Rockville Centre Swears In New Police Commissioner, Inspector

Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray swore in the village's new police commissioner, James Vafeades, at the Board of Trustees meeting on Monday night. And right after, the newly minted commissioner swore in Ken Schaefer as inspector.

Vafeades has been with the Rockville Centre Police Department for 28 years. He began his career as a police officer for the village in 1990 and was promoted to police sergeant in 2002. In 2010, he was promoted to police lieutenant, the same year he also won the Nassau County Municipal Police Chief’s Association Distinguished Service Award.

Vafeades graduated from St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, as well as a minor in Management; the FBI’s National Academy in 2011; and most recently Molloy College with a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

Throughout his tenure, he has been involved in all aspects of the police department’s inner-workings, including supervision of patrol along with the anti-gang, anti-crime, juvenile and traffic units. He has managed and balanced all facets of the department’s annual budget, overseeing grants, supervising special events throughout the village and leading successful local and federal crime investigations. In addition, Vafeades is involved in several community programs, including the RVC Coalition for Youth.

In his new role, Vafeades will be responsible for planning, organizing, supervising and directing the activities of all personnel for the police department, which is comprised of 55 officers and more than 35 civilian employees. Vafeades replaces Charles Gennario, who served for eight years as Commissioner and a total of 32 years of dedicated service to the Rockville Centre community.

For more than three decades, Inspector Ken Schaefer has been a police officer. A Long Islander for life, he grew up in Levittown and attended Holy Trinity High School before attending Nassau Community College and SUNY Old Westbury. A graduate from the New York City Police Academy, Schaefer served as a New York City Transit Police Officer for three years before being appointed to the Rockville Centre Police Department in June 1989. He was promoted to Sergeant in January 2001 and Lieutenant in August of 2006. In addition, Schaefer attended session 248 of the prestigious FBI National Academy in 2011.

In his most recent role, Schaefer was assigned as the Commanding Officer of Support. His duties included supervising training for all members of the department, oversight of the Police Department Manual/Rules & Regulations, conducting internal investigations and property and evidence control. He also serves as the Program Manager for the state Division of Criminal Justice Services Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, a position he has held for more than a decade.

Last December, the department was re-accredited after a five-year audit of 110 standards that must be met each year of the cycle. This is the second successful re-accreditation under Schaefer’s watch. Schaefer replaces Glenn Quinn, who served for eight years as Inspector and a total of 32 years of dedicated service to the Rockville Centre community.

"I have full confidence that Commissioner Vafeades and Inspector Schaefer are the right people for these important positions,” said Murray. “Their years of expertise and experience will help continue the strong relationship between our community and police officers and keep Rockville Centre one of the safest communities in New York. I would like to thank Charles Gennario and Glenn Quinn for their 32 years of dedicated service to the residents of Rockville Centre and wish them all the best in retirement.”

First photo: Mayor Francis X. Murray swears in Police Commissioner James Vafeades, center, while Trustee Edward Oppenheimer and Vafeades's family watch. Second photo: Commissioner James Vafeades, right, swears in Inspector Ken Schaefer. Photos courtesy Village of Rockville Centre.