Rye Police Commissioner Connors Hospitalized, Verille to be Acting Commissioner
Rye Police Commissioner Connors was hospitalized and was scheduled to undergo surgery yesterday, July 9th. In a press release, the police department said Detective Lieutenant Joseph A. Verille III will be designated Acting Commissioner.
The full statement follows:
PRESS RELEASE
July 8, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Rye Police Commissioner William R. Connors has been hospitalized. He is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a thoracic aortic aneurysm on July 9, 2008 at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
A Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm is a dilation or bulging of the wall of the aorta, the body’s largest blood vessel, just above the heart. Early this year, the Commissioner’s physicians recommended surgery.
“This is an unusual situation for someone who has not taken a sick day for more than twenty-four years,” said Commissioner Connors. “I look forward to returning to my normal duties as soon as possible after the surgery. In the interim, my lieutenants are well-prepared to handle the day-to-day operations of the Department.”
Detective Lieutenant Joseph A. Verille III will be designated Acting Commissioner during Commissioner Connors’ absence.
Thoracic aortic aneurysms affect about 15,000 people per year in the United States, and are often connected with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease, a congenital connective tissue disorder. Modern surgical techniques allow for the replacement of the weakened portion of the aorta with a synthetic graft that prevents the risk of dissection, a usually fatal situation in which the vessel bursts.
