Passing of former Sheriff Thomas J. Goldrick

It is with deep regret that we inform you of the passing of Thomas J. Goldrick, the 48th Sheriff of Rockland County, at the age of 93. Sheriff Goldrick served as the Sheriff from 1982 to 1991 and led the Sheriff’s Office during the trials of the Brinks defendants, which had a significant impact on Rockland County. This occurred at a time when the Rockland County Jail had the dubious distinction of being identified as one of the top 50 most inadequate correctional facilities in the United States. Other achievements during his tenure included the completion of a new Headquarters building for the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office and a new state of the art Correctional Facility. He was instrumental in obtaining numerous grants for new technology that assisted the law enforcement community in forensic investigations; he obtained funding for re-establishing the Sheriff’s Patrol Marine Unit; and funding for the transportation of prisoners to and from local courts. He relieved the overcrowding in the Rockland County Jail by initiating a community service program, releasing weekend prisoners with supervision to work outside of the jail in the community. He was also affectionately known as the “Singing Sheriff, as he shared his voice at many local ceremonies and events.

Sheriff Goldrick had previously served for 22 years with the N.Y.P.D. in the 44th Pct. as a Police Officer & Youth Officer. In September of 1968 he began his career as a professor in a newly developed program in Criminal Justice at Rockland Community College. The program began to grow and he became the Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department. In 1972 he started the Criminal Justice Educators Association in New York State and became involved in writing countless grants which were received through the Federal Government’s Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP). He secured grants to help start the Rockland County Police Training Academy and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad. Sheriff Goldrick received a Master of Arts from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

After serving 10 years as Sheriff, he was appointed in 1993 by Governor Mario Cuomo to the position of Commissioner at the New York State Commission of Correction, which oversees local and state correctional facilities, as well as police lock-ups. He reappointed in 1996 by Governor George Pataki and was instrumental in developing many new policies and procedures which were then utilized to help relieve the issue of prison overcrowding in New York State.

After his term expired at the Commission of Correction in 1999, he began to volunteer his service to the community as Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Board involved in the development of the New York State Sheriffs Victim Hotline, which monitors offenders in the New York County Correction system, the New York City Department of Correction and the New York State Department of Correctional Services. This service provides victims of violent crimes with an ability to obtain offender status information, either online or by telephone.

Sheriff Goldrick dedicated 55 years to public service and had four sons who all followed him into law enforcement careers, as well as two grand-sons currently serving with the NYPD. (Info via Rockland County Sheriff’s office)

Arrangement Details are as follows:

Wake services will be held on Wednesday May15th from 7pm to 9pm and Thursday May 16th from 2pm to 4pm and 7pm to 9pm at the:

Joseph Sorce Funeral Home
728 W Nyack Rd,
West Nyack, NY 10994

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, May 17 at St. Catherine’s Church
523 Western Highway, Blauvelt, N.Y. 10913

Interment will follow at Rockland Cemetery, Kings Highway, Sparkill, New York