New York City Police Department
The City of New York Police Department began its life on the 23rd of May 1845. Mayor William Havemeyer shepherded the force into existence to replace an old night watch system that had served the city for decades. This new agency became the largest and one of the oldest municipal police departments in the United States. The department's headquarters sits at 1 Police Plaza on Park Row near City Hall. In 1911, the NYPD appointed its first Black officer. Seven years later, in 1918, they hired their first female officer. During Richard Enright's tenure as commissioner, the country's first Shomrim Society formed within the force in 1924. At that time, the department employed 700 Jewish officers.
A police commissioner appointed by the mayor governs the entire department. Technically, this leader serves a five-year term but often serves at the mayor's pleasure. The commissioner appoints a first deputy commissioner and numerous other deputies. A chief of department serves as the senior sworn member of the force. Michael LiPetri currently holds the title of interim chief of department. The department divides its operations into twenty bureaus commanded by uniformed bureau chiefs or civilian deputy commissioners. These bureaus fall under four umbrellas: Patrol, Transit & Housing, Investigative, and Administrative. The Patrol Services Bureau oversees most uniformed patrol officers and is the largest bureau. It commands eight borough commands divided into seventy-eight police precincts. The Transit Bureau manages officers within the New York City Subway system across twelve transit districts. The Housing Bureau enforces law within public housing developments through nine service areas.
As of October 2023, the authorized uniformed strength reached 33,536 personnel. Nineteen thousand four hundred fifty-four civilians work alongside them including approximately three thousand five hundred traffic enforcement agents. The Police Benevolent Association represents more than fifty thousand active and retired officers. In 2023, forty-seven percent of the entire force were white while fifty-three percent belonged to minority groups. Among the twenty-one thousand six hundred three officers on patrol, forty-three percent were non-Hispanic white. On the 1st of January 2022, Keechant Sewell became the first woman to serve as NYPD Commissioner. Juanita N. Holmes had been appointed Chief of the Patrol Bureau in 2020 as the highest-ranked uniformed woman at that time. Sewell announced her departure on the 12th of June 2023 without providing a reason. Mayor Eric Adams appointed Jessica Tisch as commissioner on the 25th of November 2024. She is the second woman to hold the job.
The department has a long history of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct. Critics accuse the agency of manipulating crime statistics. In 2009, officer Adrian Schoolcraft was arrested by his fellow officers and involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital after he provided evidence of intentional under reporting of crimes. He filed a federal suit which the city settled before trial in 2015. The Knapp Commission found systematic corruption problems within the force in 1970. A civilian-led thirteen-member panel known as the Civilian Complaint Review Board investigates misconduct accusations. On the 8th of June 2020, both houses of the New York state assembly passed the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed these reforms into law on the 12th of June 2020. During the George Floyd protests, more than sixty videos showed NYPD police attacking protesters. An investigation concluded the department exercised excessive force during those demonstrations. In 2024, the force tossed out more than four hundred civilian complaints without reviewing the evidence. Lieutenant Thomas Fabrizi stole sixty-four thousand dollars in overtime compensation for shifts spent at home. Chief of Internal Affairs Miguel Iglesias was forced out in December 2024 amid criticism of his handling of sexual abuse allegations.
The department developed a CompStat system of management in the 1990s to track crime geographically. In 2005, they established a Real Time Crime Center to assist investigations with data from traffic tickets and court summonses. The Domain Awareness System provides information drawn from nine thousand publicly and privately owned license plate readers. This network includes surveillance cameras, shotspotter data, radiation sensors, and chemical sensors. The system allows tracking of surveillance targets and gains detailed information about them. It accesses data from at least two billion license plate readings and one hundred million summonses. In 2020, the department deployed a robotic dog known as Digidog manufactured by Boston Dynamics. The robot has cameras that send back real-time footage along with lights and two-way communication. Deployment led to condemnation from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project due to privacy concerns. Following pushback against the ninety-four thousand dollar price tag, the NYPD announced on the 28th of April 2021, that its lease would be terminated. Mayor Eric Adams revived the program in April 2023 purchasing two robots for seven hundred fifty thousand dollars using asset forfeiture funds.
In 2019, the department responded to four hundred eighty-two thousand three hundred thirty-seven reports of crime. They made two hundred fourteen thousand six hundred seventeen arrests during that year. There were ninety-five thousand six hundred six major felonies reported in 2019 compared to more than half a million per year when crime peaked during the crack epidemic. The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute has measured public opinion since 1997 when just under fifty percent approved of the job. Approval peaked at seventy-eight percent in 2002 following the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. It has ranged between fifty-two and seventy-two percent since then. A 2020 poll found that fifty-three percent of the public approved while forty percent disapproved. Black residents showed strong disapproval with fifty-one percent opposing the force. White and Asian voters approved by a margin of fifty-nine percent. Hispanic approval stood at fifty-one percent. In 2017, sixty-seven percent of New York City voters approved of how the police did their job. Eighty-six percent of voters said crime is a serious problem while seventy-one percent cited police brutality as a serious issue.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did the New York City Police Department begin its operations?
The New York City Police Department began its life on the 23rd of May 1845. Mayor William Havemeyer shepherded the force into existence to replace an old night watch system that had served the city for decades.
Who is the current commissioner of the New York City Police Department as of late 2024?
Mayor Eric Adams appointed Jessica Tisch as commissioner on the 25th of November 2024. She is the second woman to hold the job after Keechant Sewell announced her departure on the 12th of June 2023.
How many officers are currently authorized in the New York City Police Department?
As of October 2023, the authorized uniformed strength reached 33,536 personnel. Nineteen thousand four hundred fifty-four civilians work alongside them including approximately three thousand five hundred traffic enforcement agents.
What technology does the New York City Police Department use to track license plates and surveillance targets?
The Domain Awareness System provides information drawn from nine thousand publicly and privately owned license plate readers. This network includes surveillance cameras, shotspotter data, radiation sensors, and chemical sensors.
When did the New York City Police Department appoint its first Black officer and first female officer?
In 1911, the NYPD appointed its first Black officer. Seven years later, in 1918, they hired their first female officer.