assistant director of public safety, will serve as interim director until O'Callaghan assumes her duties in the summer of 2010.

"Chief O'Callaghan is an experienced, talented and highly-skilled law enforcement officer who also happens to be a pioneer," Rabinowitz said. "I am delighted to welcome someone of her caliber and character to Hofstra."
O'Callaghan began her career walking a beat for the Nassau Police in 1982, after earning a associate's degree in criminal justice from Farmingdale State College and a bachelor's and master's degrees from the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University.

She quickly rose through the ranks, working as a detective in the juvenile bureau, a patrol supervisor, detective sergeant, detective lieutenant, detective captain before being appointed deputy inspector in 1998. In that capacity O'Callaghan's duties included overseeing the agency's $500 million budget. She was promoted to full inspector in September 2001 and to deputy chief in 2004.

A year later, she was made commanding officer of the Nassau Police Academy, supervising all aspects of recruiting and training of new officers, in-service training, emergency vehicle operations and the move of the academy and eight other commands into a new facility.

Before being appointed Chief of Department in June 2009, O'Callaghan also served as the commanding officer of patrol precincts, overseeing more than 2,000 sworn officers and civilian employees and assistant chief of the Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism Bureau. She is an FBI-certified hostage negotiator, a state-certified police instructor, and a graduate of the senior police management institute co-sponsored by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 150 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students' interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.

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