Michael J. Palladino was elected President of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, Inc. (DEA) in June 2004. He was re-elected unopposed in 2008, again in 2012, and again in 2016.  He spearheads contract negotiations and all dealings with the City, Chairs the union’s Health Benefits Funds, as well as Chairs the Trustees of the DEA’s Annuity Fund.  He is also a Trustee of the $38-billion New York City Police Pension Fund.

Born and raised in The Bronx, Palladino joined the NYPD in 1979.  He earned his gold shield through the Narcotics Division in January of 1987, and was promoted to second grade Detective in 1995 while assigned to the 52nd Precinct Detective Squad in The Bronx.

He first became involved in union activity when he was voted Delegate from the 52 Squad in 1992.  Two years later he was elected DEA Bronx Welfare Officer, and then elected in 1996 to the position of Bronx Trustee.  In 1998, he was elevated to union Secretary, handling member arbitration hearings and litigations and serving as Chairman of the DEA’s Strategic Planning Committee.  In June of 2002, he was appointed Vice President of the union.

Palladino graduated from Fordham University with a B.S. degree in 1980.  He has also studied at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and earned professional certificates from the Harvard Trade Union School at Harvard University, the Wharton School of Money Management at the University of Pennsylvania, and attended the Dale Carnegie School of Public Speaking in New York City.

Michael has five children — Michael, Jr., Francesca, Joseph, Alessandra, and Ava — and is married to fellow detective Theresa.

Among Palladino’s many and varied functions as DEA President, he leads the union’s political agenda on a local, State, and national level.  The Union has had many legislative successes during Palladino’s tenure, including: the NYS World Trade Center Death Benefit bill (the Zadroga bill), which awards line of duty death benefits to first responders who succumb to their 9/11-related illnesses or injuries; the WTC 3/4s Disability Bill; the creation of the Mt. Sinai Medical Monitoring and Screening Program; the 9/11 Extender bills, the Variable Supplement guarantee; the Veterans’ Buy Back bill, and the bill that guarantees an Officer’s pension after 20 years.

In July of 2010, and again in 2013 and 2016, Palladino was elected President of the New York State Association of PBAs, an Albany-based lobbying group for Police Officers throughout the State of New York.  The Association represents approximately 48,000 Officers of all ranks.  Palladino previously served on the organization’s Executive Board.

From August of 2003 until February of 2012, Palladino also served as the elected Executive Vice President of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), a consortium of American police unions.  Based in Washington, DC, NAPO represents 240,000 law enforcement officers nationwide.