James P. O'Neill[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 43rdPolice Commissioner of New York City | |
| In office September 16, 2016 – November 30, 2019 | |
| Mayor | Bill de Blasio |
| Preceded by | William Bratton |
| Succeeded by | Dermot Shea |
| Chief of theNew York City Police Department | |
| In office November 3, 2014 – September 16, 2016 | |
| Appointed by | William Bratton |
| Mayor | Bill de Blasio |
| Preceded by | Philip Banks III |
| Succeeded by | Carlos M. Gomez |
| Chief of Patrol of theNew York City Police Department | |
| In office June 2014 – November 3, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | James Hall |
| Succeeded by | Carlos M. Gomez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Patrick O'Neill Jr. 1957 or 1958 (age 66–67)[1] |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | John Jay College |
James Patrick "Jimmy" O'Neill Jr. is an American police officer who served as the 43rdPolice Commissioner of New York City from September 2016 until November 2019. Prior to his appointment as Police Commissioner, O'Neill served asNYPD's Chief of Department, the highest uniformed position in the department, in 2014–2016.
In a meeting with the Mayor Bill de Blasio of October 31, 2019 O'Neill confirmed his intentions to depart the NYPD. On November 4, 2019 it was publicly announced thatDermot F. Shea would become the 44th Commissioner of the NYPD in a ceremony at 1 Police Plaza on December 1, 2019.
On November 6, 2019, O'Neill announced that he had accepted a position as Senior Vice President of Physical Security for the payments firmVisa. On April 1, 2020, it was announced that O'Neill would be appointed as an advisor to the New York City government on COVID-19.[2]
O'Neill was born to anIrish American family, the fourth of seven children, to Helen and Joseph O'Neill. He was raised in theEast Flatbush neighborhood ofBrooklyn.[3] He holds aBachelor of Arts degree in Government and aMaster of Public Administration degree fromJohn Jay College inNew York City.[4]
O'Neill joined theNew York City Transit Police in 1983, and began his career as a patrolman in Transit District 1. He was promoted to Sergeant in September 1987 and to Lieutenant in April 1991. In 1995, the transit police were merged into the NYPD. In 1997 he was promoted to Captain. Additional promotions were to Deputy Inspector in December 2001, to Inspector in August 2003, and to Deputy Chief in October 2005. On June 2, 2014, O'Neill was promoted to Chief of Patrol. Several months later, in November 2014, he was promoted to Chief of Department. In September 2016 he became police commissioner. On November 4, 2019, O'Neill resigned his post as Police Commissioner (effective early December 2019) and was replaced by former Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea.
On October 28, 2014, O'Neill became the Chief of Department for the NYPD's 36,000 uniformed officers, the highest-ranking uniformed position.[5]
On August 2, 2016, O'Neill was appointed Police Commissioner of New York City by MayorBill de Blasio, effective September 2016.[6] O'Neill was succeeded as Chief of Department byCarlos M. Gomez. On November 4, 2019, O'Neill announced his retirement as commissioner, and was replaced by former Chief of DetectivesDermot F. Shea at month-end.[7]
O'Neill widely deployedvapor wake canines in the city to alert their handlers to the presence of explosives; these dogs can then track the scent to potential bombers.[8][9]
| Police appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Police Commissioner of New York City 2016–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NYPD Chief of Department 2014–2016 | Succeeded by |