PORT AUTHORITY CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER JOSEPH P. DUNNE
APPOINTS INSPECTOR LOUIS KOUMOUTSOS AS CHIEF OF THE PAPD
Acting Chief Ryan to serve as Detective Lieutenant of Joint Terrorism Task Force
The Port Authority’s Chief Security Officer Joseph P. Dunne today announced the appointment of Inspector Louis Koumoutsos as Chief of Department of the nearly 1,600- member Port Authority Police Department. CSO Dunne called the move an example of the agency’s ongoing commitment to appoint individuals of the highest caliber and integrity to help lead the agency’s Police Department.
As a 20-year veteran of the PAPD, newly appointed Chief Koumoutsos rose through the ranks based on his exemplary performance at all Port Authority commands, including PATH, Newark and JFK airports, and the agency’s Office of Emergency Management. Most recently, as the top ranking officer of the PATH Command, he directed his team in heroic rescues during Superstorm Sandy, including the rescue of 28 people in Jersey City from an apartment building that had filled with lethal amounts of carbon monoxide.
“Chief Koumoutsos has the skills and respect needed to command the agency’s most essential and sensitive operations,” said CSO Joseph P. Dunne. “I am confident Chief Koumoutsos will lead by example in our critical mission to protect some of the nation’s most valued facilities, along with the millions of people who use them daily, and in coordinating with all levels of local, state and federal law enforcement.”
The appointment of Chief Koumoutsos, a recent graduate of the FBI National Academy, comes as Acting Chief John Ryan elected to return to his previous position at the Port Authority as Lieutenant. Ryan will be assigned as the Detective Lieutenant of the prestigious New York-based Joint Terrorism Task Force, a collaboration of law enforcement agencies that investigates and takes action against terrorist related activities. Ryan, a 34-year veteran of the PAPD, served as Acting Chief of the Department since May 2012, helping to guide the Police Department during the leadership’s reshaping of its security structure.
“I thank John Ryan for his dedicated service as Acting Chief of the Department,” said CSO Dunne. “I look forward to continuing to work with him as he joins the premiere investigative team at the New York office of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which in this post 9/11 world is of the utmost importance to keeping our transportation assets safe and secure. I am certain he will bring the same commitment, integrity and skills to this mission critical role.”
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Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in New York. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the state of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency relies on revenues generated by facility users, tolls, fees and rents as well as loans, bond financing, and federal grants to fund its operations. For more information, please visit https://www.panynj.gov.
