Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York explained

Post:	Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York
Insignia:	NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor seal.png
Incumbent:	Bridget G. Brennan
Member Of:	District Attorneys Association of the State of New York^[1]
Reports To:	independent agency
Appointer:	County District Attorneys (DA) of New York City: Bronx DA, Brooklyn DA, Manhattan DA, Queens DA, Staten Island DA
First:	Frank J. Rogers
Abbreviation:	SNP
Deputy:	Steven M. Goldstein, Chief Assistant District Attorney^[2]

The Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York is a city-wide position appointed by the five county district attorneys of New York City. The office is responsible for the prosecution of felony violations of narcotics laws within New York City. The current holder of the office is Bridget G. Brennan.

History

The Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York (SNP) is appointed by the five district attorneys of New York City (Bronx District Attorney, Brooklyn District Attorney, Queens District Attorney, Staten Island District Attorney and Manhattan District Attorney).^[3] The office was created by Attorney General of New York Louis J. Lefkowitz under the governorship of Nelson Rockefeller.^[4]

The position of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York is notable in several ways:

1. It is a state level position, so it overrides the jurisdiction of the five county district attorneys who appoint the SNP, but its jurisdiction does not extend to the rest of the state.^[5]
2. It is a permanent special prosecutor / special deputy attorney general position created via executive orders, not via legislative action.
3. The office is staffed by assistant district attorneys assigned from each of the five borough district attorneys.^[6]

One of the better known cases associated with the Special Narcotics Prosecutor is that of Frank Lucas, which was fictionalized in the movie American Gangster.

List of office holders

Special Narcotics Prosecutor	Dates in office	Notes
Frank J. Rogers ^[7]	February 3, 1972 – May 2, 1975	First Special Narcotics Prosecutor
Sterling Johnson, Jr.^[8] ^[9]	May 2, 1975 – 1991
Robert H. Silbering	1992 – November 1997
Bridget G. Brennan^[10]	May 1, 1998 – incumbent	Longest serving Special Narcotics Prosecutor

Partner agencies

As a prosecuting attorney office, the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor has its own Investigations Division, and works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies including:^[11]

• Drug Enforcement Administration
• U.S. Postal Service
• New York State Police
• New York Drug Enforcement Task Force
• Port Authority Police
• New York City Police Department's Organized Crime Control Bureau
• Homeland Security Investigations

See also

• Frank Lucas (drug dealer)
• American Gangster (film)
• Opioid epidemic
• Rockefeller Drug Laws

External links

• Official website of the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor

Notes and References

1. Web site: Members. District Attorneys Association of the State of New York. 28 September 2017.
2. Web site: Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York. Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York 2014 Annual Report. NYC.gov. Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York. 28 September 2017. 34.
3. Web site: Special Narcotics. The New York County District Attorney's Office. 28 September 2017.
4. Book: Benjamin. Gerald. Brecher. Charles. The Two New Yorks: State-City Relations in the Changing Federal System. 1988. Russell Sage Foundation. 9781610440424. 493. 19 January 2018. en.
5. Nadjari. Maurice H.. New York State's Office of the Special Prosecutor: A Creation Born of Necessity. Hofstra Law Review. Winter 1974. 02. 1. 97–128. 29 January 2018. Hofstra University School of Law.
6. News: Pascale. Anthony. New study debunks myths about drug crisis on Staten Island. 2 February 2018. Spectrum News NY1. September 22, 2017. en.
7. News: Man in the News. New York Times. February 4, 1972. 36. 28 September 2017.
8. News: Seigel. Max H.. The New Narcotics Prosecutor. 31 October 2017. New York Times. May 3, 1975. 44.
9. Web site: Johnson, Sterling, Jr. - Federal Judicial Center. www.fjc.gov. 28 September 2017.
10. News: Christopher S. Wren. City's Acting Drug Prosecutor To Take Over Top Post Today. The New York Times. 3 September 2017. May 1, 1998.
11. Web site: Audit of the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York Equitable Sharing Program Activities New York, New York. Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice. 7 March 2018. 2, 4.