New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James, right, with Gov. Kathy Hochul. James said his agency is also examining allegations that Ryder Cup passes worth hundreds of dollars each were given to State Police members.
Will Waldron/Times Union
ALBANY — An investigation into the misuse of PGA credentials by members of the State Police who attended the recent Ryder Cup golf tournament on Long Island has expanded to examine whether members were improperly given dozens of free passes to the event.
On Wednesday, in response to questions about whether a State Police major distributed dozens of passes to friends and family members, Superintendent Steven G. James acknowledged that the agency’s “initial review of these allegations also uncovered that the PGA may have provided free passes to members.”
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Two people with knowledge of the matter said the PGA passes were potentially worth hundreds of dollars each and that it was improper for any member to accept them. State Police regulations generally prohibit members from accepting gifts in connection with their official duties unless authorized by the superintendent.
James’ statement did not address the specific questions about Maj. Stephen Udice, who is now an acting staff inspector. The superintendent also declined to respond to questions about Lt. Col. Paul M. DeQuarto, who attended the event with his wife and at least one other family member. DeQuarto was seen in pictures that were shared with the Times Union in which he was wearing an official tournament credential reserved for working law enforcement while with family members.
Udice had been the commanding major for Troop L on Long Island and now oversees the State Police professional standards bureau for New York’s southern region. DeQuarto is an assistant deputy superintendent overseeing the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Neither of them have been accused of wrongdoing and remain on duty. They could not be immediately reached for comment.
The agency’s internal investigation apparently was triggered by questions from the Times Union on Nov. 18 about the alleged abuse of law enforcement credentials by high-ranking State Police officials who used those credentials to gain access to the exclusive tournament for themselves and family members.
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“Last week, we learned that members of our executive staff may have used work credentials supplied by the PGA, or possibly other free passes, to improperly gain admission to the Ryder Cup tournament in Long Island for themselves and in some cases, family members,” James said Wednesday.
“From the moment we learned of these allegations, we moved quickly to determine the facts,” the superintendent’s statement continued. “Based on what we have learned so far, and at the direction of Gov. (Kathy) Hochul, we are turning over this investigation to the (New York) inspector general. It is critically important that an outside, independent third party conduct a thorough investigation to avoid any appearance of a conflict.”
James added that he wants to “assure the public that I take these allegations very seriously, and that any member of the State Police who is found to have violated our policies or state law will be held accountable.”
On Tuesday, the Times Union first reported that the internal review had led to the expected resignations of First Deputy Superintendent R. Christopher West and Col. Darrin S. Pitkin, who were the agency’s second and third in command.
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The newspaper’s examination of the matter began several weeks ago when it was provided photographs of West and other high-ranking members in what appeared to be VIP areas of the biennial golf tournament, which pits players from the United States against golfers from Europe.
West and Pitkin, head of the State Police field command, have both indicated they will retire from the agency as a result of the internal review, according to a person briefed on the situation.
West is an Albany native who had previously served as the commanding officer of Troop G, which patrols the greater Capital Region from 24 stations in 10 counties.
West was a standout football player and sociology major at Wagner College on Staten Island and considered trying out for the NFL, but had his heart set on being a trooper, according to a 1991 Times Union series that followed a class of recruits through the State Police Academy.
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During the practice rounds of the recent Ryder Cup, held on the challenging Black Course of Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, West, James and Pitkin posed for a photograph with Rory McIlroy, a leader of the European team and one of the world’s most popular golfers.
But a source briefed on the matter said the alleged misuse of credentials would have taken place during the tournament play at the event that began on Sept. 26, after James had returned to Albany. In the photograph, James, Pitkin and West were all dressed in matching black casual attire and wearing lanyards that identified them as law enforcement officials. The source said those lanyards provided them access to exclusive areas of the event.
The Times Union was informed of the matter by uniformed troopers who had questioned whether many of the high-ranking State Police officials at the exclusive competition were performing duties necessary to the agency’s security detail. Those complaints also came as they noted rank-and-file troopers were cautioned not to accept any free meals and were not provided a comfortable area where they could rest while on a break.
Some of those troopers also lamented that some of the high-ranking members had flown to Long Island on state aircraft and allegedly may have stayed in hotels with family members.
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In February 2024, James had emerged from retirement after being named superintendent by Hochul. Within hours of his appointment, he cleared out most of the agency’s top positions on his first day in the job, removing multiple colonels and deputy superintendents from key roles in one of the agency’s biggest one-day leadership shakeups on record.
James, a Niskayuna resident who had retired from the agency in 2020, rose through the ranks and had also been a major of Troop G, where he spent much of his law enforcement career.
West, then an assistant deputy superintendent, was named first deputy superintendent, the agency’s second-in-command position.
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James also appointed seven new deputy superintendents to new leadership positions, including in the professional standards bureau, field command, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, employee relations and counter-terrorism unit.
“Gov. Hochul has been briefed by Superintendent James on these troubling allegations and supports the superintendent’s decision to ask for the resignation of two executive staff members,” Jess D’Amelia, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Tuesday. “Law enforcement is sworn to uphold the law and should be held to the highest standards. Our administration has zero tolerance for wrongdoing of any kind and all allegations of misconduct will be fully investigated.”