MANHATTAN — Michael Magliano holds the highest uniformed rank in the Unified Court System: chief of department. Despite his rank, Magliano is adamant that he be recognized simply as a New York State court officer.
“When I go out in social settings and people ask, ‘What do you do for a living?’ I don’t tell them I’m a chief,” Magliano said. “I always tell people that while the title of chief is what I am and represents the work I love doing, it’s not who I am. My mother didn’t name me chief when I came out of the womb; she named me Michael.”
Michael Magliano was appointed Chief of Department in December 2016. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Magliano’s modesty is striking. “It must be a slow news day if you are interviewing me,” he quipped.
Magliano’s tenure in the UCS began in November 1983. He worked his way up the ranks to sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major, commanding officer of the Kings County Supreme Court’s criminal division, and in December 2016, chief of citywide operations.
Plugged in and focused
As chief of department, Magliano manages the UCS Department of Public Safety, which oversees delivering security services to courts throughout the state.
DPS develops guidelines, policies, and procedures for ensuring safety throughout the NYS Court System, and oversees emergency preparedness planning for each location.
DPS also manages judicial threats, assists with security planning for new and existing court facilities, develops standards and policies for the Court Officers Academy and Court Officers’ Rules and Procedures Manual, and serves as a liaison between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
Chief Michael Magliano holds the highest uniformed rank in the Unified Court System. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
In addition, DPS supports more than 4,100 court officers and gives them the tools to do their jobs effectively. This includes addressing the courts’ equipment needs, such as X-ray machines, radios and ballistic vests, and making sure everyone’s training is up to date.
“No two days are alike,” Magliano said. “You’re on call 24/7. You receive probably 400 emails a day from across the state. Everything from a facility issue, to a pipe breaking in one of the older buildings, to a threat in another county, to equipment failures.”
“I’m also like a conduit, because I report to our judicial leadership and have to make sure that what I know and see they know as well,” Magliano continued. “I’m very fortunate that this judicial leadership team is such an amazing group of people who are so plugged in and focused. They make sure that we have enough officers in place, as well as the funding we need for equipment and the like. They are really an incredibly supportive group.”
A Carroll Gardens local
Magliano was born in Carroll Gardens. “I was fortunate to be raised in a great area in a great borough,” he said. “I think a lot of what I learned growing up, not just in my home but in my neighborhood, shaped me to be the person I am today.”
Magliano’s father served in World War II and passed away when he was only six. “I was raised by my mother,” he said. “She was my guide, my rock and my moral compass.”
His interest in the court system began while attending St. Francis College, inspired by a criminal justice professor who was also a court officer. “I had my eyes on finance as a profession, but one day, this professor handed out the applications for the New York State Court Officer test,” Magliano said. “I took it, just as a stopgap, and didn’t think much about it.”
“I later went to work for an international bank for about a year, which I didn’t care for too much, and as fate would have it, I ultimately got called by the New York State Courts,” he said.
Over the years, Magliano worked in three different court facilities in Brooklyn: 120 Schermerhorn St., 360 Adams St. and 320 Jay St. “Each spot was unique in its own way, but it was the people that I remember the most,” he said. “They were absolutely amazing.”
Security challenges
Currently, part of Magliano’s role is protecting judges, prosecutors, court officers and others from security threats. “Threats as a whole, you’ll see it more across the whole country,” he said.
“Many decades ago, when a litigant or a defendant wanted to make a threat, it would have to be via snail mail or from a pay phone. Now, the internet has given these individuals a bigger forum,” Magliano said.
From left: Officer Shanelle Rivera, Lt. Mark Hirschman, Chief Michael Magliano, Lt. Joseph Dalton, Capt. Frank Zaloga and Sgt. Robert Hoffman. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
“We have a judicial threat unit, and we constantly scour social media and try to be there for all our judges and court personnel across the state,” Magliano continued. “The threat unit does a deep dive and analyzes all threats. We don’t minimize anything. Everything’s important until it’s fleshed out that it’s safe.”
Magliano said technology has also become a central focus of court security. “We stay on the cutting edge of the equipment we provide our uniformed personnel,” he said. “We replace equipment regularly and try to purchase the latest technology that’s out there.”
Magliano, 66, said that while he is still firing on all cylinders professionally, “we all see retirement at some point.”
“You can’t do this forever, as much as I would love to,” he added. “I have to make way at some point for the next person to fill this role.”