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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 212-05
June 2, 2005

MAYOR BLOOMBERG APPOINTS MICHAEL F. ARMSTRONG AS CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMISSION TO COMBAT POLICE CORRUPTION

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the appointment of Michael F. Armstrong as Chairman of the Commission to Combat Police Corruption. Mr. Armstrong is a partner at Kronish Lieb Weiner & Hellman LLP where he practices civil and criminal litigation and specializing in white collar criminal matters. He has also served as Chief Counsel to the "Knapp Commission," which investigated allegations of police corruption in the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and also as District Attorney in Queens County. The Commission to Combat Police Corruption (CCPC) was created in 1995 as a permanent board to monitor and evaluate the anti-corruption programs, activities, commitment, and efforts of the NYPD. The Commission is independent of the NYPD, and is comprised of six Commissioners appointed by the Mayor who advise a full time staff of attorneys. Mr. Armstrong replaces Mark F. Pomerantz, who left the CCPC on June 1.

"I am pleased to appoint Michael Armstrong as Chairman of the Commissioner to Combat Police Corruption," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Michael has a distinguished career in civil and criminal litigation, and brings tremendous integrity and experience to the Commission. I thank him for his commitment and I am confident that he will serve the commission and the citizens of New York City well."

Mr. Armstrong served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he was Chief of the Securities Fraud unit, then as Chief Counsel to the "Knapp Commission" and also as District Attorney in Queens County. Mr. Armstrong also recently served on a panel that oversaw the NYPD re-investigation of the 1989 Central Park jogger case and reported its findings to the Police Commissioner. In his criminal practice, Mr. Armstrong has served as defense counsel and has also conducted company investigations in many high-profile cases, including investigations on behalf of the Audit Committee of Warner Communications, Inc., the Board of the American Broadcasting Company and the Board of Texaco, Inc. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Armstrong was a partner at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP in the litigation group that came together from the firm Barrett Smith Schapiro Simon & Armstrong.

Mr. Armstrong is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the New York Bar Foundation and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He is Counsel to the New York Urban League and has served on the Board of Directors for the New York Legal Aid Society and as a member of the Federal Legislation and the Drug Law Evaluation Committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Mr. Armstrong was recently named one of the "Best Business Litigation Lawyers in America" by The Best Lawyers in America, a referral guide based on peer reviews. He has received the Norman S. Ostrow Award of the New York Council of Defense Lawyers, the Robert M. Morgenthau Award of the Police Athletic League and the Whitney North Seymour Award of the Federal Bar Council.

The CCPC was created in 1995 based upon the recommendations of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Police Corruption and the Anti-Corruption Procedures of the Police Department (the "Mollen Commission"). That study found that the New York City Police Department has undergone alternating cycles of corruption and reform. The Mollen Commission believed that the creation of an independent commission to monitor the anti-corruption activities of the Police Department, and help keep the NYPD vigilant in this area, would help break these recurring cycles of corruption.







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