James Patrick "Jimmy" O'Neill Jr. is an American police officer who served as the 43rd Police Commissioner of New York City from September 2016 until November 2019. Prior to his appointment as Police Commissioner, O'Neill served as

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

's Chief of Department, the highest uniformed position in the department, in 2014–2016. In a meeting with the Mayor Bill de Blasio of October 31, 2019 O'Neill confirmed his intentions to depart the NYPD. On November 4, 2019 it was publicly announced that Dermot F. Shea would become the 44th Commissioner of the NYPD in a ceremony at 1 Police Plaza on December 1, 2019. On November 6, 2019, O'Neill announced that he had accepted a position as Senior Vice President of Physical Security for the payments firm Visa. On April 1, 2020, it was announced that O'Neill would be appointed as an advisor to the New York City government on COVID-19.

Early life and education

O'Neill was born to an

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

family, the fourth of seven children, to Helen and Joseph O'Neill. He was raised in the East Flatbush neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. He holds a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in Government and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

degree from John Jay College in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

O'Neill joined the New York City Transit Police in 1983, and began his career as a patrolman in Transit District 1. He was promoted to Sergeant in September 1987 and to Lieutenant in April 1991. In 1995, the transit police were merged into the NYPD. In 1997 he was promoted to Captain. Additional promotions were to Deputy Inspector in December 2001, to Inspector in August 2003, and to Deputy Chief in October 2005. On June 2, 2014, O'Neill was promoted to Chief of Patrol. Several months later, in November 2014, he was promoted to Chief of Department. In September 2016 he became police commissioner. On November 4, 2019, O'Neill resigned his post as Police Commissioner (effective early December 2019) and was replaced by former Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea.

Promotion to Chief of Department

On October 28, 2014, O'Neill became the Chief of Department for the NYPD's 36,000 uniformed officers, the highest-ranking uniformed position.

Police commissioner

On August 2, 2016, O'Neill was appointed Police Commissioner of New York City by Mayor

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

, effective September 2016. O'Neill was succeeded as Chief of Department by Carlos M. Gomez. On November 4, 2019, O'Neill announced his retirement as commissioner, and was replaced by former Chief of Detectives Dermot F. Shea at month-end.

Vapor wake canines

O'Neill widely deployed vapor wake canines in the city to alert their handlers to the presence of explosives; these dogs can then track the scent to potential bombers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, James 1950s births Living people John Jay College of Criminal Justice alumni New York City police commissioners Year of birth missing (living people)