Former NYPD union boss and respected attorney Roy T. Richter was found dead by suicide at his Westchester home Wednesday, law enforcement sources confirmed.
Richter, 56, is believed to have died on Tuesday — which was also his wife’s birthday, according to a post on his daughter’s Instagram Stories.
Richter served in the NYPD for 33 years through January 2020, when he retired as a deputy chief, his professional biography read.
For the last 12 years of his law enforcement career, Richter was elected to three consecutive terms as president of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association (CEA), which represents 780 active and 1,400 retired uniformed commanders ranked from captain to deputy chief, according to his LinkedIn profile.
On his final day in office, he negotiated a new contract deal that added a 10% boost to member compensation, the description continued.
Richter died on what was also his wife Maryanne’s birthday. Maryanne Bifulco / Facebook“The Captains Endowment Association mourns the passing of Past President Roy Richter. He was one of the true great labor leaders in NYC,” current CEA president Chris Monahan told The Post.
“Roy Richter was a consummate professional, highly respected across every rank in the NYPD and beyond,” a law enforcement union official added.
“His positive impact on the lives of thousands of cops over the course of his union leadership will always be his legacy.
Roy Richter was with the NYPD for 33 years and retired as a deputy in 2020. Facebook“He will be dearly missed.”
While CEA president, Richter also chaired the Welfare Fund, which provides medical benefits to 5,500 families and served as a trustee for the $32 billion Police Pension Fund.
Outside of the NYPD, he was an attorney and, since 2000, was a partner at Bifulco & Richter, where he specialized in labor, tax and estate planning, his LinkedIn stated.
Richter with one of his three daughters earlier this year. FacebookAs of January 2020, he also led an eponymous consulting firm that provided clients with financial and legal expertise, the profile indicated.
Richter was selected by District Attorney Alvin Bragg for a task force on shoplifting and community solutions with the Manhattan Business Alliance in February 2022.
He finished a three-year stint on the board of directors for the Breezy Point Cooperative, Inc. less than two months before his death.
Roy Richter (right) with other NYPD union leaders in 2014. NY Post
Roy Richter was also a respected attorney and consultant, per his LinkedIn. Bifulco & Richter LLPRichter was a graduate of St. Francis College in Brooklyn and Fordham University School of Law.
On Veterans Day last year, he honored his father, World War II Navy veteran Roy Richter Sr., who joined Gen. Mark A. Milley and other active military members in ringing the New York Stock Exchange’s opening bell in social media posts.
Later that month, Richter and his father earned a shout-out on Twitter from former NYPD captain and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who described the younger Richter as a “good friend.”
In addition to his father and his wife, Maryann Bifulco, Richter is survived by three daughters.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
