MORE POLICE WORK AHEAD FOR EX-DEA BOSS

Schenectady -- Thomas Constantine is expected to oversee Northern
Ireland's new force

Thomas Constantine, who retired as head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration to spend more time with his family, apparently will
resume his police career.

The Northern Ireland Police Federation is expected to announce soon
that Constantine, 60, will be appointed oversight commissioner for the
province's new police service, sources said. Sources confirmed that
Constantine has agreed to serve in the position for three years, but
he will not be involved in day-to-day police operations. Rather than
being headquartered in Northern Ireland, he will be going there a
frequent basis.

In recent weeks, sources said, Constantine has been back and forth to
Ireland to discuss the new assignment.

The London Times reported that Constantine, "an Irish-American
Catholic,'' will be supervising the transition of the Royal Ulster
Constabulary to the new police service of Northern Ireland.

Asked about the report Friday night, Constantine, a former State
Police superintendent who lives in Schenectady, said: "I'm not at
liberty to comment on issues related to Northern Ireland.''

Alan Burnside, a spokesman for the Northern Ireland Police Federation,
said his members were encouraged by Constantine's depth of experience
with the DEA and the State Police.

"We are looking forward to working with such a qualified candidate,''
Burnside told the London Times. "It does not matter at all to us
whether he is a Catholic or a Protestant. What is far more important
is the policing experience he brings with him.''

Constantine was appointed a professor at the University at Albany and
has been operating a private law enforcement consulting firm since his
retirement from the DEA last June.

"I'm not interested in further full-time work and endless hours on a
job, but I want to return to Schenectady where my roots are so I can
spend time at home and with my family,'' Constantine told the Times
Union a year ago.

Constantine, a native of Buffalo, moved to Schenectady in 1970. He and
his wife, Ruth Ann, have six children, including Sgt. Thomas
Constantine of the Niskayuna Police Department and Kevin Constantine,
an FBI agent in Boston.

Constantine was head of the DEA for five years. Prior to that he was a
member of the Erie County Sheriff's Department for two years and put
in 30 years with the State Police. He rose through the ranks from
uniformed trooper to superintendent, a position he held for eight years.

James McMahon, who succeed Constantine as superintendent, said Friday
that his predecessor had the background, integrity and commitment to
make a difference in the Ireland situation.

"The federation is looking for professional police oversight and
Constantine has the international experience to provide just that,''
McMahon said. "Tom is also a proud Irishman who I've marched with in
several St. Patrick's Day parades.''

Joseph Notar, a former Schenectady deputy mayor and City Council
president who is a longtime friend, said the federation could not have
made a better choice for the job.

"Constantine is so dedicated to his profession he's always the first
person in the office and the last to leave,'' Notar said Friday. "He
also takes great pride in his Irish heritage. He's always had concern
about the problems in Northern Ireland.''

Lloyd ''Buddy'' Wilson, a State Police inspector who rose through the
ranks with Constantine, called him a no-nonsense guy. "When he asked a
question, he expected you to know the answer,'' Wilson said. "He had
very little tolerance for people who did not do their best.''

In the spring of 1999, Constantine declined an offer from Schenectady
Democratic Party officials to run for mayor against Republican Albert
Jurczynski.

After he retired from the DEA, he also declined an offer from
Jurczynski to become the city's public safety commissioner. Jurczynski
said he was prepared to create the position as head of the city police
and fire departments for Constantine.

Constantine said when he retired he turned down full-time job offers
in New York City and Washington, D.C.