NEW YORK, NY- The law enforcement community lost a true hero last week when former NYPD commissioner Bernie Kerik passed away at age 69, The New York Post reported.
Kerik, known as “America’s Cop,” was appointed to head the nation’s largest police department by Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2000. As part of the city’s focus on combating crime and criminals, Kerik oversaw a 63% reduction in violent crime.
However, what Kerik is perhaps best known for is managing the city after the September 11, 2011, terrorist attacks that shook the city and the nation. The NYPD lost 23 officers in the attack, while scores of other officers became afflicted with 9/11-related illnesses and cancers.
Kerik, the department’s 40th commissioner, was known as the “beat cop commissioner” for his leadership style, which did not restrict him to a desk at One Police Plaza. Kerik made five arrests during his 16-month tenure as “The Commish,” including one involving two ex-cons in a stolen van in Harlem. All told, Kerik served over four decades in law enforcement.
“For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11,” the NYPD posted on X.
‘We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, spoke highly of Kerik, whom he considered a friend.
“It was just this afternoon that I stopped by the hospital to see Bernie Kerik, my friend of nearly 30 years, before his passing,” Adams said. “He was a great New Yorker and American. Rest in peace, my friend.”
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime friend of Kerik’s, praised him as “a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known.”
“With over 40 years of service in law enforcement and national security, he dedicated his life to protecting the American people. As the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City, Bernie led with strength and resolve in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, guiding the NYPD through one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history,” Patel said in a statement.
“His legacy is not just in the medals or titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild, and the country he served with honor.”
Giuliany was also effusive in his praise of his longtime friend, calling Kerick a “true patriot” and “one of the bravest men I’ve known.”
“He became police commissioner when they thought crime couldn’t be reduced any further, yet he reduced it further. His work helped New York become the safest big city in America and a shining example of urban renaissance,” Giuliani said.
“Then he faced the worst foreign attack since the War of 1812 on American soil–September 11th. He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left.”
After leaving the NYPD, Kerik was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2004 to head the Department of Homeland Security, but withdrew his nomination after it was learned he had employed an illegal alien as a nanny. Ironically, Kerik pleaded guilty to an ethics violation in 200, which is an indication of how much times have changed.
Sadly, Kerik’s legal woes deepened in 2009 when he pleaded guilty to eight federal felonies, including tax evasion on a $255,000 gift for home repairs and making false statements to federal officials during his vetting for the DHS position.
Kerik served four years in a federal prison until President Trump pardoned him during his first term in 2020.
Kerik was a highly decorated officer in New York, receiving the department’s Medal for Valor, 29 medals for excellence and meritorious service, a Presidential Commendation from President Ronald Reagan, and other accolades.
While publicly Kerik “had a tough exterior…privately he cherished his family, wife, and kids, cops. He was always there for me and my family,’ said Kathy Vigiano, a retired NYPD officer and widow of 9/11 hero Detective Joseph Vigiano.
Kerik was not a lot unlike the television character played by Tom Selleck in “Blue Bloods,” a cop’s cop who expected much from his police officers, but had their backs when they came under attack. He was also, as Vigiano noted, a strong family man, much as Selleck’s character Frank Reagan was.
Kerik is survived by his wife, Hala, and three children. His son, Joe, also joined the family business and serves on the Newark, NJ, Police Department's SWAT team.
RIP Brother. Until Valhalla…we’ll take it from here.
