Washington, DC – National Park Service (NPS) Director Mary A. Bomar announced on December 24, 2008 that Salvatore (Sal) R. Lauro has been selected as Chief for the United States Park Police (USPP). Lauro, who is currently serving as the Acting Assistant Chief of USPP, will assume his duties as Chief in January 2009.
"Sal has done an outstanding job since returning to the US Park Police as Acting Assistant Chief nine months ago," said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. His years of professional experience, knowledge of the organization and strong communications skills make him the right person to lead the US Park Police. "Selecting him for the position ensures not only stability in the short term, but also positions the Park Police for continued improvements in the future."
As Chief of the US Park Police, Lauro will manage a force of more than 600 officers with responsibilities for providing law enforcement services to areas within the NPS - primarily in Washington, D.C., New York City and San Francisco. The USPP is a unit of the NPS within the Department of the Interior, with jurisdiction in all NPS areas and certain other Federal and State lands. They are frequently called upon to provide protection for dignitaries, such as the President of the United States and visiting foreign heads of state. USPP also assists other areas of the NPS and other
law enforcement agencies during law enforcement emergencies.
Lauro began his career with the US Park Police as a police officer in Washington, D.C. in 1978. In 1985, he moved to the New York Field Office of the USPP as a police officer, rising to the rank of Lieutenant by 1992. Sal served as the Regional Law Enforcement Specialist for the NPS for the Southwest Region from 1993 to 1997 where he advised the Regional Director and staff on all aspects of law enforcement and visitor protection issues in the Southwest Region. In 1997 he returned to Washington, D.C. as the Commander of the Central District where he supervised almost 100 supervisors and officers in a district that protected such important national icons as the Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, and the National Mall. He then transferred to the USPP Special Forces Branch where he was responsible for the planning and operational oversight of such large scale events as the Millennium Celebration, two Presidential Inaugurals, the dedication of the World War II Memorial and hundreds of other special events and demonstrations. In November, 2004 he left the USPP and began working at the Department of the Interior in the Office of the Secretary's Office of Law Enforcement and Security, first as a Supervisory Special Agent and then as an Assistant Director. In March, 2008 he was detailed back to the USPP as Acting Assistant Chief and has served in that position since that time.
Sal is a highly trained law enforcement specialist and has been educated in law enforcement skills and techniques by some of the best in the business, including the FBI National Academy, NY Police Department, the Department of Justice, the US Secret Service, US State Department, US Army, and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, where he is a distinguished graduate.
He is a native of Brooklyn, New York and a graduate of the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, graduating in 1974 with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering.
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