News Release
December 20, 2005
Contact: DEA Public Affairs

New York Field Division celebrates the holidays while the MTA was on Strike

Associate SAC Daniel Anderson, Group Supervisor Joseph LoDico, ASAC John Peluso and ASAC Nicholas Caruso serve DEA Employees lunch at the Annual Family Holiday Party at NYFD.

Cars without four people were not allowed into the city, buses weren’t running, trains weren’t running, and subways weren’t running. How were the DEA Employees going to get to work? How was all the food for the party to be delivered? How was Santa Clause going to show up?

Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride stated, “The NYFD has been through a lot together, we never let another down and since we had a contingency plan in case the Strike happened, we were prepared. Our agents and employees worked together to make sure they all got to work and were able to enjoy the Holiday lunch.”

Santa, Mrs. Clause and New York State Troopers make a presence at the Annual Family Holiday Party at the New York Field Division.

The contingency plan allowed for Agents to pick up DEA employees in their vehicles in order to comply with the four people in a car rule. The plan also allowed for late arrival to the office.

By the end of the day, DEA employees and families were able to celebrate the end of the year with cheer and good food. For all the younger ones, Santa and Mrs. Clause’s sleigh miraculously made it through the traffic restrictions and got to hear from the kids what they wanted for Christmas.