Richard Aborn (born September 2, 1952) is the president of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, a partner in the law firm Constantine Cannon, and the managing director of Constantine & Aborn Advisory Services (CAAS) where he works with large urban police departments and criminal justice agencies in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

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Biography

Aborn was born in New York in 1952 and attended the

University of Dubuque The University of Dubuque (UD) is a private Presbyterian university in Dubuque, Iowa. About 2,200 students attend the university. History The University of Dubuque has had a long history in Dubuque since its founding in 1852. Early years Adri ...

before studying at John Marshall Law School. While on leave from his position in 2009 he was a candidate for

Manhattan District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County, New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws (federal la ...

. His list of endorsements included Congressman

Jerry Nadler Jerrold Lewis Nadler (; born June 13, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician from the state of New York. A Manhattan resident and a member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the U.S. representative for since 2023. Nadler was first ...

, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, State Senators Eric Schneiderman and Eric Adams, Assemblypersons Jonathan Bing, Deborah Glick, Richard Gottfried, Brian Kavanagh, Daniel O'Donnell, Linda Rosenthal and Michelle Schimel, and gun control organizations the

Brady Campaign Brady: United Against Gun Violence (formerly “Handgun Control, Inc”., the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and against ...

, Gun Free Kids, Million Mom March and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. He lost the election to Cy Vance. In 1979 Aborn became an assistant district attorney in the

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

's office under Robert M. Morgenthau. In the

's office he prosecuted felonies, including homicides, until 1984 when he began the law firm of Aborn and Anesi. From 1992 to 1996 Aborn served as the president of Handgun Control Inc. (now the

) and was a principal strategist behind the passing of the

Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act ( Pub.L. 103–159, 107 Stat. 1536, enacted November 30, 1993), often referred to as the Brady Act, the Brady Bill or the Brady Handgun Bill, is an Act of the United States Congress that mandated fed ...

as well as the

Federal Assault Weapons Ban The Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, popularly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB or FAWB), was subtitle A of title XI of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, Violent Crime Control and Law ...

. Aborn also served as the president of the center to Prevent Handgun Violence. In 1999 Aborn was commissioned by the

New York City Public Advocate The office of New York City Public Advocate (President of the City Council) is a citywide elected position in New York City, which is first in line to succeed the Mayor of New York City, mayor. The office serves as a direct link between the wikti ...

to conduct an investigation of the

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

's disciplinary system and its response to civilian complaints of misconduct. On behalf of the Public Advocate, he also investigated

's disciplinary decisions in the fatal shooting of

Amadou Diallo In the early hours of February 4, 1999, an unarmed 23-year-old Guinean student named Amadou Diallo (born September 2, 1975) was fired upon with 41 rounds and shot a total of 19 times by four New York City Police Department plainclothes office ...

. In 2001 Aborn served as the senior law enforcement advisor to the Democratic mayoral nominee. During that campaign he developed criminal justice policies for

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

including the establishment of a "311" program which

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

implemented.

References

External links

Richard Aborn for Manhattan District Attorney ( DA ) campaign web site

Richard Aborn Facebook pageRichard Aborn Featured in the New York Times: ''District Attorney Hopefuls Await 89-Year-Old’s Call''

* ttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109501,00.html Transcript including Richard Aborn as a guest on "HANNITY & COLMES", January 3, 2003
The website of Constantine & Aborn Advisory Services (CAAS)

The website of Citizens Crime Commission of New York City
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aborn, Richard Living people Lawyers from New York City 1952 births