Attorney, Brother Of Slain Cop To Take Over NYPD Legal Matters Post
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The brother of an NYPD officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty has been named as the department's new deputy commissioner for legal matters.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced Thursday that Lawrence Byrne will be taking over the post.
"Deputy Commissioner Byrne brings over 25 years of legal expertise to the NYPD leadership team," Bratton said in a news release. "He not only brings a great wealth of knowledge ranging from white collar crimes to First Amendment and media litigation, but quite a proud family legacy as well."
Byrne is the oldest brother of NYPD Officer Edward Byrne, who was shot and killed in 1988 outside a Queens home while guarding a witness. Officer Byrne was only 22 and not long out of the Police Academy at the time.
Byrne's father was also an NYPD officer for 22 years.
Lawrence Byrne began his career in criminal justice as a federal criminal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan in 1988, and later with the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, police said.
More recently, Byrne has served in the white collar litigation and investigations group at the law firm Pepper Hamilton LLP, and as director with the Freeh Group for International Solutions.
He has represented clients in complex white-collar criminal, government regulatory, and civil matters, and has particular experience in antitrust, securities, class-action defense, commercial bankruptcy, First Amendment, and media litigation cases, police said.
He will succeed Deputy Commissioner for Legal Matters Douglass B. Maynard, who is retiring and returning to the private sector, police said.
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