By Patrick Markey
New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir’s sudden announcement Tuesday that he will step down could leave the leadership of the nation’s largest police force open to an Irish American for the first time in six years.
When Safir leaves the department within two weeks to join a private security firm, two of the leading candidates for the top post are Irish Americans with long histories in law enforcement and in the NYPD’s ranks.
Safir’s announcement comes just weeks after the city’s top Irish cop, first deputy commissioner Patrick Kelleher, also announced he would be retiring to head international security for the financial giant Merrill Lynch.
That move leaves a vacuum in the NYPD leadership. As second-in-command, Kelleher would have filled Safir’s seat until Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced a new commissioner. Safir, who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, told a press conference he was leaving on Aug. 18 to join an Atlanta-based security firm.
Insiders say among the leading candidates for the top slot are:
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€ The city’s correction commissioner, Bernard Kerik, who was also a decorated NYPD detective. Before he was appointed to commissioner in 1997, Kerik also worked with a Drug’s Enforcement Agency task force battling the Cali Cartel and was an army special forces trainer.
€ John P. Dunne, the NYPD’s chief of department and No. 2 official, is reportedly the top choice to replace Kelleher, and then perhaps move into the police commissioner’s post. Dunne, a 53-year-old Brooklyn native, worked his way up through the ranks and has forged a reputation as a efficient law enforcement manager. As head of the Brooklyn North operation, he is credited with fostering good relations with minority communities at a difficult time for the department.
€ Kevin P. Farrell, another Brooklyn native, is the city’s current sanitation commissioner. One of the city’s leading police officials, Farrell headed the department’s Manhattan detective division and has worked in two of the city’s toughest Brooklyn precincts. He was also an assistant chief overseeing criminal investigations for 22 Manhattan precincts.
Should Dunne or Farrell take the post, either man would become the city’s first Irish-American commissioner since Ray Kelly, who lead the department from 1992-94. Although Safir can recommend candidates, Mayor Giuliani makes the final choice.
A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office said no decision had been made on when the new commissioner would be appointed.
"It’s hard to say who it will be. The only one who knows for sure is the mayor," said one high-ranking NYPD official.
"If it’s not Dunne, then he’ll probably get the first deputy’s position, and he’ll get a promotion at some time. But they both [Dunne and Farrell] know their stuff, they’ve been around for 20-plus years and have great reputations," the official said.
Another name constantly linked to the department’s future is John Timoney, the Dublin-born head of the Philadelphia Police Dept. who formerly worked in New York.
Timoney recently garnered praise for his department’s handling of the protests surrounding the Republican National Convention. Timoney’s hands-on and direct approach to policing led to further speculation that he might return to New York. But with federal postings in Washington still an option, Timoney was tight-lipped on a move to the Big Apple.
"I’m having a great time here. People always make assumptions about me going back to New York," Timoney told the Echo the night before Safir’s announcement. "But if I get invited back, I might not come back, that’s the thing."