State Police Superintendent Bruen resigns amid controversy

New York State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen has resigned.

Bruen, 59, was named by then-Gov. Cuomo as the head of the agency in June 2021.  He was general counsel for the state police and served as deputy superintendent, then acting superintendent, before he was appointed to the top job. However, he was never a trooper.

Bruen, who lives in Glens Falls and is a former Warren County Assistant District Attorney, came under scrutiny by the governor in recent days. Some people in the agency had complained that he protected or shielded a human resources director from internal complaints about her because he was friends with her.

Bruen submitted his resignation Friday morning.

“Today I accepted the resignation of State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen. I thank him for his years of public service,” Gov. Hochul said in a statement.

The governor says First Deputy Superintendent Steven Nigrelli will serve as acting superintendent while a search is conducted for a permanent leader for the state police.

#Breaking: New York State Police Supt. Kevin Bruen has resigned.
Bruen, who is 59, was
named by then-Governor Cuomo as head of the agency in June 2021. Before that he was general counsel for the @nyspolice and served as deputy superintendent then acting superintendent. @WNYT pic.twitter.com/TVFTQk2JT0

— Mark Mulholland (@MulhollandWNYT) October 7, 2022

Watch Mark Mulholland’s interview when Bruen first took the job.