Retired Atty, Retired Brig. Gen., have taught Criminal Justice, subbed

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BIOGRAPHY

Sidney Baumgarten

A native of Rockaway Beach, Mr. Baumgarten was graduated from elementary school in Far Rockaway, New York and Far Rockaway High School. He then attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was elected to the Student Governing Council and earned three varsity letters. He received his B.A. degree from there and received his J.D. degree from New York Law School where he was a member of the Law Review and recipient of an American Jurisprudence Award. He was also an outstanding athlete and led the Brown baseball team to the Eastern Intercollegiate Championship and, in the Army and after discharge played semi-pro baseball and earned a trophy from the LI Press for having been an undefeated pitcher for Sperry Corporation's team.

After entering military service and attending Signal School at Fort Dix, he served for 18 months in Europe with the 7th Army Command and was awarded 4 commendations. As an active member of the U.S. Army Reserve, he served as Detachment Commander, Company Commander and Adjutant for the 99th Signal Battalion and as Materiel Officer for the 518th Maintenance Battalion. Being recalled to active duty on 9/11, he served as Chief of Staff to the Army Division HQ and retired as a Brigadier General in 2003, and then served as Advisor to the NY State Adjutant General. In 1999 he attended Command and General Staff College at Fort Totten and also attended the Strategic Studies Institutes at both the Army War College and Naval War College. In 2002 he was awarded the New York State Conspicuous Service Medal by Governor Pataki for his service on and after 9/11. Mr. Baumgarten was Chairman of the Public Affairs committee of the Far Rockaway Exchange Club; a member of the Queens County Bar Association; the American Judicature Society; the Federal Bar Association and the New York Law School Alumni Association. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rockaway Cultural Society and was also Post Judge Advocate of VFW Post 1948, a member of the PAL Youth Council, and a director of the Queens Council on the Arts. He served as President of the East Side Chamber of Commerce in Manhattan for almost 10 years.

He was admitted to practice law in the State of New York and is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Claims, United States District Courts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

In 1967, he was appointed an Assistant District Attorney in Queens.. As a member of the Appeals Bureau, he argued numerous criminal appeals before the State and Federal courts and handled a number of cases involving prosecution of major organized crime figures. Mr. Baumgarten also completed the courses on drug abuse given for law enforcement officers by the Federal government, has lectured on the subject of firearms and firearms legislation at the New York City Police Academy, and has also lectured on the subject of appeals at the Queens County Bar Association and at Hofstra University School of Law. His teaching experience includes adjunct instructorships of Criminal Law at New York Institute of Technology and Interboro Institute. He was also a visiting professor at the Foundation University, Institute of Cardiology, in Brazil. He was vice-chair of the Committee on Law Related Education of the NY County Lawyers Association. 2

For five years Mr. Baumgarten was Law Secretary to Justice Charles Margett, Associate Justice of the Appellate Term of the New York State Supreme Court and Administrative Judge of the Eleventh Judicial District. In that capacity he read, researched and drafted opinions on hundreds of appeals.

He was later appointed Assistant to the Mayor with responsibility for programs and policies involving the Criminal Justice System, the Midtown Enforcement Project, gun control legislation, the Correction Department and many other matters. As Director of the Federally - funded Midtown Enforcement Project, Mr. Baumgarten was responsible for development of new administrative procedures, supervision of the investigation and prosecution of civil and criminal cases and preparation of new legislation. In connection with his role, he has appeared on many local and network radio and television programs as a guest (The McNeil - Leherer Report, CBS “Public Hearing”, the Joe Franklin Show, ABC News “Close Up”, Victor Reisel Show, etc.). His efforts were recognized by Mayor Giuliani at a ceremony to celebrate the revitalization of Times Square and he credited Mr. Baumgarten with closing more than 200 illegal establishments during his tenure as head of Midtown enforcement. His activities were also prominently included in a book entitled Ghosts of 42nd Street, Harper Perennial Edition 2005 and another more recent book entitled Razzle Dazzle, The battle for Broadway. Plus a cameo appearance in a documentary film that debuted in 2019 called “On Broadway”. See, also, "Crime Scene: Times Square Killer" on Netflix. Mr. Baumgarten served as Board Chairman and President of the East Side Chamber of Commerce, and he is currently Chairman of New York Therapeutic Communities, Inc., a premier drug treatment program. After 9/11 and upon returning from active military duty, he was part of an organizing group that started the Battery Park City Community Emergency Response Team, became the team chief, and was recognized as one of the largest and best CERT teams in the country. In January 2006 the team was awarded a presidential citation for its efforts in sending 15 of its members to New Orleans to assist in the search and rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina. In addition, he completed the State Train the Trainer Course and attended at the Connecticut Fire Academy with his CERT team. Mr. Baumgarten also headed a medical device company for over 10 years and during that time was designated a Senior Research Associate at Yale-New Haven. Mr. Baumgarten is married to the former Terry Paladini, a native of Brazil, and they reside in New Jersey. They have six children and seven grandchildren . Video excerpts of recent speeches/presentations can be provided upon request.