June 1, 2020

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today promoted six members of its police division during a ceremony at the Staff Sgt. Robert H. Dietz DEP Police Academy in Kingston, New York.

“I want to congratulate the members of our police division who were promoted to detective specialist today,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said.“New Yorkers are fortunate to have a highly skilled, trained and dedicated police force to protect our water supply system and the lands that surround it.”

The DEP Police Division was established more than 100 years ago.It is charged with protecting the city’s water supply system, which includes two dozen reservoirs and lakes, more than 2,000 square miles of watershed land across nine counties, hundreds of miles of tunnels and aqueducts, dozens of dams, treatment plants, laboratories and other facilities. DEP police patrol the watershed by foot, bicycle, all-terrain vehicle, motorcycle, boat and helicopter.They also maintain specially trained units that include a detective bureau, emergency service unit, canine unit and aviation unit. The DEP Police Division includes more than 200 sworn officers.

The following were promoted to detective specialist:

• Det. Christopher Carr joined the DEP Police in 2009 and began his career in the patrol division out of the Ashokan Precinct.Carr joined the Emergency Service Unit in 2018. He is also a member of the DEP Police Honor Guard. He previously worked as a dispatcher in the Town of Ulster and City of Kingston police department, and as an officer for the Village of Montgomery and Town of Ulster police departments.
• Det. Nicola Cavallo joined the DEP Police in 2013 and began his career in the patrol division out of the Grahamsville Precinct.He joined the Emergency Service Unit in 2018. Cavallo graduated from SUNY Brockport in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in finance.
• Det. Charles Chapman joined the DEP Police in 2006 and began his career in the patrol division out of the Eastview Precinct. He joined the Strategic Patrol and the Aviation Unit in 2008 before returning to the patrol division in 2013.He was selected as a K-9 handler in 2017 and currently works out of the Hillview Precinct with his K-9 partner Odin.
• Det. Matthew Kruger joined the DEP Police in 2009 and began his career in the patrol division out of the Grahamsville Precinct. He joined the Emergency Service Unit in 2018. Kruger has served in the U.S. Army and New York Army National Guard since 2001. He was deployed several times for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. He earned two Meritorious Service Ribbons and one New York State Medal of Meritorious Service.
• Det. Martin Szostak joined the DEP Police in 2016 and began his career in the patrol division out of the Eastview Precinct. Szostak was the class leader during his time in the DEP Police Academy, and he joined the Emergency Service Unit in 2018.
• Det. Zacharry Vagias joined the DEP Police in 2016 and began his career in the patrol division out of the Eastview Precinct. He joined the Emergency Service Unit in 2018. Vagias attended SUNY Ulster.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of high-quality water each day to more than 9.6 million New Yorkers. This includes more than 70 upstate communities and institutions in Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties who consume an average of 110 million total gallons of drinking water daily from New York City’s water supply system. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and other professionals in the watershed. In addition to its $70 million payroll and $168.9 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.7 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with $20.1 billion in investments planned over the next decade that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.