Organization of the New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is structured into numerous bureaus and units. As a whole, the NYPD is headed by the Police Commissioner, a civilian administrator appointed by the Mayor, with the senior sworn uniformed officer of the service titled "Chief of Department". The Police Commissioner appoints a number of Deputy and Assistant Commissioners. The Department is divided into ten bureaus, six of which are enforcement bureaus. Each enforcement bureau is further sub-divided into sections, divisions, and units, and into patrol boroughs, precincts, and detective squads. Each Bureau is commanded by a Bureau Chief (such as the Chief of Patrol and the Chief of Housing). There are also a number of specialized units (such as the Operations Unit and CompStat) that are not part of any of the Bureaus and report to the Chief of the Department.
Leadership
The Department is headed by and under the control of a civilian Police Commissioner, who is appointed by the Mayor of New York City. The current Police Commissioner is William Bratton.
The Department's executive staff is divided into two areas: civilian and uniformed. The civilian staff are responsible for support services and departmental management, while uniformed officers investigate crimes and conduct law enforcement operations.
- The First Deputy Commissioner, who is the Department's second-in-command, oversees the civilian Deputy Commissioners and is the Department's chief administrative officer. The current First Deputy Commissioner is Benjamin B. Tucker.
- The Chief of the Department supervises uniformed police commanders. The chief is the Department's highest ranking uniformed police officer and the lead official responsible for operations. The current chief is James P. O'Neill.
Office of the Police Commissioner
- Commissioner
- Chief of Staff
- First Deputy Commissioner
- Deputy Commissioner, Administration
- Deputy Commissioner, Collaborative Policing
- Deputy Commissioner, Intelligence & Counterterrorism
- Deputy Commissioner, Internal Affairs
- Deputy Commissioner, Management and Budget
- Deputy Commissioner, Information Technology
- Deputy Commissioner, Legal Matters
- Deputy Commissioner, Department Advocate's Office
- Deputy Commissioner, Strategic Communications
- Deputy Commissioner, Operations
- Deputy Commissioner, Public Information
- Deputy Commissioner, Trials
- Deputy Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity
- Deputy Commissioner, Labor Relations
- Deputy Commissioner, Labor Counsel
- Deputy Commissioner, Strategic Initiatives
- Deputy Commissioner, Training
- Deputy Commissioner, Support Services
- First Deputy Commissioner
Office of the Chief of Department
- Chief of Department
- Chief, Community Affairs Bureau
- Chief, Patrol Services Bureau
- Chief, Transportation Bureau
- Chief, Housing Bureau
- Chief, Transit Bureau
- Chief, Detective Bureau
- Chief, Organized Crime Control Bureau
- Chief, Counterterrorism Bureau
- Chief, Intelligence Bureau
- Chief, Personnel Bureau
- Supervising Chief Surgeon
Structure
The following is the Department's hierarchy (with rank insignia):
Mayor of the City of New York - Bill de Blasio
- Police Commissioner – William Bratton
- First Deputy Commissioner – Benjamin B. Tucker
- Chief of Staff – Chief Kevin P. Ward
- Deputy Commissioner, Administration – Cathleen S. Perez
- Deputy Commissioner, Collaborative Policing – Susan A. Herman
- Deputy Commissioner, Intelligence & Counterterrorism – John Miller
- Deputy Commissioner, Internal Affairs – Joseph J. Reznick
- Deputy Commissioner, Management and Budget – Vincent D. Grippo
- Deputy Commissioner, Information Technology – Jessica S. Tisch
- Deputy Commissioner, Legal Matters – Lawrence Byrne
- Deputy Commissioner, Department Advocate – Kevin S. Richardson
- Deputy Commissioner, Strategic Communications – William W. Andrews
- Deputy Commissioner, Operations – Dermot F. Shea
- Deputy Commissioner, Public Information – Stephen P. Davis
- Deputy Commissioner, Trials – Rosemarie Maldonado
- Deputy Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity – Neldra M. Zeigler
- Deputy Commissioner, Labor Relations – John P. Beirne
- Deputy Commissioner, Labor Counsel – David M. Cohen, Esq.
- Deputy Commissioner, Strategic Initiatives – Robert Z. Tumin
- Deputy Commissioner, Training – Acting Commanding Officer Assistant Chief Theresa Shortell
- Deputy Commissioner, Support Services Bureau – Robert S. Martinez
- Chief of Department – James P. O'Neill
- Chief of Community Affairs – Bureau Chief Joanne Jaffe
- Commanding Officer of School Safety Division – Assistant Chief Brian J. Conroy
- Chief of Patrol – Bureau Chief Carlos M. Gomez
- Commanding Officer of Special Operations Division – Assistant Chief Harry Wedin
- Commanding Officer of Emergency Services Unit – Deputy Chief Vincent Giordano
- Commanding Officer of Harbor Unit – Inspector David Driscoll
- Commanding Officer of Mounted Unit – Deputy Inspector Barry Gelbman
- Commanding Officer of Aviation Unit – Deputy Inspector James Coan
- Commanding Officer of Special Operations Division – Assistant Chief Harry Wedin
- Chief of Transit – Bureau Chief Joseph Fox
- Chief of Housing – Bureau Chief James A. Secreto
- Chief of Detectives – Bureau Chief Robert K. Boyce
- Chief of Organized Crime Control – Bureau Chief Thomas P. Purtell
- Commanding Officer of Narcotics Division – Assistant Chief Brian McCarthy
- Chief of Transportation – Bureau Chief Thomas M. Chan
- Commanding Officer of Traffic Enforcement District – Inspector Michael Pilecki
- Commanding Officer of Highway Patrol – Inspector Michael Ameri
- Chief of Counterterrorism – Bureau Chief James R. Waters
- Chief of Intelligence– Bureau Chief Thomas P. Galati
- Chief of Personnel – Bureau Chief Raymond Spinella
- Chief of Community Affairs – Bureau Chief Joanne Jaffe
Patrol Services Bureau
- Commanding Officer of Patrol Services – Bureau Chief Carlos M. Gomez
Overview
The Patrol Services Bureau is one of the most visible units of the NYPD. The Bureau plans, directs, and coordinates the Department's uniformed officers in law enforcement patrol operations. Under the Chief of Patrol, there are eight Borough Commands, each headed by an Assistant Chief. While each of the boroughs has at least one Patrol Borough Command, the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn have two commands due to their sizes. The Borough Commands exercise authority over the various seventy-seven Police Precincts.
- Patrol Borough Chiefs:
- Commanding Officer of Manhattan South – Chief William Morris
- Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan North – Assistant Chief Kathleen M. O'Reilly
- Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn North – Assistant Chief Jeffrey Maddrey
- Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South – Assistant Chief Steven M. Powers
- Commanding Officer of Strategic and Tactical Command (S.A.T.COM) Queens North – Assistant Chief Diana Pizzuti
- Commanding Officer of Strategic and Tactical Command (S.A.T.COM) Queens South – Assistant Chief David Barrere
- Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Bronx – Assistant Chief Larry W. Nikunen
- Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Staten Island – Assistant Chief Edward Dellatorre
Police precincts
Each patrol borough is composed of precincts. Each precinct is responsible for safety and law enforcement within a designated geographic area. Police units based in these precincts patrol and respond to emergencies.
Manhattan South | Manhattan North | The Bronx | Brooklyn South | Brooklyn North | Queens South | Queens North | Staten Island |
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Staten Island now has four precincts: the 120th, 121st (new as of 2013),[78] 122nd, and 123rd. There are plans to begin construction in 2014 on a new building for the 120th precinct.
Queens South began operating a satellite for the large 105th precinct in the southern part of the precinct next to the Rosedale LIRR station in July 2007.[79] This building was, until then, the quarters for the Queens South Task Force, the Queens South Auto-Larceny Unit, the Queens South Anti-Crime Unit, the Queens South Evidence Collection Team, and the Detective Bureau's Queens Major Case Squad.
Specialized Units
Emergency Service Unit
- Commanding Officer of Emergency Service Unit – Deputy Chief Vincent Giordano
The Emergency Service Unit,[80] a component of the Special Operations Division, provides specialized support and advanced equipment to other NYPD units.
Members of "ESU" are cross trained in multiple disciplines for police and rescue work. The ESU Canine Unit helps with searches for perpetrators and missing persons. The Emergency Service Unit also functions as a Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT) and NYPD hostage negotiators assist and secure the safety of hostages. The Emergency Services Unit works with other departments such as the FDNY with water rescues, suicide-jumpers, structural collapse rescues, and vehicle accidents. The ESU also has jet skis and numerous Zodiac inflatable rafts assigned to units throughout the precincts of NYC.
Aviation Unit
- Commanding Officer of Aviation Unit – Deputy Inspector James Coan
Founded in 1928, it claims the distinction of being the oldest police aviation unit in the world, but there is a competing claim from the London Metropolitan Police Service ("The Met"). Based in Brooklyn, the Aviation Unit responds to various emergencies and tasks, supporting other units of the N.Y.P.D. Among its capabilities are the deployment of divers for water rescues. From a standing start, the unit claims it can be anywhere in the five boroughs within 15 minutes, but this has been disputed and is dependent on weather conditions and air traffic congestion.[81]
Since 9/11 the department has undertaken a major overhaul of the Aviation Unit. Once equipped exclusively with Bell helicopters, it recently re-equipped its fleet with four Agusta A 119 Koala helicopters, and three Bell 412 helicopters. And more recently the department purchased four brand new Bell 429 helicopters, replacing the Agusta helicopters. The centerpiece is a $9.8 million "unmarked" helicopter, which can fly at night without lights. However, this function will require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and local Air Traffic Control on a case-by-case basis, due to the hazards it could present in the heavily congested New York air corridors. The department has also purchased a state-of-the-art helicopter flight simulator, so officers can practice flying without actually having to take up a helicopter.[82] In 2011 the department said they had .50 caliber machine guns capable of shooting down light planes.[83]
Famed US cyclist Mile-a-Minute Murphy claimed to be the first police officer able to fly a plane in the US (possibly the entire world) as of 1914 as a member of the NYPD. He envisioned the use of airplanes to fight crime around the same time, though the Aviation Unit came into being 11 years after Murphy retired.
Harbor Unit and Scuba Team
- Commanding Officer of Harbor Unit – Inspector David T. Driscoll
On March 15, 1858, five members of the New York City Police Department rowed out into New York Harbor to combat piracy aboard merchant ships lying at anchor. The NYPD Harbor Unit has existed ever since, protecting life and property. With hundreds of miles of inland waterways to cover, the unit operates over 36 boats from four bases.[84]
For underwater work, the department used to contract with private diving companies when weapons or other evidence had to be recovered from the bottom of New York's many rivers and waterways. In the early 1970s, however, the Harbor Unit formed a specialized scuba team that today numbers around 30 officers. Unlike many police dive units, whose members dive only part-time, NYPD divers are assigned to the unit full-time. (The exception are some scuba-trained officers in regular patrol units who are detailed to the team temporarily during the busy summer months.)[85] In addition to the normal duties of evidence recovery, the Scuba Team's mission has expanded since 9/11 to include a counter-terrorism role. For air-sea rescue work, the Harbor Unit keeps two divers assigned to the Aviation Unit 24 hours a day, seven days per week, all year round. These divers will work with their counterparts in the FDNY, who arrive at incidents by fireboat or rescue company.
Mounted Unit
- Commanding Officer of Mounted Unit – Deputy Inspector Barry M. Gelbman
The NYPD Mounted Unit was created in 1858 and is used today in the Patrol units. The unit has 80 human uniformed officers and supervisors and approximately 75 horses.
Auxiliary Police
- Commanding Officer of Auxiliary Police Section – Deputy Inspector Phylis S. Byrne
The NYPD has an unpaid, unarmed reserve police force known as the Auxiliary Police. NYPD Auxiliary Police officers complete a training course designated by the NYS Municipal Police Training Council as "part time peace officer" training course. In accordance with New York State law Auxiliary Police Officers are equipped with Police batons. They also carry Police radios and in accordance with NYC administrative code they carry handcuffs. They assist the Police Department with uniformed patrols and provide crowd and vehicular control at special events, accidents, and fire scenes.
Organized Crime Control Bureau
- Commanding Officer of Organized Crime Control – Bureau Chief Thomas P. Purtell
The Organized Crime Control Bureau (O.C.C.B.) is charged with the investigation and prevention of organized crime within New York City. This is mainly done through standard police investigation and the use of confidential informants. The Organized Crime Control Bureau has numerous units and sub-units that investigate matters such as organized auto larceny rings, unlawful firearms, and prostitution. The Organized Crime Control Bureau utilizes undercover police officers to infiltrate various criminal organizations. The Organized Crime Control Bureau has been effective against the Italian and Italian-American Mafia, "the westies" of the Irish Mob, Chinese Mafia, East German Mafia, and Russian mafia organized criminal elements. The Organized Crime Control Bureau's Joint Organized Crime Task Force works in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York Field Division (the largest FBI office in the US).
Transit Bureau
- Commanding Officer of Transit – Bureau Chief Joseph Fox
The NYPD Transit Bureau is a part of the NYPD that patrols and responds to emergencies within the New York City transit system. Its responsibility includes the New York City Subway network in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. However, there are certain units that have citywide responsibilities such as the Homeless Outreach Unit and the Vandals Task Force.
The Transit Bureau is divided into Transit Borough Commands. These Borough Commands generally follow the boundaries of the City's geographical boroughs, although there are some notable exceptions. Since there are no subways on Staten Island, there are only four Transit Boroughs: Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Each Transit Borough is further divided into Transit Districts.
As a general rule, each Borough is commanded by an Inspector while Transit Districts tend to be commanded by Captains. The NYPD Detective Bureau investigates all crimes that occur in Transit. Each borough office has assigned detectives from the Detective Bureau similar to the Precinct Detective Squad. As of June 15, 2006 all detectives assigned to investigate transit crimes fall under a unified command [Central Robbery Section] of the Detective Bureau's Special Investigations Division.
Housing Bureau
- Commanding Officer of Housing – Bureau Chief James A. Secreto
The Housing Bureau is responsible for providing the security and delivery of police services to 420,000 residents, employees and guests of public housing (projects) throughout New York City. They are stationed in Police Service Areas (PSA), which are almost identical to police precincts, with nine PSAs in total located throughout the five boroughs. Officers often do vertical patrols, making sure illegal activity does not take place in the halls, stairways, or the roof.
Transportation Bureau
- Commanding Officer of Transportation – Bureau Chief Thomas M. Chan
The Transportation Bureau's responsibilities include traffic enforcement, traffic management, and highway safety.
Special units within the New York City Police Department Transportation Bureau include the Highway Patrol, Traffic Management Center, Traffic Operations District, Citywide Traffic Task Force and the Traffic Enforcement District.
Specialized Units
Highway Patrol
- Commanding Officer of Highway Patrol – Inspector Michael Ameri
The New York City Police Department Highway Patrol is a specialized unit under the auspices of the NYPD's Transportation Bureau primarily responsible for patrolling and maintaining traffic safety on limited-access highways within New York City. The NYPD Highway Patrol's other duties and roles include collision investigations, advanced driver and radar training for NYPD officers, field sobriety testing, dignitary and parade escorts, hazardous material and truck traffic enforcement, anti-drag racing programs, and anti-terrorist checkpoints at key bridges and intersections in the city.
The Transportation Bureau also included the Transit Division from 1997 to 1999. That division was upgraded to bureau status, as it once had from 1995 to 1997 and again in 1999.
Traffic Enforcement District
- Commanding Officer of Traffic Enforcement District – Inspector Michael Pilecki
NYPD Traffic Enforcement has many duties including directing traffic, enforcing parking regulations, towing vehicles, providing highway assistance, and enforcing laws related to roadway construction. The men and women in Traffic Enforcement are referred to as Traffic Enforcement Agents (TEAs), and wear uniforms similar to the uniform worn by School Safety Agents. There are four levels for Traffic Enforcement Agents with each level handling different duties. Level one focuses on parking regulation enforcement, level two focuses on directing traffic, level three focuses on towing vehicles, and level four focuses on a variety of special duties, including specialized enforcement such as street construction or truck weight regulations. Only TEAs of Level 4 status have peace officer powers, which allows them to carry handcuffs and make warrantless arrests. TEAs of Level 1–3 status have the authority to issue summonses for parking and moving violations, but no other authority. Older Traffic Enforcement vehicles are dark blue or black with white decals and newer vehicles are white with light blue decals.[86][87] Like School Safety Agents, non-supervisor TEAs wear badges that are oval with an eagle on top, in contrast to the shield worn by police officers and the seven point star worn by Auxiliary officers.
Detective Bureau
- Commanding Officer of Detective – Bureau Chief Robert K. Boyce
Specialized Units
Special Victims Division
- Commanding Officer of Special Victims Division – Deputy Chief Michael J. Osgood
The Special Victims Division created in 2003 oversees all the borough Special Victims Squads. The Special Victims Division is part of the New York City Police Department Detective Bureau and investigates the following types of cases:
- Any child under 13 years of age that is the victim of any sex crime or attempted sex crime by any person.
- Any child under 11 years of age who is the victim of abuse by a parent or person legally responsible for the care of the child.
- Any victim of rape or attempted rape
- Any victim of a criminal sexual act or an attempted criminal sexual act
- Victims of aggravated sexual abuse
- Victims of sexual abuse in the first degree
Additional sub-units of the Special Victims Division are listed below:
- Sex Offenders Monitoring Unit (SOMU): Monitors all state designated sex offenders to ensure they are in compliance.
- Special Victims Liaison Unit (SVLU): Provides educational lectures to community and advocacy groups, schools and medical institutions concerning public as well as personal safety.
- DNA tracking unit (DNATU): Tracks and coordinates all scientific evidence relating to investigations involving sexual assault.
The television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit describes fictionalizations of some of the Special Victims Division's cases.
Major Case Squad
- Commanding Officer of Major Case Squad – Deputy Inspector Brian S. McGee
The Major Case Squad, which is a unit within the Special Investigation Division of the New York City Police Department Detective Bureau, is located at One Police Plaza in Manhattan. It handles the following cases:
- Kidnappings as directed by the Chief of Detectives
- Burglary or attempted burglary of a bank or bank safe
- Larceny by extortion or attempt, from a bank
- Robbery or attempted robbery of a bank by a perpetrator not armed
- Burglary of a truck contents over $100,000
- Larceny of a truck contents over $100,000
- Robbery of a truck and contents by hijacking
- All robberies in warehouse depots or similar locations where the objects of the crime are a truck or its contents
- All commercial burglaries in which the value of the property stolen exceeds $100,000
Unlike the fictional Major Case Squad as depicted in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, the squad does not investigate homicides.
Other units
Anti-Crime
Anti-Crime is a unit that is located in all precincts, transit districts (TD), and housing police service areas (PSA). These officers perform patrol services work in their respective command. They are generally tasked differently from a typical uniformed patrol unit. Unlike uniformed patrol units whose main goal is to provide a visible presence in the streets in an effort to deter crime, Anti-Crime tries to avoid detection in an effort to spot criminals during criminal activity in order to arrest them. Anti-Crime officers, unlike patrol units, are not required to handle typical radio runs, such as accidents, disputes, and general policing calls that uniformed officers are called on for a majority of their jobs. Anti-Crime officers are typically tasked with finding felony suspects, such as those possessing weapons, or committing recurring crimes in the area. If a certain crime is spiking in an area, such as burglary, Anti-Crime officers will be tasked with finding those responsible, usually through following the suspects.
To find street criminals it is important for Anti-Crime officers to not be easily spotted. AC officers therefore typically (though not always) wear plainclothes that match the clothing common to the area. They will always patrol in unmarked vehicles, that cannot be identified at first glance. Some vehicles are simply street appearance editions of standard police vehicles such as the Ford Crown Victoria, Chevrolet Impala, and Ford Taurus. However, they can also use vehicles that are not typically vehicles used by law enforcement, including Honda Accords, Jeep Cherokees, and others. These officers sometimes work in uniform depending on the nature of their assignment.
In the past, Anti-Crime functions were conducted by the city-wide Street Crimes Unit. However, after several police involved shootings where the cops had their trials conducted in the media, although they were all acquitted at trial, a notoriety gained from its reputation of aggressive tactics, it was disbanded and replaced by Anti-Crime units that serve the same purpose but fall under the command of the special operations lieutenants or captains in their respective precincts.
Real Time Crime Center
- Commanding Officer of Real Time Crime Center – Deputy Inspector Michael Godek
Located on the eighth floor of Police Headquarters, at One Police Plaza, the Real Time Crime Center is essentially a data warehouse and search engine operated by a staff of detectives that assists in providing relevant and timely information to officers conducting an investigation. The computer network stores facts about convicted persons, suspects, encounters, nicknames and items of seemingly trivial value whose correlation could assist in an investigation. The computer network's control room can display real-time satellite and surveillance camera images and hosts a wireless link to police vehicles equipped to generate sketches at crime scenes and transmit them for comparison to stored data.
Strategic Response Group
- Commanding Officer of Strategic Response Group – Deputy Chief Stephen Hughes
The Strategic Response Group are organized within each borough and specialize in rapid mobilization. The Strategic Response Group responds to citywide mobilizations, civil disorders and major events with equipment and trained teams. Maintain order by implementing effective crime and crowd control strategies.
The Strategic Response Group conducts daily counterterrorism deployments in conjunction with other Department units based upon current intelligence and threat assessments. Identify and suppress terrorist surveillance of targets through mobile deployment teams. Respond quickly and decisively to terrorist incidents or threats.
The Strategic Response Group can be deployed to precincts and zones as designated by the Chief of Patrol to supplement patrol resources or other Department initiatives.
Technical Assistance Response Unit
- Commanding Officer of Technical Assistance Response Unit – Deputy Inspector Vincent A. Guerriera Main article: Technical Assistance Response UnitThe Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) provides investigative technical equipment and tactical support to all bureaus within the department, in addition they also provide assistance to other city, state and federal agencies. The unit also deals with several forms of computer forensics. The unit is based in NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza.
Movie and Television Unit
Founded in 1966, the NYPD Movie/TV Unit was the first of its kind in the country. Because of its relationship with the NYPD, the unit has the greatest knowledge on how to assist productions, particularly with complex shooting situations, in a city that is dense with vehicular and pedestrian traffic. In addition to this expertise, their services are free to productions filming in the city.
Whether it conducts filming on bridges, highways, or busy intersections, the unit controls traffic to ensure that companies can get shots that may otherwise be impossible. Also, the city's many police related shows, such as Law & Order and Third Watch, generate "crime scenes" which are supervised by the Movie/TV Unit. The unit's responsibilities do not end there; the unit also monitors child work permits, stunts, prop firearms, placement of equipment, pedestrian safety, and parking.
While filming on busy New York City streets presents countless challenges, the unit has, over the years, developed a strong working relationship with the film industry. The unit makes an effort to ensure that New York City remains a popular location for filming.
Until the election of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1994, the unit occasionally assisted with pornographic productions. But Giuliani put a stop to this as part of his effort to clean up the streets of New York City. In 1997, porn producer Michael Lucas filed a lawsuit against the Police Department and Giuliani citing discriminating practices used by the Movie/TV Unit against porn productions. The lawsuit was dropped in September 1998 when a district judge granted a motion to dismiss on behalf of the NYPD.
Crime Scene Unit
- Commanding Officer of Crime Scene Unit - Captain Michael W. King
The Crime Scene Unit (CSU) is a unit within the Forensic Investigations Division of the New York City Police Department Detective Bureau.
The Unit is responsible for forensic investigations of all homicides and sexual assaults, as well as other crimes as deemed necessary by an investigating supervisor. Members of the Crime Scene Unit assist the precinct detectives in the processing of a crime scene as well as determining the proper routing of evidence between the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the NYPD Police Lab and the NYPD Property Clerk.
The Crime Scene Unit is composed of NYPD detectives (or occasionally police officers that are awaiting their promotion to detective), not civilian technicians like crime scene units in other parts of the U.S. Generally these detectives come from an Evidence Collection Team which is operated at the borough level. The Crime Scene Unit covers all of the boroughs of New York City, but is staffed with less than 1% of the total number of detectives in the NYPD.
The Crime Scene Unit has many tools to process a crime scene, including the materials needed to develop fingerprints, cast footwear and tire impressions, follow the trajectory of bullets fired through windows and the chemicals necessary to observe blood under special lighting conditions that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. The unit is also trained to process a crime scene in a hazardous environment, for example following a nuclear, biological or chemical attack.
Scrutiny
Recently the NYPD Crime Scene Unit has come under scrutiny by higher-ranking members of the NYPD as well as the local press. Claims that the unit has incorrectly processed multiple high-profile cases have been leveled against the unit. Claims against the current Commanding Officer of the Crime Scene Unit Deputy Inspector Gary Gomula as well as the Executive Officer Michael Kletzel have been made citing their mismanagement of Detectives during major investigations has led to evidence being mishandled or missed completely.
A February 1, 2008 article in the New York Daily News leveled accusations that both Gomula and Kletzel have had the Police Commissioner's attention drawn to them after ballistic evidence was missed in investigations involving shot police officers. According to the article there was also concern about the recent spike in disciplinary issues in the unit. A former Crime Scene Investigator was quoted as saying "More panic management, the top people don't know what they are doing, so they panic and slap people for every little thing. A sign of trouble." The Police Commissioner is reported as being so concerned he has hired an outside expert to look into the practices of the unit.[88]
Another article in the NY Daily News on February 2, 2008 mentioned a lack of manpower and shortcuts demanded by D.I. Gomula led to cases being compromised again and again. The article mentions claims from sources that on the day of the Sean Bell shooting a rush to prepare charts and diagrams for a briefing led to ballistic evidence being overlooked. Ballistic evidence was later found by the Internal Affairs Bureau according to the article.[89]
In yet another story printed in the Daily News on March 3, 2008 a retired detective named Ira Scott claimed that he was injured in an incident while assigned to the Crime Scene Unit and that he was retaliated against by the supervisors in the unit for filing a claim for the injury. The article also states that at least four other detectives are considering filing charges that they were denied promotions or specialized training by the commanding officer or other supervisors. Detective Scott's lawyer Eric Sanders was quoted as saying "The collective managerial incompetence has led to the downfall of this elite unit." Claims were also made that the Commanding Officer Gary Gomula fired his service weapon during a training session, almost striking two detectives, and that he improperly removed a shotgun from a crime scene to show it in a press briefing before it was photographed in the scene, something that would violate most common practices for processing a crime scene.[90]
Most recently an article printed on March 4, 2008 in the Daily News attributed a major error in the handling of the crime scene involving the police shooting of Sean Bell to the Executive Officer Captain Michael Kletzel. The article claims that in a rush to try and find a firearm in the car belonging to Sean Bell, Captain Kletzel ordered members of the Crime Scene Unit to dismantle the vehicle's door before the scene was finished being processed. They claim that this was done in such a rushed and unorganized manner that the door's hinges were lost and replacements had to be purchased from a local junkyard. The door being removed becomes an issue according to the article because a reconstruction of the shooting was to be done at a later date and the removal of the door could alter the results. Assistant Chief Michael Collins stated that these accusations were a smear campaign against the supervisors in the unit by disgruntled unit members and that the door being removed was a non-issue and had no bearing on the investigation.[91]
Popular culture
The CSU is the primary focus of the CBS TV drama CSI: NY, and has been occasionally featured on both CSI: Miami and CSI: Cyber. CSU is also featured on Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order: Trial By Jury, though it is not the primary focus of these series.
Evidence Collection Teams
The Evidence Collection Teams are tasked with the collection of evidence at crime scenes in their respective boroughs that are not determined to be at the level necessary to require the Crime Scene Unit.[92] Each patrol borough (Manhattan South, Manhattan North, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens North, Queens South, Brooklyn North and Brooklyn South) has their own Evidence Collection Team under the control of the respective borough commander. The Evidence Collection Teams are staffed by police officers, sergeants and usually headed by a Lieutenant.
The Evidence Collection Teams were started in Manhattan South by Lt. James Robert (Ret.) to take some of the pressure off the Crime Scene Unit and the precinct detective squads by forming a forensic unit to bridge the gap between precinct latent print officers and the Crime Scene Unit. The Evidence Collection Team processes crime scenes pertaining to burglaries, robberies, assaults where the victim is not likely to die, felonious larcenies and other crimes as directed by the duty captain.
Many of the police officers that originally started in the Evidence Collection Team have gone on to transfer to the Crime Scene Unit and become detectives. This transfer is difficult, due to the change from the Patrol Services Bureau to the Detective Bureau, as well as the fact that there are over 150 members of the various Evidence Collection Teams usually vying for one or two slots in Crime Scene.
Although Crime Scene is expected to handle many of the newsworthy or high-profile cases in the city, quite often the Manhattan South Evidence Collection Team is called out to jobs in the Midtown Manhattan area that involve celebrities and wind up on the cover of national newspapers. Recent examples of this include the shooting involving Remy Ma (the rapper) as well as the incident involving Sean "Puffy" Combs and Jennifer Lopez in December 1999.
School Safety Division
- Commanding Officer of School Safety Division – Assistant Chief Brian J. Conroy
The School Safety Division is the school police force for New York City Department of Education schools. The agency is a division of the New York City Police Department, and is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in New York City.
Cadet Corps
- Commanding Officer of Cadet Corps – Inspector Michael S. McGrath
The New York City Police Department Cadet Corps is a form of internship with the New York City Police Department. The program is open to New York City residents who are enrolled in college and have completed 15 or more credits. Residents who have not yet completed a 15 credit requirement are able to join under certain circumstances.
Paid Detail Unit
- Commanding Officer of Paid Detail Unit – Captain Carlos A. Fernandez
The Paid Detail Unit is a program within the New York City Police Department allowing private corporations to hire NYPD police officers for security duties. The program has been used by various companies associated with Wall Street over the last several years and has recently come to prominence due to conflicts with the Occupy Wall Street group.[93]
Chaplains Unit
- Commanding Officer of the Chaplains Unit - Lieutenant Steven A. Jerome
- Chief Chaplain of the New York Police Department - Assistant Chief (Chaplain) Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass
The Chaplains Unit is made up of the police chaplains of the New York City Police Department. The chaplains wear the uniform of the NYPD, with added insignia of their faith group, but do not have police powers. There are currently eight chaplains of the NYPD made up of six Christians chaplains, one Jewish chaplain and one Muslim chaplain.[94]
See also
- New York City Police Department
- New York City Sheriff's Office
- New York State Police
- List of law enforcement agencies in New York
- New York City Police Commissioner
- New York City Police Department Highway Patrol
- New York City Police Department Auxiliary Police
- New York City Police Department School Safety
- New York City Police Department Cadet Corps
- New York City Housing Authority Police Department
- New York City Transit Police
- NYPD Rodman's Neck Firing Range
- New York City Police Foundation
- New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board
- Real time crime center
- Police memorabilia collecting
- Thomas F. Byrnes
References
- ↑ "1st Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "19th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "40th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "60th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "73rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "100th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "104th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "120th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "5th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "20th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "41st Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "61st Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "75th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "101st Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "108th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "121st Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ↑ "6th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "Central Park Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "42nd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "62nd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "77th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "102nd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "109th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "122nd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ↑ "7th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "23rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "43rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "63rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "79th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "103rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "110th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "123rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ↑ "9th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "24th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "44th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "66th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "81st Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "105th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "111th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "10th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "25th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "45th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "67th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "83rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "106th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "112th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "13th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "26th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "46th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "68th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "84th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "107th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "114th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "Midtown South Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "28th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "47th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "69th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "88th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "113th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "115th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "17th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "30th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "48th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "70th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "90th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "Midtown North Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "32nd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "49th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "71st Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "94th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "33rd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "50th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "72nd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "34th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "52nd Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "76th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ "78th Precinct". New York City Police Department. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ↑ Stein, Mark D. (July 4, 2013). "Photos: At last, the doors swing open on Staten Island's new police precinct". SILive.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Press Release No. 2007-032" (Press release). New York City Police Department. July 26, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- ↑ http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o86/illmatickingofny24/DSC01810.jpg
- ↑ Jacobs, Andrew (July 2, 2006). "Instead of Walking a Beat, Flying One". The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ↑ Montefinise, Angela (September 30, 2007). "New Tools for N.Y. Robocop". The New York Post.
- ↑ Official: Machine guns in NYPD copters Anthony Defestano Newsday, 2011 Sept 28
- ↑ "New York Police Department: Scuba Team"
- ↑ "NYPD's Air-Sea Rescue Teams"
- ↑ Traffic Enforcement Vehicles
- ↑ Traffic Enforcement RMP
- ↑ Gendar, Alison (February 1, 2008). "After recent mishaps, NYPD's crime scene unit gets forensic inspection". Daily News (New York).
- ↑ Gendar, Alison (February 3, 2008). "High-profile cases are jeopardized by NYPD unit's lapses: sources". Daily News (New York).
- ↑ Marzulli, John (March 3, 2008). "CSI members: unit is falling apart". Daily News (New York).
- ↑ Bode, Nicole; Gendar, Alison (March 4, 2008). "Crime scene detectives scrambled to find 'gun' at Bell shooting scene". Daily News (New York).
- ↑ An example: an evidence voucher prepared by a police officer in Manhattan South: Evidence Voucher
- ↑ Financial Giants Put New York City Cops On Their Payroll
- ↑ "NYPD Chaplains Unit". NYPD. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
External links
- Media related to Organization of the New York City Police Department at Wikimedia Commons