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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 24, 2002
PR-019-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR BLOOMBERG SWEARS IN NICHOLAS SCOPPETTA AS
NEW YORK CITY'S 31ST FIRE COMMISSIONER

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today swore in Nicholas Scoppetta as New York City's 31st Fire Commissioner at a Gracie Mansion ceremony. Commissioner Scoppetta most recently served as head of the Administration for Children's Services (ACS), where he was credited for turning the agency into a national model for child welfare services.

"It is an honor to swear in Nick Scoppetta as New York City's 31st Fire Commissioner," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Just as members of our City 's Fire Department never back down from danger, Commissioner Scoppetta never backs down from a challenge. The Department has suffered a great loss and deserves a leader who reflects the courage and sense of purpose that define its firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and civilian members -- I believe Nick Scoppetta is that leader. His extensive experience in government, management and law enforcement spans more than four decades. Most recently, he served as Commissioner of the Administration for Children's Services, where he turned around an agency that no one believed could be reformed. His management skills will play a vital role in rebuilding the Department in both body and spirit."

"I would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg for giving me the opportunity to lead the New York City Fire Department in this unique and difficult period of its history," said Commissioner Scoppetta. "I will do everything in my power to be worthy of this privilege and to earn the trust, support and respect of the men and women of the New York City Fire Department. It is difficult to convey the devastation that the Department suffered on the morning September 11th. We lost 343 lives, 89 senior officers, and more than 4,400 years of combined experience on that terrible day. We will never forget the heroes who gave their lives to save more than 20,000 innocent people, and I am committed to rebuilding the Department and helping our men, women and their families to heal."

Commissioner Scoppetta was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. When he was five years old, he was placed in a children's shelter and lived in various foster care institutions until he was 12. He attended public schools in Manhattan. After serving two years in the Army, he attended Bradley University on the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1958 with a degree in Engineering.

He earned a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1962, attending classes at night on a New York State Regents Scholarship while working by day as an investigator for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In that position he investigated and assisted in the prosecution of cases involving the physical and sexual abuse of children. Upon graduation from law school, he was appointed an Assistant District Attorney in New York County by District Attorney Frank S. Hogan. He has also served as Associate Counsel to the Knapp Commission, as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and as the Deputy Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecution of a former Special Assistant to the President of the United States. He served as Commissioner of Investigation for Mayor John Lindsay and Deputy Mayor of Criminal Justice for Mayor Abraham Beame.

In 1978, Commissioner Scoppetta left public service and joined the faculty of New York University School of Law where he was a Professor of Law and Director of the Institute of Judicial Administration. In 1980, he founded the law firm of Scoppetta & Seiff, where he engaged in the private practice of law until his return to public service in 1996. Commissioner Scoppetta has served on numerous boards of not-for-profit institutions, including the Children's Aid Society, and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. From February of 1994 to January 1996, he was Chairman of the five-member Commission to Combat Police Corruption, which was created to monitor the New York City Police Department's anti-corruption efforts.

In January 1996, Mayor Giuliani announced the creation of ACS and appointed Commissioner Scoppetta as the agency's first commissioner. ACS is the City's first independent agency devoted entirely to services for children, with a commissioner reporting directly to the Mayor. In the fall of 2001, the voters of New York recognized the agency's tremendous contribution to the lives of New York City's children by voting to make ACS a permanent charter agency.

Commissioner Scoppetta lives in New York City with his wife, Susan, and has two grown children, Eric and Andrea, mother of Commissioner Scoppetta's first grandchild Luca.

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Ed Skyler / Jennifer Falk
(212) 788-2958
Francis X. Gribbon (FDNY)
(718) 999-2025