TheNew York City Police Department (NYPD) is structured into numerous bureaus and units. As a whole, the NYPD is headed by thePolice Commissioner, a civilian administrator appointed by theMayor, with the senior sworn uniformed officer of the service titled "Chief of Department". The Police Commissioner appoints the First Deputy Commissioner as the department's second-in-command and the Chief of Department as the department's highest ranking uniformed officer. The commissioner also appoints a number of deputy and assistant commissioners who do not have operational command and are solely for support and administrative function. The department is divided into twenty bureaus, six of which are enforcement bureaus. Each enforcement bureau is further subdivided into divisions, units, and sections, 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 Special Operations). There are also a number of specialized units (such as the Technical Assistance Response Unit) that are not part of any of the bureaus and report to the Chief of the Department.
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The department is headed by and under the control of a civilian Police Commissioner, who is appointed by theMayor of New York City. The current commissioner is Jessica Tisch.
The department's executive staff is divided into two areas: civilian and uniformed. The civilian staff is responsible for support services and departmental management, while uniformed officers investigate crimes and conduct law enforcement operations.
The following is the department's hierarchy (with rank insignia):As of May 2025:[4][5][6]
ThePatrol 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-eight police precincts.
Each patrol borough is composed ofprecincts. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Precinct[51] | 19th Precinct[52] | 40th Precinct[53] | 60th Precinct[54] | 73rd Precinct[55] | 100th Precinct[56] | 104th Precinct[57] | 120th Precinct[58] |
5th Precinct[59] | 20th Precinct[60] | 41st Precinct[61] | 61st Precinct[62] | 75th Precinct[63] | 101st Precinct[64] | 108th Precinct[65] | 121st Precinct[66] |
6th Precinct[67] | Central Park (22nd) Precinct[68] | 42nd Precinct[69] | 62nd Precinct[70] | 77th Precinct[71] | 102nd Precinct[72] | 109th Precinct[73] | 122nd Precinct[74] |
7th Precinct[75] | 23rd Precinct[76] | 43rd Precinct[77] | 63rd Precinct[78] | 79th Precinct[79] | 103rd Precinct[80] | 110th Precinct[81] | 123rd Precinct[82] |
24th Precinct[84] | 44th Precinct[85] | 66th Precinct[86] | 81st Precinct[87] | 105th Precinct[88] | 111th Precinct[89] | ||
10th Precinct[90] | 25th Precinct[91] | 45th Precinct[92] | 67th Precinct[93] | 83rd Precinct[94] | 106th Precinct[95] | 112th Precinct[96] | |
13th Precinct[97] | 26th Precinct[98] | 46th Precinct[99] | 68th Precinct[100] | 84th Precinct[101] | 107th Precinct[102] | 114th Precinct[103] | |
Midtown South (14th) Precinct[104] | 28th Precinct[105] | 47th Precinct[106] | 69th Precinct[107] | 88th Precinct[108] | 113th Precinct[109] | 115th Precinct[110] | |
17th Precinct[111] | 30th Precinct[112] | 48th Precinct[113] | 70th Precinct[114] | 90th Precinct[115] | 116th Precinct[116] | ||
Midtown North (18th) Precinct[117] | 32nd Precinct[118] | 49th Precinct[119] | 71st Precinct[120] | 94th Precinct[121] | |||
33rd Precinct[122] | 50th Precinct[123] | 72nd Precinct[124] | |||||
34th Precinct[125] | 52nd Precinct[126] | 76th Precinct[127] | |||||
78th Precinct[128] |
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.[129] 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. A new 116th precinct was constructed on the site of the parking lot next door to the satellite.[130] The new precinct opened on December 18, 2024.[131]
The NYPD has a reserve police force known as theAuxiliary Police. NYPD Auxiliary Police officers complete a training academy 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.
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TheEmergency Service Unit is a component of the Special Operations Bureau of the New York City Police Department. The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) provides specialized support and advanced equipment to other NYPD units; its members are cross-trained in multiple disciplines of tactical and rescue work- primarily traditional Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) duties, physical rescue including vehicle accident extrication, water rescue, structural collapse rescue, the safe handling and subduing of Emotionally Disturbed Persons (EDPs) that include suicidal jumpers on buildings and bridges, and perform basic mechanical & electrical skills that patrol officers are not equipped to handle. As part of its water rescue capability, its members are all rescue divers and it maintains a fleet of jet skis and motorized Zodiac inflatable boats strategically stationed around the city for deployment when needed. The ESU Canine Unit deploys patrol/apprehension and bloodhound dogs to perform searches for perpetrators and missing persons.
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 LondonMetropolitan Police Service ("The Met"). Based at Floyd Bennett Field 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.[132]
Since 9/11 the department has undertaken a major overhaul of the Aviation Unit. Equipped exclusively withBell helicopters, it operates threeBell 412 helicopters, fourBell 429 helicopters, and oneBell 407 helicopter used for training.[133] In 2011 the department said they had .50 caliber machine guns capable of shooting down light planes.[134]
The department also operated aCessna 208 Caravan[135] through a Preparedness Grant fromFEMA, which is used formonitoring radiological material.[136]
Famed UScyclistMile-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.
On March 15, 1858, five members of the New York City Police Department rowed out intoNew 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.[137]
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.)[138] 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. Forair-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 byfireboat or rescue company.
The NYPD Mounted Unit was created in 1858 and is used today in the Patrol units. The unit has 70 uniformed officers and supervisors and approximately 45 horses. The unit is divided into 4 "Troops"; Troop B (Manhattan), Troop D (The Bronx), Troop E (Brooklyn), and Troop F (Queens).[139]
The Strategic Response Group (SRG) is a multi-purpose, rapid mobilization and counterterrorism group created in 2015 to respond to citywide mobilizations, public disorder events and terrorist acts. At the time of its founding, civil rights groups objected to its deployment to protests. Since 2015, the unit has regularly policed protests.[140]
The SRG is composed of 5 borough-based units and the Crowd Management Unit, which also maintains a bicycle fleet.[140]
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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 theNew 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, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Each Transit Borough is further divided into Transit Districts.[49]
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.
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The Housing Bureau is responsible for providing the security and delivery of police services to 420,000 residents, employees and guests of public housing developments 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 interior patrols, making sure illegal activity does not take place in the halls, stairways, or the roof.[38]
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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 theHighway District, Traffic Management Center, Traffic Operations District, Citywide Traffic Task Force and the Traffic Enforcement District.
The New York City Police Department Highway District is a specialized unit under the auspices of theNYPD's Transportation Bureau primarily responsible for patrolling and maintaining traffic safety on limited-access highways within New York City. The District'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 GLA intervention in the city.
The Transportation Bureau also included theTransit Division from 1997 to 1999. That division was upgraded to bureau status, as it once had from 1995 to 1997 and again in 1999.
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 personnel in Traffic Enforcement is referred to as Traffic Enforcement Agents (TEAs), and wears uniforms similar to the uniform worn by School Safety Agents, although with a distinctive white uniform cap. There are four levels of Traffic Enforcement Agents with each level handling different duties. Level 1 agents focus on parking regulation enforcement, Level 2 agents focus on directing traffic, Level 3 agents focus on towing vehicles, and Level 4 perform a variety of duties, including specialized enforcement such as street construction permits or truck weight regulations. Only TEAs of Level 4 status havepeace officer powers, which allows them to carryhandcuffs 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 Enforcementvehicles are dark blue or black with white decals and newer vehicles are white with light blue decals.[141][142] Like School Safety Agents, non-supervisor TEAs wearbadges 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.
The Crime Scene Unit (CSU) is a unit within the Forensic Investigations Division of theNew York City Police Department Detective Bureau.
The Crime Scene Unit is responsible forforensic investigations of allhomicides andsexual assaults, as well as other crimes as deemed necessary by an investigating supervisor. Members of the Crime Scene Unit assist theprecinct detectives in the processing of acrime scene as well as determining the proper routing ofevidence 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 developfingerprints, 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.
The CSU is the primary focus of the CBS TV dramaCSI: NY, and has been occasionally featured on bothCSI: Miami andCSI: Cyber. CSU is also featured onCastle,Law & Order,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,Law & Order: Criminal Intent, andLaw & Order: Trial by Jury, though it is not the primary focus of these series.
TheSpecial Victims Division created in 2003 oversees all the borough Special Victims Squads. The Special Victims Division is part of theNew York City Police Department Detective Bureau and investigates the following types of cases:
Additional sub-units of the Special Victims Division are listed below:
The television seriesLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit describes fictionalizations of some of the Special Victims Division's cases.
TheMajor Case Squad, which is a unit within the Special Investigation Division of theNew York City Police Department Detective Bureau, is located at One Police Plaza in Manhattan. It handles the following cases:
Unlike the fictional Major Case Squad as depicted inLaw & Order: Criminal Intent, the squad does not investigate homicides.
Located on the second 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. It is also the central location of theDomain Awareness System.
The NYPD Legal Bureau provides assistance to law enforcement personnel regarding department legal matters. The Legal Bureau also has a memorandum of understanding with theManhattan DA to selectively prosecuteNew York City Criminal Court summons court cases, as district attorneys are legally permitted to delegate their prosecution.[143][144][145][146]
The bureau comprises the Civil Enforcement Unit, Criminal Section, Civil Section, Legislative Affairs Unit, Document Production/FOIL, and the Police Action Litigation Section (PALS).
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The Fugitive Enforcement Division (FED) is a division of the Detective Bureau charged with arresting fugitives across the city. They are divided into units for Manhattan South, Manhattan North, The Bronx, Queens North, Queens South, Brooklyn North, Brooklyn South, and Staten Island. The division is further divided into the Warrant Squads, and Violent Felony Apprehension Squads. The members of FED are often tasked with arresting highly-dangerous suspects of serious crimes and as such FED is one of the most dangerous units to be assigned to. Due to the cross-jurisdictional and similar natures of their work, FED often works in conjunction with theU.S. Marshals and various other state and local agencies.
Anti-Crime Unit was a unit that was located in all precincts, transit districts (TD), and housing police service areas (PSA). These officers performed patrol services work in their respective command. They were 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 Unit specialized in undercover operations and tried to avoid detection in an effort to spot criminals during criminal activity in order to arrest them. Anti-Crime officers, unlike patrol units, were 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 were typically tasked with finding felony suspects, such as those possessing weapons, or committing recurring crimes in the area. If a certain crime was spiking in an area, such as burglary, Anti-Crime officers were tasked with finding those responsible. They were proactive rather than reactive.
Anti-Crime officers typically wore plainclothes that matched the clothing common to the area. They patrolled in unmarked vehicles such as theFord Crown Victoria,Chevrolet Impala, andFord Taurus. However, they also used vehicles that were not typical vehicles used by law enforcement, includingHonda Accords,Jeep Cherokees, and others. These officers sometimes worked in uniform depending on the nature of their assignment.
In the past, Anti-Crime functions were conducted by the citywideStreet Crimes Unit. However, after several police-involved shootings and notoriety for its aggressive tactics, it was disbanded and replaced by Anti-Crime units that served the same purpose but fell under the command of the special operations sergeants, lieutenants, or captains in their respective precincts. The anti-crime units were disbanded in 2020. The 600 cops would be transferred to Detective Bureau and Neighborhood Policing.
Eric Adams, mayor-elect of New York City, pledged to reinstate the unit in 2021 to deal with the city's rising problem of gun violence.[147]Once Adams became Mayor in January 2022, he reestablished the unit but under a different name, called the Neighborhood Safety Team (NST). These teams were set up in 30 precincts with the highest crime rates in the city. NST officers wear specialized uniforms and police body cams unlike their predecessors in the Anti-Crime Unit.[148][149]
Established in 1998 under the name "TARU", it was formerly known as the Tech Services Unit, originally established in 1972.
The 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 ofcomputer forensics. The unit is based in NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza.
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 with dense vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
When filming on bridges, highways, or busy intersections, the unit controls traffic to ensure that companies can get shots that may otherwise be impossible. It also oversees staged"crime scenes" used in the filming of the city's many police-related shows, such asLaw & Order andThird Watch. The unit also monitors child work permits, stunts, prop firearms, placement of equipment, pedestrian safety, and parking. The unit has 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. Its based in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Until the election of MayorRudolph Giuliani in 1994, the unit occasionally assisted withpornographic 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 dismissed in September 1998 when a district judge granted a motion to dismiss on behalf of the NYPD.[citation needed]
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.[150] Each patrol borough (Manhattan South, Manhattan North, The 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 involvingRemy Ma (the rapper) as well as the incident involvingSean "Puffy" Combs andJennifer Lopez in December 1999.
The School Safety Division is theschool police force forNew York City Department of Education schools. The agency is a division of the New York City Police Department Community Affairs Bureau, and is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in New York City.
TheNew 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.
The Paid Detail Unit is a program within theNew York City Police Department allowing private corporations to hire NYPD police officers for security duties. The program was introduced in 1998, allowing off-duty officers to wear their uniforms while earning money in second jobs at sports venues, financial institutions and other places of business.[151]
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 twelve chaplains representing various faiths.[152]
TheCeremonial Unit is aguard of honour for special services in the program within the New York City Police Department. Specializing indrill and ceremony, it oftenposts the colours at certain events and marches in a platoon formation during parades and ceremonies.[153] Pallbearers from the unit also on occasion escort the coffin of police officers who die in the line of duty at their funerals.[154]
TheBand of the City of New York Police Department (commonly branded as the NYPD Police Band) the primarymusical unit of the NYPD. Composed of 70 members, it is part of the Ceremonial Unit and likewise performs at community ceremonies and parades. The ensembles of the band include a Marching Band, a Percussion Ensemble, a Jazz Ensemble and a Steel Drum Ensemble.
TheNYPD Pipes and Drums is a unit composed of active and retired NYPD officers, with funding and sponsorship coming from the Irish-AmericanEmerald Society organization. It has become one of the main proponents of Irish tradition and culture in the city and state. It is an annual participant in theSt. Patrick’s Day parade onFifth Avenue and the Inaugural parade in the capital ofWashington.
The New York Police Department had obtained the modified Cessna C208B Grand Caravan, which carries the civil registration number N23FH, though a Preparedness Grant, also known as a "Non-Disaster" grant, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2017 [...] Flying from MacArthur Airport on Long Island, the plane's primary mission is searching for radiological hazards.
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