Aurora police chief Dan Oates -- tasked with heading up the investigation of one of the worst mass shootings this country has ever seen -- was once a high ranking officer with the NYPD, according to a published report.
A New Jersey native, Oates started out as a street cop in 1980, the New York Post reported. He graduated from Bucknell University and joined the NYPD after a stint as a reporter for The Press newspaper in Atlantic City.
Oates graduated from New York Law School while working as a beat cop, the Post said, and caught the eye of current Police Commissioner Ray Kelly during his first term under Mayor David Dinkins.
By the time Oates retired from the NYPD in 2001, he was the executive deputy chief in the Brooklyn South command, the Post said.
Get the latest from NBC 4 New York anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Get our apps here and sign up for email newsletters here. Get breaking news delivered right to your phone -- just text NYBREAKING to 639710. For more info, text HELP. To end, text STOP. Message and data rates may apply.
