The former First Deputy of Westchester County Department of Corrections has been tapped as the next Department of Correction commissioner in the Big Apple, Black Westchester has learned. Mayor-elect Eric Adams has been filling in his administration. His latest edition will be Louis Molina as his Commissioner of Corrections. The appointment was officially announced Thursday morning at an 11 a.m. press conference at Brooklyn Boro Hall.
This is the third appointment. This comes a day after announcing Keechant Sewell for Police Commissioner of the NYPD. Sewell will make history as the first female to hold the position. Last week, Adams named David Banks Rector of New York City Schools.
Molina will succeed Vincent Schiraldi who was named Commissioner, June 1, 2021. Schiraldi took over for Commissioner Cynthia Brann, who announced her resignation on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, on the heels of a federal report that blasted the department for how it has deployed and managed its staffers.
Louis Molina is a second-generation, decorated veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps with more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement. He led the the City of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety – since Jan. 11, 2021 – which provides the public with law enforcement and detention services. This department manages the city jail and includes the deputy city marshals (who provide public safety at city parks and facilities) as well as animal control services.
Before that he was the first deputy commissioner for the Westchester County Department of Corrections (WCDOC). Having worked in policing, a district attorney’s office and corrections, Molina has operationalized sustainable criminal justice reform practices, leading to major improvement of operations, investment in staff and enhancement of public safety. He has also built strong partnerships with faith-based and community leaders, and nonprofit organizations working with the justice-involved population.
The Criminal Justice Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) recognized Louis A. Molina with the inaugural Martin B. Adelman Memorial Award on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2020, at the NYSBA Annual Meeting. The Adelman Award recognizes the outstanding efforts of attorneys, judges, court administrators or defendants, that have supported the criminal justice system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The award is named in honor of the late Martin B. Adelman, a highly respected attorney and brilliant advocate who served as chair of the Criminal Justice section from 1991 to 1993.
The Westchester County government received push back from local, state, and national Black and Latino organizations for what they feel was a forced departure from Mr. Molina Deputy Commissioner position.
Molina received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Chaminade University, a Master of Public Administration from Marist College School of Management, a Master of Arts degree in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and studied abroad at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. He was a U.S. Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice Scholar and most recently received a scholarship from the Harvard Business School Fund for Leadership & Innovation. Molina also has completed the Harvard Business School General Management Program.
