NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Suffolk County’s first female police commissioner will resign in May after three years on the job.
Geraldine Hart, who was appointed police commissioner in April 2018, is taking a job as Hofstra University’s director of public safety, Newsday first reported.
A spokesperson for the Suffolk County Police Department confirmed her departure to 1010 WINS.
“I wanted to leave this department better than when I got here,” Hart said in an interview with the outlet. “I hope I have accomplished that.”
The new role will give her more opportunities to spend time with her family, she explained.
In his own interview with the outlet, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone — who nominated Hart for the position back in February 2018 — said the commissioner “led the department through the most difficult time in policing and also got police reform done.”
“Her leadership in the reform process is what she will be remembered for,” he added.
Hart, a 21-year veteran of the FBI’s Long Island Office, was serving as the bureau's Senior Supervisory Resident Agent when Bellone nominated her.
The police spokesperson told 1010 WINS current Chief of Department Stuart Cameron is expected to serve as acting commissioner after Hart steps down.