Randy Dodd appointed police commissioner of Rockville Centre

The recent departure of former Rockville Centre police commissioner James Vafaedes in June left an open position for the top brass for the first time in five years.

After a month-long search village officials announced on Monday night the appointment of Rockville Centre Police Department Commissioner Randy Dodd, a seasoned law enforcement professional with 25 years of service in the community.

“My whole life I wanted to become a police officer,” Dodd said. “And when I became a police officer, I wanted to become a police commissioner. And let me tell you I’m so happy to share this moment with all of you. I want to thank you for being here. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Commissioner Dodd was born and raised in Lido Beach and Long Beach, where he graduated high school with a full athletic scholarship to Northeastern University, where he received his bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. He also received a Criminal Justice Education Certificate from the University of Virginia.

He joined the Rockville Centre Police Department in 1997 and has been recognized as “Cop of The Year” and “Cop of the Month” multiple times. 

In 2010, he was promoted to Traffic Sergeant and in 2021, earned the rank of Lieutenant Commanding Officer of the Patrol Division in 2021, where he managed daily operations in compliance with department policies and procedures.

Throughout the course of his career he has collaborated with law enforcement agencies and community organizations to enhance public safety. 

Most recently, he graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy this past June.

“What I learned there and the lessons that they taught me, I’m going to bring back here,” Dodd said. “We’ll make this village safer than it was, better than it was, and we — all of us together — are going to make this department… the best of its size in the state of New York.”

In his new role, Commissioner Dodd will be responsible for planning, organizing, supervising and directing the activities of all 58 officers and 36 civilian employees in the department.

“I have full confidence that Commissioner Dodd is the right person for this important position,” Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray said in a statement. “His years of expertise and experience will help continue the strong relationship between our community and Police Officers, as well as keep Rockville Centre one of the safest communities in New York.”

Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Dodd was sworn in on Monday in front of family, friends, law enforcement professionals, village officials, and members of the public. For his first official action as acting commissioner of the department, Dodd announced the promotion of three members of the force.

Nick DeLuca was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and officers Salju Thomas and Joseph Burnside were promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Lt. DeLuca first graduated from the Westchester Police Academy at the top of his class in 2011, where he earned the highest award, “Best All Around Recruit.”

In 2014, DeLuca was selected to be the Rockville Centre Police Department’s Youth Officer, where he worked closely with the Youth Council.

He was later promoted to Detective, heading up the Juvenile Crimes Division in 2016. Deluca was then promoted to sergeant in September of 2018 where he supervised the Juvenile and Anti-Crime Divisions, supported the Patrol Division, and served as the department’s operations sergeant.

Outside of his commitment to his role as the operations sergeant, Deluca also assists in the Training Department and built and manages the police website and parking application.

Lieutenant DeLuca is a DCJS certified instructor, an FBI firearms instructor, Active shooter instructor, Taser instructor,defensive tactics instructor, and network engineer. He currently serves as the vice president of the New York Police Juvenile Officers Association and is slated to become the president this year.

Sgt. Thomas was born in India and immigrated to the United States in 1985. As a first-generation immigrant, he felt the call for service and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school.

He served honorably for the next ten years with multiple deployments including to Iraq in 2004 and 2005. He was honorably discharged in 2008 and attended Hofstra University, where he graduated with honors in 2010 with a bachelor’s in Public Relations.

He joined the Rockville Centre Police Department in 2014 and has been awarded numerous commendations including a plain bar for stopping a violent assault in progress.

Thomas is also a volunteer firefighter with the Garden City Park Fire Department where he served as chief of the department in 2020.

Sgt. Burnside, a Rockville Centre native, obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biological Science from the University of Albany.

Burnside comes from a long line of law enforcement. His father, Joseph Burnside, and his aunt, Majorie, were both NYPD officers with the Robbery Task Force in Queens. His grandfather, Joseph Burnside, was also a Detective in the 71st Precinct, and his other grandfather, Dennis Cunningham, served as an Inspector in Special Operations.

Before coming to Rockville Centre, Officer Burnside worked for the NYPD in the 83rd precinct in Bushwick.

He officially joined the RVC Police Department in May 2017, and has proven himself to be an asset to the force.

In March 2021, Burnside received a commendation for a foot pursuit leading to the arrest of three individuals for burglary.

“Lieutenant DeLuca, Sergeant Thomas, and Sergeant Burnside are exemplary members of the Rockville Centre Police Department and truly earned this honor,” Mayor Murray stated. “I am immensely proud and grateful of them and our entire Police Department for their commitment to protecting our great Village.”