Person of the Year
Bridget G. Brennan
NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor

Bridget G. Brennan was appointed Special Narcotics Prosecutor on May 1, 1998. The first woman to head the Office of the NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor, she is in charge of the only agency in the country solely dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of major narcotics offenses. With an annual budget of 14 million dollars and a staff of over 200 legal and non-legal personnel, the Office prosecutes approximately 3,000 felony cases a year and has jurisdiction over narcotics crimes committed throughout the five counties of New York City. The Office coordinates national and international narcotics trafficking and money laundering investigations that have significant impact on New York City, and is actively involved in programs that offer treatment to hundreds of addicted defendants.

As head of such a unique agency, Ms Brennan is widely viewed as an expert in the field of narcotics laws and investigations. She has testified before city, state and federal panels on all aspects of drug laws and drug enforcement, and has been invited as a commentator on news programs distributed both locally and nationally.

Ms. Brennan has created a money laundering and financial investigations unit to coordinate complex investigations that commonly follow narcotics cases. She has also focused a team of prosecutors and investigators to target the growing problem of drug trafficking over the Internet. Finally, she has formed a Narcotics Violent Gang Unit to remove entrenched gangs from inner-city neighborhoods.

Ms Brennan began her legal career in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in 1983, where she developed solid prosecutorial experience handling felony cases that ranged from sex crimes to homicides. Drawing on her background as a journalist and broadcaster before attending law school in Wisconsin, Ms Brennan served for a year as head of public information for New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.

Ms. Brennan joined the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor in 1992 as Deputy Chief of the prestigious Special Investigations Bureau. She became Chief of the Bureau in 1993. Ms. Brennan was named the Chief Assistant in the Office in 1995 and head of the agency three years later.

Ms. Brennan graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1983. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin. Ms. Brennan is a member of the New York State Bar and is admitted to practice in the Federal Courts.

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