The G-Man Interviews: W. Craig Hartley, Jr.
CALEA's Executive Director Explains What the Agency
is Doing to Help Officers Who May Be in Distress
By Gary Glennell Toms
The following excerpts are from an August 13 report published in the New York Daily News.
A Bronx cop who was friends with an officer who recently committed suicide shot himself to death Tuesday, authorities said.
Johnny Rios, 35, left a note before shooting himself in the head inside his Yonkers home about 3:30 a.m., sources said. His girlfriend was in the home when the seven-year veteran died.
He is the eighth NYPD cop to take his own life this year. Four officers killed themselves in June, including Rios’ pal Kevin Preiss, who shot himself to death in his Long Island home.
Rios and Preiss worked together in the 50 Precinct and were close, sources said.
NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan discussed Rios’ death during an interview on Brian Lehrer’s WNYC radio show.
“Currently we have eight this year. That is a very large number," Monahan said.
"We want to let our cops know that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s really devastating to see that it continues (including) last night.”
“What’s going to drive a person to take their own life is an individual event, stress in the job, stresses in your personal life and it’s compounded by the fact you have a gun on your hip," he said.
On August 14, the day before this episode was recorded, a ninth NYPD officer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Queens, New York.
In this edition of The G-Man Interviews, W. Craig Hartley, Jr. discusses some of the programs his agency has implemented in effort to help police officers across the country who may be experiencing some level of emotional or mental distress.
Mr. Hartley joined the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc, also known as CALEA, in June of 2008 and was appointed Executive Director in January of 2014. He began his career with the Greensboro (NC) Police Department in 1989 and served in a number of positions within the agency before becoming an Assistant Chief of Police. During his tenure with Greensboro, he worked in the functional areas of patrol operations, tactical operations, accreditation, internal affairs, personnel, training, budget and planning, information and technology, and served as the chief of staff. Before joining CALEA, he also worked for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, an agency within the Executive Branch of state government assigned to the Secretary of Public Safety. While there he led the department’s Policy, Planning and Research Division and coordinated legislative affairs and public information.
He is a graduate of Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice/political science and a Master of Public Affairs. He has received specialized police management and leadership training from the Southern Police Institute and the Center for Creative Leadership, and he is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.
Johnny Rios, 35, left a note before shooting himself in the head inside his Yonkers home about 3:30 a.m., sources said. His girlfriend was in the home when the seven-year veteran died.
He is the eighth NYPD cop to take his own life this year. Four officers killed themselves in June, including Rios’ pal Kevin Preiss, who shot himself to death in his Long Island home.
Rios and Preiss worked together in the 50 Precinct and were close, sources said.
NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan discussed Rios’ death during an interview on Brian Lehrer’s WNYC radio show.
“Currently we have eight this year. That is a very large number," Monahan said.
"We want to let our cops know that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s really devastating to see that it continues (including) last night.”
“What’s going to drive a person to take their own life is an individual event, stress in the job, stresses in your personal life and it’s compounded by the fact you have a gun on your hip," he said.
On August 14, the day before this episode was recorded, a ninth NYPD officer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Queens, New York.
In this edition of The G-Man Interviews, W. Craig Hartley, Jr. discusses some of the programs his agency has implemented in effort to help police officers across the country who may be experiencing some level of emotional or mental distress.
Mr. Hartley joined the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc, also known as CALEA, in June of 2008 and was appointed Executive Director in January of 2014. He began his career with the Greensboro (NC) Police Department in 1989 and served in a number of positions within the agency before becoming an Assistant Chief of Police. During his tenure with Greensboro, he worked in the functional areas of patrol operations, tactical operations, accreditation, internal affairs, personnel, training, budget and planning, information and technology, and served as the chief of staff. Before joining CALEA, he also worked for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, an agency within the Executive Branch of state government assigned to the Secretary of Public Safety. While there he led the department’s Policy, Planning and Research Division and coordinated legislative affairs and public information.
He is a graduate of Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice/political science and a Master of Public Affairs. He has received specialized police management and leadership training from the Southern Police Institute and the Center for Creative Leadership, and he is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy.
The interview was conducted on August 15.
