The New York Police Department is losing its top counterterrorism official. An NYPD spokesman confirmed yesterday that Richard Falkenrath plans to leave at the end of the month. He had been deputy commissioner of counterterrorism since 2006.
The 41-year-old Falkenrath was an architect of the department’s efforts to detect and thwart terror threats.
He has overseen an initiative to fortify Lower Manhattan with a network of closed-circuit security cameras, checkpoints and license-plate readers.
In a statement, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly thanked him for his “outstanding service.”
Before he joined the NYPD, Falkenrath was a national security aide for the Bush administration.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne says there is no word yet on who would replace him or where he’ll work after his departure.
{ABC Local/Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}
