NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Chief of Department Terence Monahan, the NYPD's highest-ranking uniformed officer, is retiring from his post and will take on a senior advisory role at City Hall, officials announced Thursday.
"I tell you leaving the NYPD is probably one of the toughest decisions I've made in my entire life," Monahan said at a press conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.
Monahan will become the senior adviser for Recovery Safety Planning, part of City Hall's recovery team responding to the pandemic and looking to the city's future post-COVID, de Blasio said.
"This role is so important, because it is about answering one of the central questions that everyone needs answered for us to come back strong: making sure this city is safe," de Blasio said.
The mayor said the role involves "working with all communities, working with city agencies, working with the business community, the non-profit sector, everyone" to determine "what concerns need to be addressed, helping us troubleshot where there are problems, listening to the ideas that we're hearing from all over the city about how we come back and how we come back safer."
Monahan joined the NYPD in 1982 and became chief of department in 2018.
De Blasio said Monahan was "one of the great architects of neighborhood policing" and that he has spent 39 years "protecting us, but also innovating new solutions."
"I'm a New Yorker through and through, born and raised in the Bronx," Monahan said. "I love New York. This city is the greatest city. So for me to continue serving the people of this city and help to ensure its recovery, that is a true honor."
"In this new role, I'll have an opportunity to ensure businesses know that they are in a safe city and that they can return," Monahan said. "Whether it's the coffee cart on the corner that so many people start their day at or multibillion-dollar corporations that flock to New York City, each of them want the same thing: an inclusive, safe society that invests in our communities, providing opportunities for everyone. I'm proud to be a part of it, and I'm ready to hit the ground running."
Terence Monahan and Rodney Harrison.NYC Mayor
Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison will replace Monahan as chief of department.
"He's going to make this city proud. Rodney, you couldn't be a better person for this job," Monahan told Harrison at the briefing. "With Rodney taking the helm and Commissioner Shea at the helm, the NYPD couldn't be in any better hands."
"You're going to be missed," Harrison told Monahan, calling him a mentor.
Addressing members of the NYPD, Harrison said, "I'm going to support you."
"For the residents of New York City. I'm here to protect you," Harrison said. "I'm here to serve you. I'm going to be knocking on your door. I'm going to be coming to your churches. I'm going to be coming to your community meetings. You may get tired of seeing me, but in order for me to be successful, in order to make this city safe, we have to work together. And I'm looking forward to the challenge."
