All Sections Subscribe Log in
Wednesday, August 14th 2024
82°F Daily News e-Edition
Evening e-Edition Crime and Public Safety
E-Newspaper NYC Crime National News Politics Sports Eats Photos Puzzles & Games Obits
Trending: ‘It Ends With Us’ feud Anti-Muslim hate campaign Soto’s three home run night Alex Murdaugh jury tampering appeal Disney star arrested Harlem Week
News Crime and Public Safety
Two Dept. of Probation assistant commissioners sue DOP head Juanita Holmes
over demotions
Most Popular
'Night-Life Lawyer' Salvatore
Strazzullo dead in apparent suicide
in Brooklyn: sources
Ex-Disney star Skai Jackson
arrested after alleged battery of
boyfriend
Cast of 'It Ends With Us' want
'nothing to do with' Justin Baldoni
Boy, 13, who died in motorcycle
crash just arrived in NYC in search
of 'better life'
Two NYPD detectives charged in
COVID loan fraud scheme
Brooklyn church choir singer
fatally stabbed after clash over
neighbor's loud music
Photo appears to show Sen. JD
Vance wearing drag in law school
Kamala Harris trolls Trump over
Elon Musk, X debacle
WCBS 880 to shut down as parent
company sells newsradio station to
ESPN
JD Vance's wife addresses
speculation the VP nominee wears
eyeliner
Juanita Holmes is pictured in Queens in 2021. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)
By Graham Rayman | grayman@nydailynews.com | New York Daily News Trending Nationally
PUBLISHED: August 14, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.
MAP: Is Tropical Storm Ernesto a
threat to Florida or the U.S.? Here’s
the latest forecast path
Bicyclist survives fall down Big Sur
landslide, helicoptered to hospital
Loading your audio article
Minnesota National Guard officials
weigh in on Walz service
New York City’s Department of Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes violated civil service law 25 Great Danes running loose near
where California walker was fatally
when she demoted an assistant commissioner in charge of the Bronx who asked not to have to wear a mauled
firearm while on duty, court papers allege.
McDonald’s collectible cups are out
today; here’s what you get
In one of her earliest acts after moving to the Probation Department from the NYPD in 2023 Holmes ,
ordered all probation officers to carry firearms. The edict caused a stir because many officers felt they
didn’t need to be armed to do their jobs.
New York Daily News
Daily News front page for Dec. 25, 2023: Ex-NYPD chief shaking up department, shifts away from “social work” focus.
In March, Assistant Commissioner Lisa D’Ambrosio — technically an administrative probation officer
— asked to be exempted from the edict because both of her hands were injured, according to the
lawsuit she filed last month..
In May, D’Ambrosio put in for retirement after not getting a response from Holmes. Two days later,
she was demoted and her $120,000 salary was slashed 31% to roughly $82,500.
“The lack of dignity and respect from Department leadership has shifted the way I view my 34 years of
dedicated civil service and achievements,” D’Ambrosio told The News. “After three decades of service,
seeing a culture of hostility overshadow opportunities for community change is disheartening. It
reflects a toxic environment that threatens employee morale and public safety.”
D’Ambrosio filed suit in July with another senior probation official, Karen Armstrong, the assistant
commissioner in Queens, who alleges Holmes similarly demoted her and slashed her salary by the
same 31% after she asked for medical leave to have surgery.
The duo, each of whom served the agency for 34 years, are seeking $10 million in damages.
“We didn’t deserve to be treated like this,” Armstrong told The News. “We served this city with dignity
and were treated like we did something wrong.“
Their lawyer Edward Pichardo said the commissioner “seems to be behaving in a very authoritarian
manner. She appears to perceive any taking of leave as disloyal. It’s the loss of a wealth of experience
and all reeks of retaliation.”
The mayor’s press office and Law Department didn’t respond to request for comment.
Ina statement, the Probation Department said it was “unable to comment on pending litigation but
remains steadfast in its commitment to cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace.”
The lawsuits come at a time when the department is facing continued staffing challenges. The
department has 389 officers and 169 supervising probation officers, roughly 45% fewer probation
officers than it did in 2019, Holmes said in May.
The probation officers union President Dalvanie Powell said in a June letter the shortfall forced the
agency to sharply reduce officers in Family Court and move them to supervise adults.
“The reduced number of staff has significantly increased the caseload of my members. While public
safety is our primary concern, so is the burnout that my dedicated members are feeling,” Powell wrote.
“This operational situation is not acceptable.”
According to the lawsuit, Armstrong and D’Ambrosio were also transferred out of the boroughs they
have been working in for many years. D’Ambrosio was moved to Queens, while Armstrong was moved
to the Bronx.
Armstrong is currently out on medical leave while D’Ambrosio is about to retire, Pichardo said.
More in Crime and Public Safety
Charity accidentally distributes NYC hush-money judge refuses to S.C. Supreme Court will take on Man and woman found dead in
meth-laced candy in New Zealand step down, pans Trump’s third Murdaugh jury tampering appeal Staten Island home, woman was
effort as rehashing of ‘stale and stabbed
unsubstantiated claims’
2024 August 14
Tribune Publishing Company Info Subscriber Services
Chicago Tribune About Us Archives
The Morning Call Careers
The Daily Press Help Center
The Virginian Pilot Manage Web Notifications
Orlando Sentinel Place an ad
Sun-Sentinel Media Kit
Hartford Courant Privacy Policy
Studio 1847 Site Map
Subscriber Terms and Conditions Cookie Policy Cookie Preferences California Notice at Collection CA Notice of Financial Incentive Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
Copyright © 2024 New York Daily News
