Before passing away on Thursday, former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik was regarded as a “fearless” leader who guided New Yorkers through the most difficult moments following the 9/11 terror attacks.
After a prominent career in law enforcement that included both successes and difficulties, the 69-year-old former Big Apple top cop passed away surrounded by family due to a heart-related disease.
“He became police commissioner when they thought crime couldn’t be reduced any further, yet he reduced it further. His work helped New York become the safest big city in America and a shining example of urban renaissance,” former mayor Rudy Giuliani stated.
“Then he faced the worst foreign attack since the war of 1812 on American soil—September 11th. He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left.”
Giuliani, who nominated Kerik as police commissioner in 2000, continued, “Bernie’s leadership helped guide the people of a very frightened city to draw from their inherent individual strength as Americans and children of God.”
He held the position of leader for almost 16 months.
“Bernie could be the most fearless guy I know,” Giuliani also stated on Thursday night.
“When he was police commissioner, he personally made arrests. You know what that did for morale? The cops loved it. I loved it. The public loved it.”
In a statement, Mayor Eric Adams said he called Kerik a friend he has known for nearly 30 years while visiting him at the hospital on Thursday afternoon.
“He was with his loved ones, who are in my prayers tonight,” Adams stated. “He was a great New Yorker and American. Rest in peace, my friend.”
In 1986, Kerik began his career as an NYPD officer before quitting to work for the city’s Department of Correction, where he was appointed commissioner by Giuliani four years later.
In his interview on Thursday, the former mayor claimed that during his time in charge, Kerik was particularly effective at reducing violence at Rikers Island.
“60 Minutes did a piece calling Rikers Island the worst jail complex in America,” he stated. “They came back five years later when Bernie was in charge and they couldn’t believe the turnaround they saw.”
Curtis Sliwa, the founder of Guardian Angels, said that he collaborated with Kerik to keep New Yorkers safe.
Sliwa, a Republican candidate for mayor, stated, “I remember Bernie when he was an undercover cop in Times Square. He had a ponytail. He was street savvy. He was a street cop. He was a cop’s cop.”
Vito Fossella, the president of Staten Island Borough, spoke to Kerik as a “true patriot.”
“Bernie Kerik served our city and nation, well,” he stated. “He was a true patriot, especially during and after September 11th.”
According to those who knew him well, he was a devoted family man and supporter.
He presented himself as tough in public. In his private life, he loved his wife, children, and fellow officers. He was always there for her and her family, said Kathy Vigiano, a retired police officer and the widow of 9/11 hero Det. Joseph Vigiano.
National leaders also showered Kerik’s loved ones with sympathy.
“Heartbroken about the loss of our dear friend Bernie Kerik,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted. “Prayers to Bernie’s family and many friends.”
Kerik was described as “a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known” by FBI Director Kash Patel.
“His legacy is not just in the medals or the titles, but in the lives he saved, the city he helped rebuild, and the country he served with honor,” Patel stated.
Kerik had an impressive career in law enforcement, including leading a temporary police force in Iraq after the US invasion of the Middle Eastern country in 2003.
However, in 2009, he entered a guilty plea to eight federal felonies, including tax evasion, and was sentenced to four years in federal prison.
