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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2002
PR-004-02
www.nyc.gov

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG SWEARS IN RAYMOND W. KELLY AS NEW YORK CITY'S 41ST POLICE COMMISSIONER

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today swore in Raymond W. Kelly as New York City's 41st Police Commissioner, marking the first time in department history that a former Commissioner has returned to head the NYPD. Mayor Bloomberg swore in Commissioner Kelly at Gracie Mansion.

"I am proud to swear in Ray Kelly as New York City's Police Commissioner," Mayor Bloomberg said. "The Commissioner shares my commitment to fighting crime at all levels and with all of the resources available. His law enforcement experience at the local, national, and international level should give the residents of all of the City's many communities, as well as the City's tourists and visitors, the confidence that they can go about their lives in a safe environment. I have no doubt that Commissioner Kelly and New York's Finest will protect the safety of the public with skill and professionalism."

"I would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg for giving me the opportunity to return to the Police Department and lead the best law enforcement agency in the world," Commissioner Kelly said. "We will aggressively combat crime, be they quality of life offenses or violent assaults, and work with state and federal authorities, as well as the local communities that the Police Department serves, to coordinate the effort to protect New York City against threats of any nature. And the Mayor and I will work together to ensure that our police force possesses the resources to enhance public safety, and that its men and women perform their duties effectively and with courtesy and respect."

Kelly spent 31 years in the New York City Police Department, serving in 25 different commands. During his tenure as Commissioner from 1992 to 1994, Kelly directed the emergency response and successful investigation, in conjunction with federal agencies, of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In 1994, he became head of International Police Monitors where he reformed Haiti's police force. From 1996 to 1998, Kelly was undersecretary for enforcement at the U.S. Treasury Department, where he supervised the department's enforcement bureaus, including the U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control. In addition, Kelly served as Vice President for the Americas of Interpol, the international police organization, from 1996 to 2000. Kelly served as commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service from 1998 to 2001, overseeing the agency's 20,000 employees. At the Customs Service, he reformed training, integrity monitoring and investigative systems.

Kelly was recently appointed the Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, and following the September 11th attacks, he was named to a national task force to increase airport security. He most recently served as head of Global Security at Bear Stearns. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Kelly retired as a colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves after 30 years of service. He holds a BBA from Manhattan College, a JD from St. John's University School of Law, an LLM from New York University Graduate School of Law and an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

 

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Edward Skyler / Jerry Russo
(212) 788-2958
Michael O'Looney (NYPD)
(212) 374-6700