NEW YORK CITY — The city's Civilian Complaint Review Board, which oversees the NYPD, tapped its top prosecutor to lead it, officials announced Monday.
Jonathan Darche, who began his public service career as a staffer for Sen. Chuck Schumer, was officially appointed as executive director about six months after he was tapped to be acting director when his predecessor resigned to go teach at Harvard.
"I am deeply humbled to accept this position. In my time at the agency, I've learned just how vital a role it plays in the lives of all New Yorkers, civilians and members of service alike," Darche said.
"All of us—the CCRB's staff, community members and police officers—have a part to play in improvising the climate around policing in our neighborhoods, strengthening accountability and restoring trust," he added.
Darche, who lives in Astoria with his wife and 2-year-old son, worked for Schumer from March 1996 to April 1999, according to his LinkedIn profile. He attended Empire State College and got his law degree from CUNY in 2005.
Darche worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens from September 2005 until December 2012 when he joined CCRB as a deputy chief prosecutor, according to his profile.
Darche then oversaw the board's 100 civilian investigators when he became its Acting Chief of Investigations, helping clear a massive backlog of cases and bring down the time it took to investigate complaints by "more than 200 percent," officials said.
He then became the board's chief prosecutor, taking on police misconduct cases and advising the executive director on various issues, according to his profile.
"Jonathan has demonstrated a selfless commitment to the agency's mission and has vast expertise in the investigation and prosecution of police misconduct cases," said Maya Wiley, CCRB's chairwoman.
"We are confident that Jonathan will continue to build on the CCRB's commitment to a more effective and transparent agency," Wiley added.
