The Correction Department, which is still reeling from a series of scandals, is losing its top uniformed official, Martin Murphy.
The New York City Correction Department, still struggling to contain the fallout from a series of scandals that forced the abrupt resignation of the commissioner two weeks ago, was confronted with another potentially destabilizing development on Friday. Martin Murphy, the department’s top uniformed supervisor and one of the most respected officials at city jails, told colleagues that he planned to step down.
The Correction Department confirmed that Mr. Murphy planned to retire but gave no reason for his decision. Mr. Murphy could not be reached for comment.
The timing of the decision could not be worse for the department, which has only just begun interviewing candidates to replace the commissioner, Joseph Ponte. Mr. Ponte stepped down this month after investigations into the misuse of city vehicles by the commissioner and his aides, as well as a campaign of spying on city investigators by the Correction Department’s internal affairs division.
Mr. Murphy, a 30-year veteran of the department, was not among those accused by city investigators of wrongdoing, and in fact was singled out in the report on city vehicles for his scrupulous adherence to the rules.
“We thank him for his dedication to the City of New York and for his work on behalf of D. O. C.’s reform agenda, ” said Peter Thorne, a department spokesman. “We wish Chief Murphy the very best in his retirement.”
Mr. Murphy may remain in the job through the summer. Even so, the loss of such an experienced manager could further hamper efforts to contain violence in the city’s jails while also ensuring a smooth transition to a new commissioner.
Two weeks after Mr. Ponte’s resignation, City Hall is still in the early stages of selecting his replacement.
“As part of our thorough search for the next commissioner, we’ re talking with many correctional experts from all over the country, ” said Natalie Grybauskas, a City Hall spokeswoman.
Among those under consideration is Dan Pacholke, who spent 33 years with the Washington State Department of Corrections. This week, Mr. Pacholke, who is now a senior research fellow at New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management, toured Rikers Island and met with Mr. Ponte. In a brief telephone interview, Mr. Pacholke confirmed that he was in talks for the job. “I don’ t know who else they’ re talking to, ” he said.
The tour was first reported by The Daily News .
Mr. Pacholke is considered to be an innovator in the world of corrections. Like Mr. Ponte, who oversaw Maine’s state prison system before coming to New York in 2014, Mr. Pacholke has been an advocate for reducing the use of solitary confinement as well as for introducing creative programs for inmates. In Washington, he enacted a number of conservation initiatives, including worm composting and beekeeping.
But also like Mr. Ponte, scandal forced him from the job. Mr. Pacholke resigned in February 2016, after only a few months as corrections head, amid revelations that a computer glitch had allowed thousands of inmates to be released before the end of their sentences. Though the problems predated his tenure, he said he had elected to step down to satisfy what he described as politicians’ “need for blood.”
