Senator Croci Hears Testimony From State Homeland Security Commissioner

Cuomo's homeland security official defends consolidation plan

By Colby Hamilton

12:56 p.m. | Feb. 4, 2016

State homeland security commissioner John Melville told lawmakers Thursday that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to fold homeland security operations into the state police would have no impact on getting information to the right people.

“In actuality, those people will probably be sitting in the same seats they’re sitting in now,” Melville said at a joint legislative hearing, responding to questions from Sen. Thomas Croci.

Cuomo announced the move in his State of the State and budget proposal last month, saying it would increase efficiency by consolidating all intelligence and analysis resources within the New York State Intelligence Center under the state police.

“What we plan to do is just streamline the chain of command … so the information can get right to the people who need it,” Melville said. With the consolidation, the state police then would provide whatever intelligence information they need to distributed “to the people right on the ground who need it first.”

Croci said one potential concern was the fact that nothing in statute gives a clear outline of “what the pipeline” of information should be.

Melville said that since the operations were funded partly by federal homeland security funding, there was a legal mandate “to share that info with everyone” when it became relevant.