Outgoing New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly will start work in January as a distinguished visiting fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, according to a Tuesday statement by the prestigious group.
Kelly has been the longest serving police commissioner in New York City history, working under Mayor Michael Bloomberg from 2002 to 2014 and former mayor David Dinkins from 1992 to 1994.
At the Council on Foreign Relations, Kelly will focus on counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and other national security issues.
In his statement, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard N. Haass said, "Ray Kelly spearheaded the modernization of the New York Police Department. The result is that crime is down and the NYPD's counterterrorism capabilities are second to none. We are
excited and proud to have his experience, expertise, and judgment at the Council."
As commissioner, Kelly has been in charge of the nation's largest police force and is credited with bringing the crime rate down by 40 percent from 2001 levels — in part by using controversial measures, such as "stop-and-frisk."
He also established a counterterrorism bureau — the first in any municipal police force — as well as a global intelligence program, which
New York Magazine described as his own version of the CIA and the FBI within the NYPD.
Kelly's resume includes a stint as head of corporate security at the stock brokerage firm Bear Stearns, commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, and vice president of Interpol.
Former president Bill Clinton also appointed Kelly as director of the State Department's International Police Monitors mission in Haiti following the return of then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1995.
Kelly, a Vietnam combat veteran who retired with the rank of colonel, has degrees in law and public administration.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.