Supervisory Team

Below are the Covert Security Consultants listed in alphabetical order.

Mr. Ackerman is an accomplished and dedicated law enforcement professional with over 25 years of experience in investigations, crime scene management, community relations and school security. Michael spent 20 years with the NYPD and for ten of those years, he commanded a Detective Unit and Burglary/Robbery Apprehension Module. In addition to supervising the detectives in the units, Ackerman also mentored and trained newly promoted detectives in investigative processes and case management. Michael is the 3-time recipient of the Police Commissioner’s Award for outstanding police work. 

John Ahern joined Covert with 23 years’ experience in the NYPD.  He began his career in the New York City Transit Police Department in 1991 and transferred to the NYPD in 1994.  John was promoted to Sergeant in 1998, and Lieutenant in 2005.  His experience includes assignments in the Patrol Bureau, Highway Patrol, Internal Affairs Bureau, and the Detective Bureau.  In addition to his law enforcement experience, John brings a vast knowledge of school safety and security to Covert.  Before joining us, he was the Safety and Security Coordinator of a Nassau County School District where he supervised the security staff, annually reviewed and updated emergency response plans, conducted security assessments, participated as a member of the district safety team, coordinated lockdown and evacuation drills, and recommended safety and security measures for the district.  

Mr. Joseph Azzaretto is a 26-year law enforcement veteran of the NYPD. He directed and managed some of the most complex and sensitive intelligence operations in New York City. He has a proven record of building strong collaborative intergovernmental relationships with many Federal, State, City and County agencies. Throughout his career, Joe has focused on restructuring, revamping, and revitalizing existing NYPD programs. While assigned to NYPD’s most prestigious unit, the Intelligence Bureau, Joe was the Lieutenant Commanding Officer of the Intelligence Operations Center which included NYC-SAFE “See Something Say Something” and Regional Intelligence Support Center which encompassed thirty-two agencies and liaison to INTERPOL. He spent 10 years within the Intelligence Bureau learning, developing, and implementing new policies and procedures that continue to be in place today.

Joe also has extensive supervisory experience within the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau conducting confidential investigations regarding allegations against NYPD personnel assigned to the School Safety Unit which includes 5,000 School Safety Agents, at 1,600 Public Schools.

Mr. Crema joined Covert Investigations with over 20 years of school security experience that he accumulated with the NYPD. Mr. Crema retired from the NYPD as a Lieutenant. As the Commanding Officer of the School Safety Division, he supervised 5,000 school safety agents and 150 uniformed NYC police officers throughout the 1,800 NYC Department of Education schools.

Eric Kraemer brings over 30 years of experience in law enforcement, military security, intelligence, and education. A retired NYPD Sergeant, he served 20 years in the department, including leadership roles in patrol, training, school safety, domestic violence, and compliance. Eric’s military service includes roles in the U.S. Army Reserves and New York Air National Guard Security Forces, with deployments to Bosnia, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and other regions. He led security teams, conducted anti-terrorism assessments, and worked closely with federal and local agencies on intelligence and homeland security operations. He also served in intelligence units focusing on threat analysis, infrastructure security, and interagency collaboration. Eric holds master’s degrees in Criminal Justice and History and teaches as an adjunct instructor at Molloy University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for NAMI Queens/Nassau, advocating for mental health awareness.

Ray joined Covert Investigations Inc. as a twenty-eight year veteran of the New York Police Department. Ray was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and throughout his career, was involved in a number of different roles and responsibilities including Active Shooter, Bomb Recognition, As well as spending eleven years as the K-9 Sergeant Supervisor. In addition to all of his training and supervisor experience, Mr. Farrell was awarded the Police Combat Cross which is one of the highest honors an officer can receive.

Dr. Frank joined Covert Investigations after 23 years in the educational field with 14 years as a school administrator. Dr. Frank’s last position was as the Executive Director of Instructional Technology for a Nassau County school district and was a principal of an elementary school. Before that, he held several positions as a district director and chair of a department. Throughout his tenure in education, he has been involved with school district security plans and tabletop exercises. Dr. Frank has worked as a consultant on cybersecurity matters, including cybersecurity training, investigations, and cyber policies for small and midsize businesses. Dr. Frank also did a tour in Iraq as an intelligence analyst and a maintainer of classified networks and communication systems. He has presented on cybersecurity issues to many organizations in the financial industry as well as law firms. Before entering the education field, Dr. Frank was a police officer with the NYPD. He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from St. John’s University, a graduate certificate in Cyber Policy from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree from Stony Brook University, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree from CW Post College.

Don is a highly trained and accomplished retired NYPD Sergeant of Detectives. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from LIU at CW Post. Early on in his career he was assigned to the Organized Crime Control Bureau where he was quickly promoted to Detective, then to the rank of Sergeant. He has extensive background in long term investigations and high risk search warrant entry and executions. He has been a team supervisor in elite specialized units throughout New York City including: Narcotics, Gang, Dignitary Protection, Home investigation team citywide, Gun stop program citywide, and the Joint Operations Command Center at 1 Police Plaza. His skills include Emergency planning and response, Incident Commander, Crime Scene Management, Body Language Interpretation, Counterterrorism

Strategies, Active shooter training, large scale crowd and access control.

With 22 years of experience in the NYPD, Anwar brings exceptional expertise in enforcement, investigation, and strategic management to his role. Throughout his career, he held the rank of Detective & Special Assignment Sergeant where he worked in the Midtown North Detective Squad, Special Victims Unit, Hostage Negotiation Team and Field Intelligence Officer for the School Safety Division. Notably, he was the NYPD’s Spokesman, Speechwriter, and Social Media Manager, where he was responsible for ensuring accurate and critical information was released to media and public, and he was cited in top-tier outlets like FOX News, CNN, NBC, ABC, The New York Times, New York Post, and New York Daily News.

Adam Labadie joins Covert Investigations having 27 years’ experience with the NYPD. He graduated from Manhattan College and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Adam then entered the NYPD Police Academy and finished in the top 2% of his class. He held various positions in the NYPD while rising to the rank of Captain. He spent his last 10 years as an Executive in the Detective Bureau and led many high-profile investigations including Kidnappings, Homicides and Sex Offenses. Adam was selected for the NYPD’s Executive Master’s Program and received a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College.

Mr. Michael Losco joins Covert Investigations with 30-years of Law Enforcement experience with the NYPD. For 22 years, Michael held the ranks of Sergeant and Sergeant Detective Supervisor. He spent 12 years of his career supervising the Detective Squads of the 73rd and 79th Precincts located in Patrol Borough Brooklyn North. There he led investigations of Homicides, Shootings, Robberies, Assaults and Grand Larcenies. During the last several years of his career, Michael was appointed as the Commanding Officer of the Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island Major Case Squad, where he led investigations of Kidnappings, Bank Robberies and High-End Art Theft. Throughout Michael’s career with the NYPD, he was awarded over 150 medals and awards. He was also a 2-time recipient of the Police Combat Cross. Michael completed his 30-year career with perfect attendance.

Mr. Todd Meinken joined Covert Investigations Inc. as a twenty-two year veteran Special Agent of the United States (US) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Throughout his career, Todd conducted complex international and domestic criminal investigations into drug trafficking organizations and cartels. Throughout his career, Todd was assigned to DEA offices in New York City; Bogotá, Colombia; JFK Airport; and Long Island. Additionally, Todd served as a DEA Field Training Agent (FTA) and was responsible for mentoring a teaching new agents graduating the academy, providing skills necessary to become an accomplished and proficient agent. Todd was subsequently promoted to a Supervisory Special Agent and led the DEA Long Island Tactical Diversion Squad (TDS) where he integrated federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle pharmaceutical diversion
Operations.

Mr. Qureshi joined Covert Investigations after serving twenty-five years in the New York City Police Department. While with the NYPD, he was promoted to Sergeant, handling departmental investigations citywide. As Mr. Qureshi’s career progressed, he was assigned as the Special Operations Lieutenant for the 10 Pct., overseeing several units, which included youth, plainclothes, traffic, grand theft, and domestic violence. Mr. Qureshi’s responsibilities expanded when he moved to the detective bureau warrant’s section and participated in numerous investigations. He was fortunate to join the citywide Strategic Response Group in their operations center. At SRG, he participated in active shooter training, CBRN training, and radiation identification training. Mr. Qureshi continued his career as the Operations Coordinator for Patrol Bureau Manhattan South and was involved in planning parades and other significant events, including presidential and dignitary visits, community outreach, scenario planning, and resource management. Mr. Qureshi’s extensive NYPD experience allows him to quickly adapt to unique and unexpected situations. He is fluent in Hindi and Urdu.

Raymond Rusielewicz Jr. joined Covert Investigations Inc. with 20 years of experience in the NYPD. During his career, he was tasked with conducting numerous sensitive Internal investigations. Mr. Rusielewicz was assigned to the NYPD Police Academy as a Sergeant where he supervised the instruction of CPR/AED training, Tactical/Plain Clothes training and assisted as an Academics instructor in the Recruit Training section. As a Lieutenant, he was tasked with overseeing venues such as Prospect Park and the Barclays Center. Mr. Rusielewicz is a US Marine Corps veteran who achieved the rank of Sergeant and was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Nicholas Squicciarini’s thirty-two-year law enforcement career began in 1987 with the New York City Police Department. He earned his way to his precinct’s Anti-Crime Unit. In 1994, he transferred to the Nassau County Police Department and was assigned to the Fifth Precinct in Elmont. Here he was given an opportunity to join the Anti-Crime Unit. For thirteen years he was in Nassau County Police Department’s Bureau of Special Operations. This is Nassau County’s Tactical Team and Street Crime Unit and requires weekly qualifications at the outdoor range, active school shooter training, executing “no knock” warrants, working closely with all Precinct Squads, Special Squads and dignitary protection. Nicholas returned to the Fifth Precinct as a detective where he investigated crimes ranging from grand larceny and robbery to murder. Nicholas’ last five years on the police department were in the Major Case Squad, where he specialized in robberies. His office investigated all bank and jewelry store robberies, home invasions and pattern crimes that occurred in Nassau County. While in the Major Case Squad many of his investigations were with his colleagues at the FBI’s Long Island Violent Crimes Task Force. During his Nassau County PD tenure, Nicholas was an FBI certified hostage negotiator and managed many scenes where a person had barricaded themselves.