Jerry Speziale

Gerald Speziale is an American law enforcement officer and Public Safety Director of the Paterson Police Department and the Paterson Fire Department in Paterson, New Jersey.^[2] A former member of the New York City Police Department, Speziale has also served as the Sheriff of Passaic County, New Jersey, as Deputy Police Superintendent - Assistant Director of Public Safety for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department,^[3] and as Chief of Police for the City of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He has worked as an undercover officer in the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and for the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force while in the NYPD.

Gerald Speziale Jr
Speziale in 2011
Police Director of the Paterson Police Department
Incumbent
Assumed office July 2014
Police Chief of the Hazleton Police Department
In office January 2016 – April 2020
Police Chief of the Prichard Police Department
In office October 2013 – July 2014
Deputy Police Superintendent and Assistant Director of Public Safety of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department
In office August 2010 – October 2013
Sheriff of Passaic County
In office November 2001 – August 2010
Preceded by	Edwin Englehardt
Police Chief of the Hazleton Police Department
In office May 2016 – September 2021
Personal details
Born	1959 or 1960 (age 64–65)[1]
Political party	Democratic

Jerry Speziale resigned in 2010 and took a position with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Speziale's decision to move from Passaic County to the Port Authority mid-election was the focus of controversy, and prompted allegations that the appointment was political. Sympathizing with Speziale's family situation, because his wife was suffering from a terminal illness, many respected his right to make this move, but local and countywide Democrats were disappointed with the abruptness of his departing.^[4]

In 2003, Speziale had been described as a "high profile figure" and as having a "flair for publicity."^[5][6][7] In 1986, just a few years into his time with the New York City Police Department, Speziale was shot in the line of duty, where Speziale and his partner were ambushed and he was shot. Two other cops were shot and Speziale returned fire and killed the suspect. Speziale, later got involved in undercover drug work that took him to Colombia to help fight the powerful cartels.

Those experiences formed the basis of his published ghostwritten book: “Without a Badge: Undercover in the World’s Deadliest Criminal Organization,” describing his experiences working undercover,^[8] and has been featured on the reality TV series Cops. Speziale also played a police captain and served as a "police consultant" for the 2010 film Brooklyn's Finest.^[9]

Speziale was born in Paterson, New Jersey^{[citation needed]} to his father, a barber, and his mother, a paralegal.^[8] He grew up in Wayne, New Jersey.^[8][3]

Speziale joined New York City Police Department (NYPD) in 1983.^{[citation needed]} In 1986, he was shot during a shootout with a robber who had taken hostages.^[10] Speziale later worked as a detective on the narcotics squad, and befriended future NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik.^[8][3][11] During the 1990s, he became an undercover agent for the DEA, and was a member of the DEA's "Group 93," which was tasked with fighting Colombian Drug Cartels.^[8][11][12] Having reached the rank of first-grade detective, Speziale retired from the NYPD on a pension in 1997. He returned to police work at the Bergen County Sheriff's Department for eighteen months in 2000, before running for Sheriff of Passaic County in the November, 2001 elections.

Passaic County Sheriff

In November 2001, Speziale was elected Sheriff of Passaic County, New Jersey.^[3] Although he had campaigned for Republican candidates in 1999, Speziale ran as a Democrat, and replaced Republican Edwin Englehardt, who had served as sheriff for 27 years.^[8] He was re-elected sheriff twice, in 2004 and 2007.^[13]

In August 2002, Passaic County Sheriff's Detective's conducted a raid of a Paterson office that produced phony documents that were reportedly sold to several 9/11 hijackers and discovered them by numerous documents and international drivers licenses showing up on police vehicle stops.^[14] Federal officials were upset that Sheriff's Office Detective's in charge of the investigation did not inform the FBI about the raid and the details of the Sheriff's Office investigation were sealed in a secret hearing.</ref> Shortly after the raid, New Jersey's Attorney General ordered all local law enforcement authorities to get permission from a special liaison before seeking terrorism-related search warrants.^[15] Although, Speziale has served since 1994 as a consultant, instructor and subject matter expert on multijurisdictional law enforcement investigations involving wiretaps to federal law enforcement agencies around the nation.^[14]

Speziale also came into conflict with Passaic County freeholders (county legislators) and the state Civil Service Commission over the number of patronage appointments that he was allowed to make as Sheriff. The dispute centered on whether supervisors should count as sheriff's officers when calculating the number of "at-will" investigators the sheriff could hire. Initially, the state civil service commission and county freeholders accused Speziale of making a number of patronage appointments based on the supervisors county in the percentage, which Speziale won. In fact in March 2011, the New Jersey Civil Service Commission changed its stance, ruling that supervisors should count as sheriff's officers, and that Speziale had been within his rights when he hired the eight additional officers. By that time, Speziale had already left the Sheriff's office and the number of staff had been reduced.

On August 10, 2010, Speziale resigned in order to accept a post as Deputy Superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police.^{[16][6][17][18][19]} Speziale cited family reasons as his reason for resigning and abandoning his re-election campaign.^[3] According to The Record columnist Alfred Doblin, Speziale's decision to resign so suddenly, and during a campaign, was "a slap in the face to political allies and donors," and his decision to distribute the $1 million in campaign funds that Speziale had already raised to charity - rather than to other Democratic candidates - added "insult to injury."^[6][7] Republican Assemblyman Scott Rumana told reporters that he had helped to arrange Speziale's new job, in conjunction with the office of New Jersey's republican governor, Chris Christie.^[20] In response, the Passaic County freeholder board's democratic majority called for a criminal investigation, asserting that Speziale had been offered the job in order to entice him out of the race for Sheriff.^[18][20][21] Several years later, The Record reported that "nothing ever came" of the state investigation.^[22] Controversy over the appointment resurfaced in June 2015, however, when former Port Authority official David Wildstein - a key figure in the Fort Lee lane closure scandal - alleged in a sworn statement that Christie had arranged for the Port Authority to hire Speziale in order to take both him and his campaign funds out of the race.^{[17][18][23][24]}

In 2019, a grass roots support group of Jerry Speziale collected 4000 signatures in a few days for him to run for Passaic County Sheriff, in the June 2019 Democratic primary election, but Speziale withdrew after speaking with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and State Democratic Chairman John Currie. Both urged him not to run and divide the party. They asked Speziale to be patient and wait his turn. Speziale agreed, stating “The Democratic Party is very important to me and that the party does not need a divisive primary battle."^[25][26]

In 2010, Speziale was appointed to the role of Deputy Police Superintendent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department.^[1]

Paterson, New Jersey police

In July 2014, Paterson, New Jersey Mayor Jose Torres appointed Speziale as Paterson's new police director as one of his first acts upon assuming office.^[27][28] The number of reported crimes in Paterson reached a 25-year-low in 2016, according to data reported by the city. Overall reported crime fell by about 12 percent from 2015 to 2016. The drop is the second annual decrease for the city, after 5,060 crimes were reported in 2016. Mayor Joey Torres said he was encouraged by the statistics and said he was confident Police Director Jerry Speziale would continue to reduce crime. Speziale credited the work of city police officers.^[29]

In January 2019, Paterson saw a dramatic 50 percent reduction in the number of homicides in 2018, numbers officials are hailing as evidence that the city is becoming a safer place.^[30] The city's 12 homicides last year was lower than any other time since 2004, according to the Uniform Crime Statistics report compiled by the New Jersey State Police.^{[citation needed]}

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Police Chief

In January 2016, Hazleton, Pennsylvania Mayor Jeff Cusat appointed Speziale as Hazleton City's Interim Police Chief.^[31]

Months later, the Hazleton Headlines reported that Speziale became Hazleton City's full-time police chief sometime between late January and early February of that same year.^[32]

Crime in Hazleton decreased significantly in 2016. Year-end numbers show a 26 percent decrease in crime reported by the police department in November held steady through the final weeks of December. Police officers and the community working together, along with technology contributed to the crime decline, which Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale said is at a 10-year low for the department in the major crime categories. Hazleton, Pennsylvania Police credit community, technology with 26 percent drop in crime.^[33]

In April 2020, Speziale took a leave of absence from his role at the Hazleton Police Department, after Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh had told him to give up the Hazleton job the year prior.^[34]

In 2003, Jerry Speziale released a book which he co-authored with journalist Mark Seal, titled Without A Badge: Undercover in the World's Deadliest Criminal Organization, about his experiences working undercover in Colombia.^[8]

In 2009, Speziale played the role of Captain Sidney Geraci in the crime film Brooklyn's Finest, directed by Antoine Fuqua.^[35] Speziale also received a credit as the film's "Police Consultant."^[36]

In 2014, Speziale was featured on the TV show Cops, while at the Prichard Police Department.^[37]

In 2019, Paterson's fire department began being featured on Live Rescue, an A&E show following fire departments and EMT squads as they respond to calls.^[38]

In 2022, Paterson's police department began being featured on On Patrol: Live, airing on Reelz.^[39] Speziale himself has appeared on the show, among officers of the Paterson Police Department.^[40][41]