MAYOR GIULIANI NAMES STEVEN M. FISHNER CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today named Steven M. Fishner as the City's new Criminal Justice Coordinator, replacing Katherine Lapp, who was recently named Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Mr. Fishner currently serves as the Executive Assistant District Attorney for the New York County District Attorney's Office. Today's appointment is effective January 12, 1998.
"Over the past four years, New York City has experienced an unprecedented reduction in crime," Mayor Giuliani said. "Thanks to the combined efforts of our law enforcement agencies working with the Criminal Justice Coordinator, New York City is now the safest large city in America. The Criminal Justice Coordinator has been instrumental in so much of our success and will continue to play a critical role as an advocate for the City's criminal justice policies in Albany and Washington, as well as working with our local law enforcement agencies.
"Steve Fishner has had a long and distinguished career in public service," the Mayor continued. "In his current role as Executive Assistant District Attorney of Manhattan and as Coordinator for the New York State Law Enforcement Council, he has worked with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to formulate new policies and legislation. Steve has the legal and managerial expertise needed to be an effective Criminal Justice Coordinator. I welcome him to the administration and I look forward to working with him in the years to come as we build upon our accomplishments."
Mr. Fishner said, "I thank Mayor Giuliani for the opportunity he has provided me to serve the citizens of New York City as Criminal Justice Coordinator. It will be a high honor to hold this position now, particularly at a time when this administration has helped our City so much by reducing crime to record levels. It is an exciting time to work with an administration that has enjoyed such unprecedented success and is committed to building on that record. I look forward to working with Mayor Giuliani, his commissioners and the talented professionals in the Criminal Justice Coordinator's Office."
Mr. Fishner is currently Executive Assistant District Attorney for the New York County District Attorney's Office where he is a policy advisor responsible for representing the DA's Office on budget, legislative and intergovernmental matters at the City, State and Federal level. He also serves as the Coordinator of the New York State Law Enforcement Council where he develops the legislative agenda and negotiates law enforcement proposals with the State Legislature and the Governor's Office.
Mr. Fishner has held a variety of positions in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. An Assistant District Attorney since 1978, he was appointed the Bureau Chief for the Juvenile Crimes Bureau in 1984, prosecuting violent juvenile offenders. After a year with the law firm of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, Mr. Fishner returned to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in 1986 as Deputy Bureau Chief of the Major Offense/Career Criminal Program. In 1987, he was named Deputy Administrative Assistant District Attorney and Director of Hiring. From 1991 to 1996, Mr. Fishner served as Administrative Assistant District Attorney, managing an office budget of $60 million with a staff of over 1,300 individuals.
The Criminal Justice Coordinator works closely with the City's law enforcement agencies, including the Police, Fire, Correction, Probation and Juvenile Justice Departments. The Coordinator advises the Mayor on criminal justice matters, as well as developing and implementing City policies, legislation and strategies in the fields of public safety and criminal justice. The Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator serves as a liaison to the City's prosecutors and the New York State Office of Court Administration. The Coordinator's responsibilities also include oversight of the use of City funds for legal services to indigent defendants and implementation of the City's Court Facilities Construction Plan.
Over the last four years, the Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator assisted the Mayor in implementing the mergers of the Housing Police Department and the Transit Police Department into the New York City Police Department in April 1995; the merger of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) into the Fire Department in March 1996 and the acquisition of Federal Crime Bill funding for New York City of over $50 million in 1995 and over $130 million in 1996.
Mr. Fishner, 44, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from George Washington University in 1975 and graduated from Hofstra University School of Law in 1978. A Brooklyn native, Mr. Fishner was joined at today's ceremony by his wife, Reva, and his children, Jonathan, 14, and Benjamin, 12.
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