In January of 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed George Grasso a Judge of the Criminal Court of the City of New York. Previously, Judge George Grasso served the New York City Police Department for more than 3 decades, becoming a Police Officer at the age of 22, when he was assigned as a patrol officer in Queens and Brooklyn. During that time, Judge George Grasso attended the evening program at St. John’s Law School while performing his patrol duties on a steady Midnight to 8AM shift. Upon becoming an attorney, he continued to serve the NYPD in a variety of legal, administrative, and operational positions. Judge George Grasso was the Managing Attorney in the Department Advocate’s Office for five years, and in that position, he had broad responsibility for the NYPD’s disciplinary system and personally prosecuted the most egregious cases. In 1997, Judge George Grasso was appointed by the Police Commissioner to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters. In that capacity, Judge George Grasso functioned as the Chief Legal Counsel for the NYPD. Five years later, in 2002, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly recognized Judge George Grasso’s experience, legal ability, and integrity when he made him his second in command and appointed him to First Deputy Police Commissioner, in which position he collaborated with the Police Commissioner on crucial matters that directly affected the city while managing the Department’s relations with the criminal justice system. As First Deputy Police Commissioner, Judge George Grasso also held responsibility for the Department’s labor relations, personnel functions, disciplinary system, and budget. On September 11, 2001, and for several months thereafter, Judge George Grasso represented the Police Commissioner at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Command Post, acting as liaison between the FBI, the Department, and the Mayor maintaining a steady flow of information to protect the City of New York after the unprecedented terrorist attacks on the United States.

Judge George Grasso holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from York College and a Juris Doctor from St. John’s University. After earning his law degree, Judge George Grasso was admitted to practice law in the State of New York in 1985. Judge George Grasso subsequently graduated from the Police Management Institute at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and participated in the CORO Leadership New York Program. In addition to his career at the NYPD, Judge George Grasso has taught law as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at St. John’s University. The New York City Law Department honored Judge George Grasso with its Agency Counsel Recognition Award in 1997, and three years later in 2000, he was admitted to practice law in the United States Supreme Court. In 2008, Judge George Grasso was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; in 2009, Judge George Grasso was the Man of the Year in the Little Neck/ Douglaston Memorial Day Parade; and in 2010, Judge George Grasso was named Grande Ufficiale in the Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta Italiana by the President of the Italian Republic.