The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University honored Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s special narcotics prosecutor, with its 2024 Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence at a ceremony attended by district attorneys, prosecutors and other members of the legal community on Pace University’s New York City campus Sept. 23. Brennanwas honored for her outstanding contributions to the field of criminal prosecution and excellence in prosecutorial practice, highlighting her innovative leadership in establishing alternative programs for combating the growing drug epidemic throughout New York’s five boroughs.
Appointed in 1998 by the city’s five elected district attorneys, Brennan has been a trailblazer as the first female to serve in the role and is now New York City’s longest-serving special narcotics prosecutor.
Under her leadership, her staff of approximately 200 legal and support personnel in the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor have developed expertise to meet challenges posed by each new phase of the deadly opioid epidemic. She established the Heroin Interdiction Team, the Digital Forensic Services Unit, the Criminal and Investigative Analysts Unit, the Prescription Drug Investigation Unit, the Narcotics Gang Unit, the Money Laundering and Financial Investigation Unit, the Community Outreach Unit, the Discovery Compliance and Litigation Unit, the Post Judgment Litigation Unit, the Conviction Review Committee, and the Educational Outreach Committee.
During the presentation of the award, benefactor Robert S. Tucker, who was recently appointed New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner, expressed his gratitude and admiration for Brennan’s tireless work, noting how the opioid and narcotics crisis has grown in recent years following the Covid-19 pandemic. “Bridget’s work and the work of her office are vital to our city, and we are all safer because of her leadership and commitment,” said Tucker.
“Bridget’s tenacity in pursuing public safety, along with a commitment to fairness in the criminal justice system, and her forward-thinking mindset for developing strategies that reduce incarceration, are an inspiration for our law students pursuing careers in public service,” said Haub Law Dean Horace E. Anderson Jr.
The Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence is awarded annually to an individual or a group of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of criminal prosecution and who demonstrate excellence in prosecutorial practice. Honorees are selected each year by a jury comprised of former prosecutors and faculty members from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. The prize is made possible by the generous support of Haub Law alumnus and Pace University Board of Trustees member Robert S. Tucker.
Elisabeth Haub School of Law offers Juris Doctorates and Masters of Law degrees in both environmental and international law, as well as a Doctor of Juridical Science) in Environmental Law. The school, housed on the university’s campus in White Plains, opened its doors in 1976 and has more than 10,000 alumni around the world. Haub Law launched its Environmental Law Program in 1978 and has long been ranked among the world’s leading university programs, with a current No.1 ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
