NYPD didn’t tell the state an officer in the Win Rozario case retired until Oct. 8

The NYPD waited until Oct. 8 to tell the state Division of Criminal Justice Services that Officer Salvatore Alongi had retired on May 15. Alongi faced department charges in the 2024 death of 19-year-old Win Rozario.

The gap matters because state law requires a police department to notify the state when an officer with pending disciplinary charges retires. The state then puts that officer on a “removed for cause” list, which bars them from working for another law enforcement agency in New York. Until the notice arrived, nothing stopped Alongi from moving to another department.

What happened in the Win Rozario case

Rozario, a Queens teenager in a mental health crisis, died during an emergency call inside his home in March 2024. Video from the officers’ body-worn cameras shows Alongi firing a Taser at Rozario after the teen’s mother had already pulled a pair of scissors away from him. The shots that killed Rozario came from Alongi’s partner, Officer Matthew Cianfrocco.

In September 2025, the Civilian Complaint Review Board cited the two officers, who were both waiting for an administrative disciplinary trial. The counts against Alongi were abuse of authority and using force that was not necessary. Last week, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch acknowledged that the department had mistakenly let him retire before that trial.

Timing of the NYPD notice to the state

The state notice went out the day after Rozario’s family said they would release information about one of the officers. At an Oct. 8 news conference outside City Hall, the family criticized the NYPD for failing to tell the CCRB about the retirement, as required. Hours later, Tisch admitted that failure in a statement but said nothing about the state.

DCJS spokesperson Janine Kava said the NYPD usually files names for decertification every quarter. For Alongi, that would have meant by July 1, but the department submitted no names then. “We expect all employers of police and peace officers to comply with their reporting obligations,” Kava said.

NYPD spokesperson Bradley Weeks said the department only has to report former officers once a year, in January, but shares names with DCJS every quarter to keep the agency informed. He did not comment on why the notice came on the day of the family’s news conference.

Loyda Colon, executive director of the Justice Committee, a criminal justice reform group, condemned the department for both lapses.