Nassau’s Top Cop Eyed For Police Chief Role

Thomas Krumpter

By Jano Tantongco
jtantongco@longislandergroup.com

A document filed with the state last month points to the hire of Nassau County Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter as the Village of Lloyd Harbor’s next police chief.

The pension waiver request, obtained by Long Islander News on Friday, was filed May 4 by the Village of Lloyd Harbor with the state Civil Service Commission.

If approved, the waiver would allow Krumpter, who intends to retire from his role at Nassau on July 21, to collect a pension while working the new position. Laws prevent those who are younger than 65, have retired and collect a pension from earning a salary over $30,000 without a state-approved waiver.

Krumpter, a Huntington native, is in line to collect $150,000 each year through the pension, and would earn around $238,000 as Lloyd Harbor police chief, according to the waiver request.

If the waiver is approved Krumpter would collect the pension and not be required to pay into the pension fund further since he’s already met the 10-year requirement of doing so.

The state had not acted on the waiver request as of June 23.

The village is being pressured by the Suffolk County Civil Service Commission to hire a new police chief as soon as possible, according to the waiver request.

Lloyd Harbor Mayor Jean Thatcher did not respond to a request for comment before deadline. Lloyd Harbor Village Clerk Jill Cervini said Wednesday that Thatcher is “out of town until mid-July.”

Cervini also said in an emailed statement that no hiring decisions had been made as of Wednesday.

The village received 13 resumes for the open position, according to the waiver request. Those applications were solicited through Monster.com, Cervini said.

In the waiver request, the village states that its advertisement sought to identify a candidate who would not require a state-approved waiver.

Krumpter, who has worked for the village as a consultant on police matters since January, according to published reports, is cited in the waiver request as “the only applicant deemed sufficiently qualified.”

Nassau Police Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun said in an email Tuesday that Krumpter is “in discussions regarding multiple employment opportunities,” but had not yet made a decision.

The Village of Lloyd Harbor Police Department is made up of 12 officers and supervisors, and operates with a budget of as much as $2.3 million, according to village’s job posting.

Ex-village Police Chief Charles Flynn retired from the post last November after 32 years with the department.

In March, in a probe of Flynn’s tenure, the Suffolk District Attorney’s office subpoenaed the village for records, including payroll data, requests to destroy narcotics and evidence log books, according to a Newsday report.

When asked Wednesday, a Suffolk DA spokesman said he could not confirm the existance of those subpoenas, or if there is an ongoing criminal investigation.