Thomas J. Scotto, President of the Detectives' Endowment Association (DEA) of New York City, has been a member of the New York City Police Department since 1965. His work as a Police Officer and Detective has earned him more than thirty citations for outstanding performance and has garnered him entry into the NYPD's Honor Legion.

A native of Brooklyn, Scotto served two years in the United States Navy aboard a destroyer which patrolled the waters surrounding Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Scotto began his union involvement in 1975 when he was elected DEA Delegate and later Trustee of the Staten Island area. In 1983 he was appointed Vice President of the union, and won election as President in 1986. He has successfully held that position ever since.

Scotto has also held the elected position of President of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) since 1993. Along with Executive Director Bob Scully, Scotto has worked toward implementing a number of innovative programs at NAPO, including its TOP COPS® Awards, the National Law Enforcement Officers' Rights Center, the Police Research and Education Project (PREP), and has increased dramatically NAPO's membership to nearly a quarter of a million law enforcement officers nationwide.

During Scotto's tenure, NAPO has been instrumental in securing federal legislation and numerous bills that have benefitted the law enforcement community. Most importantly, NAPO played a major role in the passage of the 1994 Crime Bill.

Since his election as President of the DEA, Scotto has also steered the union toward an active role in politics. He serves in a number of local and state capacities: as a Trustee of the 15-billion dollar New York City Police Pension Board; as Vice Chair of the New York Municipal Labor Committee; as a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Public Employee Conference; as Labor Representative to the New York State Charter Commission; and as the Community Mayor of Annadale, Staten Island.

Scotto earned a B.S. cum laude in Criminal Justice from the New York Institute of Technology. He is also a graduate of Harvard University's Trade Union program, Cornell University's Labor 2000 Leadership program, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Money Management course, and Dale Carnegie's Public Speaking course.

Scotto's children have followed in his footsteps in law enforcement: son John is also a Detective; daughter Diana is a Sergeant; and son-in-law Scott is a Police Officer. All are Members of the Service with the NYPD.