The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act i ...

and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The commissioner is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the department as well as the appointment of deputies including the Chief of Department and subordinate officers. Commissioners are civilian administrators, and they and their subordinate deputies are civilians under an oath of office, not sworn members of the force. This is a separate position from the Chief of Department, who is the senior sworn uniformed member of the force. The First Deputy Commissioner is the Commissioner and department's second-in-command. The office of the Police Commissioner is located at the NYPD Headquarters,

One Police Plaza One Police Plaza (often abbreviated as 1PP) is the headquarters of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The building is located on Park Row (Manhattan), Park Row in Civic Center, Manhattan, Civic Center, Manhattan near New York City's ...

. Both the commissioner and first deputy commissioner outrank all uniformed officers, including the chief of department.

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, in one of his final acts as

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor h ...

before becoming

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

in March 1901, continued reforms he began when he was police superintendent by signing legislation that replaced the police commission and office of the police chief (previously the superintendent) with a single police commissioner. The current police commissioner is

Keechant Sewell Keechant L. Sewell (born April 2, 1972) is an American police officer and administrator who is currently serving as the 45th New York City Police Commissioner, the first woman to serve in the position. Early life Sewell was raised in the Long I ...

, who had previously been Chief of Detectives for the Nassau County Police Department. On December 14, 2021, the mayor-elect

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and retired police captain serving as the 110th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York ...

confirmed that he would appoint Sewell as the first female police commissioner of the NYPD. She took office on January 1, 2022. The Commissioner's responsibilities include: * To ensure the effective day-to-day operation of the department * To appoint the board of Commissioners, the Chief of the Department and all subordinate officers * To ensure the safety and protection of New York City and its population * To ensure the department enforces city, state and federal law

List of superintendents, chiefs, and commissioners

Pre-1901

Prior to 1901, the

was run by a board of four to six commissioners. The following is a list of some of the most famous members of the Police Commission: ;Presidents of the Board of Commissioners ;Members of the Board of Commissioners * George Washington Matsell, 1845–1857, Superintendent *

John Alexander Kennedy John Alexander Kennedy (August 9, 1803 – June 20, 1873) was the superintendent of police for New York City, from 1860 to 1863. He was in charge of the police response to the New York City draft riots in 1863, until he was badly beaten by the mo ...

, 1860–1863, Superintendent *

Abram Duryée Abram Duryée (; April 29, 1815 – September 27, 1890) was a Union Army general during the American Civil War, the commander of one of the most famous Zouave regiments, the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry. After the war he was New York Ci ...

, 1873–1874, Commissioner * George Washington Walling, 1874–1885, Superintendent *

William Farrar Smith William Farrar Smith (February 17, 1824February 28, 1903), known as "Baldy" Smith, was a Union general in the American Civil War, notable for attracting the extremes of glory and blame. He was praised for his gallantry in the Seven Days Battle ...

, 1875–1881, President of the Board of Commissioners * Fitz John Porter, 1884–1888, Commissioner *

Frederick Dent Grant Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850 – April 12, 1912) was a soldier and United States minister to Austria-Hungary. Grant was the first son of General and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Grant. He was named after his ...

, 1894–1898, Commissioner *

, 1895–1897, President of the Board of Commissioners * John McCullagh, 1897–1898, Superintendent * John B. Sexton, 1898–1901, Commissioner *

William Stephen Devery William Stephen Devery (January 9, 1854 – June 20, 1919), nicknamed "Big Bill". was the last superintendent of the New York City Police Department police commission and the first police chief in 1898. Devery and Frank J. Farrell later co-ow ...

, May 21, 1898 – June 30, 1898 (acting), June 30, 1898 – February 22, 1901. The superintendent title was changed to Chief of Police in 1898. Devery was the Police Department's last superintendent, and first chief.

Post-1901

Since 1901, a single commissioner has been in charge of the New York Police Department. The following is a list of the commissioners:

In popular culture

In the

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eit ...

television show '' Blue Bloods'', the fictional New York City Police Commissioner

Frank Reagan Francis Xavier Reagan (July 28, 1919 – November 20, 1972) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played professionally for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles during a seven-season National ...

is played by

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

. His father, Henry Reagan, played by Len Cariou, is a former Commissioner.

Salary

The public disclosure of salary as of 2020 is approximately $205,180.00 base, which is considered in line with what most large US cities pay their respective chief of police, and a bit lower than that of the chief of the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...

Gallery

File:Simeon Draper, Collector of the Port of New York.jpg,

Simeon Draper Simeon Draper (January 19, 1806 - November 6, 1866) was a prominent merchant and politician in New York City. During the American Civil War, he was the federal government's agent for receiving captured cotton from the Confederate States of Amer ...

, who was one of the original 1857 Board of Police Commissioners File:John Alexander Kennedy by Brady.jpg, New York Police Department Superintendent

File:Duryee4s.jpg,

File:Joel B. Erhardt.jpg, Joel B. Erhardt File:Frederick Dent Grant.jpg, Frederick Dent Grant File:tr nyc police commissioner.jpg,

File:William S. Devery.gif,

William S. Devery William Stephen Devery (January 9, 1854 – June 20, 1919), nicknamed "Big Bill". was the last superintendent of the New York City Police Department police commission and the first police chief in 1898. Devery and Frank J. Farrell later co-o ...

File:Michael C. Murphy, Obituary picture, March 4,1903 - The New York Evening World.jpg, Michael Cotter Murphy File:Francis Vinton Greene.jpg, Francis Vinton Greene File:Frederick Hamilton Bugher (1876-1924) in 1918.jpg, Frederick Hamilton Bugher in 1918 File:Ray Kelly US Commissioner of Customs.jpg, Raymond W. Kelly File:Bill Bratton at the seminar on his new book Collaborate or Perish! Lessons for Politics, Business and Public Services.jpg,

William J. Bratton William Joseph Bratton CBE (born October 6, 1947) is an American law enforcement officer and businessman who served two terms as the New York City Police Commissioner (1994–1996 and 2014–2016). He previously served as the Commissioner of th ...

File:BernardKerik.JPG,

Bernard Kerik Bernard Bailey Kerik (born September 4, 1955) is an American consultant and former police officer who was the 40th Commissioner of the New York Police Department from 2000 to 2001. As a convicted felon, he obtained a presidential pardon from Pre ...

References

External links

Police Commissioner page on the New York Police Department website
{{Theodore Roosevelt 1845 establishments in New York (state) Theodore Roosevelt