He’s in charge of NYU’s campus safety — and receives an NYPD disability pension that pays over $100,000 a year.
Former NYPD Capt. James Pisaniello is paid $8,526 per month by taxpayers thanks to a disability he sustained prior to retiring from the force in 2004, according to the Police Pension Fund.
Meanwhile, he works as NYU’s assistant vice president of campus safety, giving him responsibility for all of the university’s uniformed personnel.
Under pension rules, Pisaniello would not be able to serve as head of campus safety of CUNY or another public university in New York and continue receiving his tax-free $102,314 per year — but a gaping loophole in the law allows him to do that job for NYU, which is private.
Pisaniello, 52, was appointed to the prestigious post in April 2014. An NYU spokesman would not disclose his salary, but the equivalent position at CUNY pays $150,000 a year.
A whistleblower wrote the Daily News about Pisaniello in an unsigned letter.
“I am upset as a former NYPD member, New York taxpayer and NYU family member,” the whistleblower wrote.
“Why hire a law enforcement officer, considered not capable of working for the city of New York?”
The disability pension — and Pisaniello’s ability to continue working in a law enforcement capacity — raised serious questions, said Tim Hoefer, executive director of the Empire Center.
“If he’s got a desk job at NYU, isn’t there a similar job he could do for the NYPD where we could continue to take advantage of his skills and abilities — since this shows he can work around the confines of his disability?” said Hoefer, whose nonprofit has successfully sued to bring more transparency to New York pensions.
The nature of Pisaniello’s disability is unclear.
“It is not the university’s practice to discuss an employee’s hiring or employment details,” NYU spokesman John Beckman said.
Comments on Pisaniello’s Facebook page indicate he’s not physically disabled.
He replied to compliments about his physical fitness in 2013 by saying he’d been doing “some lifting and running.”
“I’m not going to comment on this, but thanks for your call,” Pisaniello told The News when reached at NYU.
Roy Richter, president of the Captains Endowment Association, defended Pisaniello’s new line of work.
“The job he has now has more administrative responsibilities,” Richter said.
“I think there are plenty of people who have long work lives. Each job relies on the skills that they retained in their prior career.”
Local 1, which represents NYU’s security officers, did not respond to requests for comment.
The case highlights yet another questionable aspect of the laws governing NYPD disability pensions.
Previous coverage by The News showed that an ex-NYPD cop on disability could continue to work in law enforcement outside of the state — as was the case with Christopher DePaolis, who worked for the Broward County sheriff’s department in Florida.
The department fired DePaolis for “failure to meet probationary standards.” A Broward County official said he had not disclosed he received a disability pension.
Other recipients led apparently able-bodied lives while receiving disability pensions.
One ex-NYPD cop pursues a bodybuilding career in Florida. Another has regularly participated in triathlons. And a third has worked as a bodyguard for bigtime celebrities like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus.
“I’m disabled from the PD but not from life, bud,” the bodyguard, James (Sugar) Kane, told The News in February.
The pension fund and city Department of Investigation have said they are conducting inquiries in light of The News’ coverage.
“If you’re giving someone a disability pension, it should be because the person is disabled,” Hoefer said.
