NEW YORK NOW - The head of the New York State Police will resign after reports this week indicated he was under investigation by the Hochul administration over claims that he’d helped shield a former human resources staffer from scrutiny.
Kevin Bruen was confirmed as superintendent of the New York State Police last year, but will now depart in the coming days, Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed in a statement Friday.
"Today I accepted the resignation of State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen. I thank him for his years of public service,” Hochul said. “First Deputy Superintendent Steven Nigrelli will serve as Acting Superintendent on an interim basis, as we conduct a thorough search for a Superintendent who can lead this department in its important work.”
Hochul has worked closely with Bruen since she took office on the issue of illegal guns, tasking Bruen and the State Police with participating in a new task force to curb the spread of those weapons across nine states.
But Bruen was also a hold-over from the administration of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who picked him as superintendent at the tail-end of his time in office.
Hochul acknowledged that in an interview this week with the Times Union, confirming at the time that Bruen was under investigation by her administration.
"This is an individual I inherited," Hochul said.
The Times Union first reported Bruen’s resignation Friday morning. For more details on the investigation and his resignation, read this story from our partners at the newspaper.