DA Names Westchester's First Female Senior Criminal Investigator

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — A former Mount Vernon Police Department detective made history when she accepted a promotion from her boss.

District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced the promotion of Latheia Smith, the first woman, and also the first Black woman, to hold the position of Senior Criminal Investigator in the history of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

"Latheia Smith is an extraordinarily talented investigator who has dedicated her life to making her community safer through a career in law enforcement," Rocah said announcing the appointment. "She shares my vision of a criminal justice system that balances justice for victims with fairness for all involved. I am proud to promote Investigator Smith in recognition of her many exceptional talents, skills and achievements. Making this Office truly representative of the diversity of the communities we serve by having women and women of color in leadership positions in law enforcement is critically important and I remain committed to this as one of my top priorities."

Smith began her career in 2003 with the Mount Vernon Police Department, where she worked on and investigated cases in the General Investigations Division, Narcotics Division and Street Crime. Her dedication and experience handling confidential informants, securing search warrants and successfully coordinating criminal investigations with other law enforcement agencies resulted in her being promoted to Detective.

In 2009, Smith joined the District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigators Squad, where she has investigated and assisted in the prosecution of homicides, sexual assaults, child abuse, elder abuse, narcotics cases and domestic violence. Investigator Smith currently oversees investigations into matters including human trafficking, sex crimes, domestic violence, elder abuse and child abuse in the Criminal Investigators Special Prosecutions Unit.

"Working at the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office has provided me with the opportunity to serve the County that I live in by working cases and assisting agencies with their investigations," Smith said. "As a law enforcement officer, my ability to help victims and their families while they are going through a criminal matter is incredibly rewarding. I’m thrilled to be promoted to Senior Criminal Investigator and am proud to not only be the first woman in that role, but also the first Black woman."

Rocah’s promotion of Smith follows a string of promotions of women and women of color to key leadership positions during her first year in office. Since January 2021, Rocah appointed the first Black woman to an Executive Assistant District Attorney position (and the first Executive level Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer), the first Black woman and first Hispanic woman to the Deputy Division Chief level and a woman as Chief of the largest Division in the Office. In addition to those four promotions, Rocah promoted 15 women, including six women of color, over the past year to the Bureau Chief and Branch Chief level, and key Coordinator positions, according to her office.