NYPD Commissioner Announces Chief of Department Kenneth E. Corey Will Retire

 

Dedicated Departmental Leader Caps Distinguished NYPD Career

Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell announced that Chief of Department Kenneth E. Corey, a 34-year veteran of the New York City Police Department who has served since January as the department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, has decided he will be retiring at the end of November.

Chief Corey joined the department as a police cadet in 1988. He became a sworn police officer in July 1990, and started his career on patrol in Brooklyn’s 62nd Precinct. During his long and distinguished career in the NYPD, he also worked in the 6th, 70th, 72nd, and 78th Precincts, and served as the commanding officer of the 76th Precinct. Chief Corey held positions in the Detective and Patrol Services Bureaus, the Office of the Queens District Attorney, the Intelligence Division, the Medical Division, the Office of the First Deputy Commissioner, and the Training Bureau, among others. Prior to his promotion as the four-star Chief of Department, Chief Corey was the Chief of Training for the NYPD, steering the agency through several innovations for improving policing.

“From day one, I have seen Chief Corey conduct himself with unparalleled integrity and I have marveled at his strength and vision,” Commissioner Sewell said on Thursday. “Chief Corey has been a beacon of excellence for officers in every rank – at every station. The light of his leadership will remain a shining guide forward for all of us and his contributions to our profession will be everlasting.”

In disclosing his decision to the department’s executive staff, and to those serving under him in the Chief of Department’s Office, Chief Corey described the moment as bittersweet.

“Policing is among the great passions in my life,” Chief Corey said, “and I have always committed myself to doing everything possible to improve policing in New York City. I have now been presented with an opportunity to improve policing on a national – and even international – level. It was an opportunity I simply could not allow to pass. I have spent more than three decades serving New York City, and I will miss the NYPD every day. But I know the department is well-positioned under the leadership of Commissioner Sewell.”

The Police Commissioner will announce the appointment of the NYPD’s next Chief of Department in the days ahead.