Joseph F. Bruno

Joseph F. Bruno is a public official in New York City who has served as a lawyer, Fire Commissioner, New York City Civil Court Judge and New York State Supreme Court Judge. He currently serves as Commissioner of the New York City Office of Emergency Management.

Education

Bruno graduated from City College in 1966 with a B.S. in Economics and in 1968, he earned a Juris Doctor from St. John's University Law School. In 1988, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree from St. John's Law School.

Career

His career in public service began in 1971, when he joined the New York City Law Department as a trial attorney.

NYC Fire Commissioner

He served in various Law Department posts and on October 20, 1987 he was appointed the 26th Fire Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Edward I. Koch.

Under his leadership, the Fire Department developed a major fire safety education campaign for New Yorkers, with particular emphasis on children and senior citizens. He continued to serve as Fire Commissioner until the end of the Koch Administration on December 31, 1989.

NYC Civil Court and NYS State Supreme Court Judge

In 1991, Bruno was elected to the Civil Court of the City of New York and assigned to the Criminal Court. In 1996, he was elevated to Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County, and elected Justice of Supreme Court in 2002. It was in his judicial position in Kings County that Bruno made a horrifically low bail decision for ex-con James Parker which allowed him to be free to take hostage, torture and murder the complainant, 17-year-old Danielle Dimedici. Along with Danielle, Parker murdered Danielle's grandmother and shot her aunt and uncle before killing himself. Despite requests from the Kings County DA's office for substantially higher bail or even remand, Bruno allowed Parker to remain on the streets after his family posted the requested very UN-princely sum of $750.00.

Commissioner of NYC Office of Emergency Management

On March 4, 2004, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appointed him Commissioner of the New York City Office of Emergency Management. He is the fourth head of the agency since it was established in 1996.

In 2004, Bruno coordinated the City's response to various international disasters, including the floods in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and the South Asian tsunami.

In the spring of 2005, he successfully oversaw New York City’s final adoption and implementation of the Citywide Incident Management System. The program became the City's standard for responding to emergencies and managing planned events. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Bruno oversaw the development and operation of a Family Assistance Center to aid victims who migrated to New York City. In December 2005, Bruno headed the City's plan to maintain order during the Transit Strike, three days in which New Yorker's had no subway service and minimal bus transportation.

In 2006, Bruno oversaw the comprehensive revision of the City's Coastal Storm Plan. The updated plan ensures the City is prepared for a worst-case scenario hurricane, with sheltering capacity for more than 600,000 residents. The commissioner also led the City's response to the Queens blackout in July 2006, which left more than 100,000 residents without power for several days.