He then headed west to california. He then returned to new york city for the second time until his announcement to now step down. As a result of that imbending announcement, already there is reaction as they thanked the commissioner for his hard work of policing and keeping the crime rates low in the city. She says she partnering with incoming commissioner james oneil as we Work Together to improve Police Community relations. That is a quote by her to reform practices. We are waiting for the announcement, again, with the mayor and missioner bratton as to his stepping down. Thats to take place here in city hall within the next several minutes as anticipated. Well bring it to you live. Reporting live at city hall, news. James oneil, the chief of the department and highest uniformed member will be brattons successor. He currently heads the unit to improve ties with blacks and hispanic neighborhoods. He started as an officer in 1983 and hob movingp and has been moving up ever since. We have spoken to him in the past about the challenges of the job. Between crime and terrorism, sleep. This is my life. Im here to make sure we keep the people of the city safe. Im joined on the phone by commissioner kelly. First off, thank you so much for joining usp. Good to be with you thank you so much for joining us. Good to be with you. We have to know your reaction of the commissioners decision to step down so suddenly. Im surprised. I thought he indicated that he would stay for the rest of wish him well. He, you know, has a history thats unparalleled in policing in the united states. So all the best to him. Mr. Kelly, you held this job for 12 years. It is a tough job. How difficult is it to stay in that position, keep your head about you and deal with the pressure thats coming not only from the department, the challenges of the job itself but also from the community . Then you have the political component. How tough is that jo that it is a very demanding job. Certain people just have it in their dna. That was my situation. I loved the job. It is demanding, takes a lot of time, and things are coming at you from many different directions. So its, i think, it can be that james oneil is a very experienced police professional. He came up through the ranks, and i certainly congratulate him on assuming that position. Certainly has been groomed for this position from the beginning. How difficult will it be for him coming into it midterm . Oh, i dont think so. Worked with the commissioner, he has been involved in a lot of things and met with the mayor on many, many occasions. I dont think the transition is going to be that difficult. Hes coming from outside of the department or if hes coming from outside of new york city, then its much more challenging. James oneil has sort of grown up in the Police Department. I think hell do just fine. Are there any things you think he needs to do to help well, as i said, i think the transition will be fine. I think this has been apparently in the planning for a while. I assume he knew about it. So i think that theyve had conversations about it. I dont see the transition as being a problem. I would hope that perhaps they can refocus on quality of life concerns in the city. I think it is an important issue. I think for a variety reasons, scripted. I hope they can get back on that track. Joining us this afternoon. Again, we are told that commissioner brattons decision to step down has not been influenced by recent protests. Just this morning, protesters followed the mayor around the city. Were hearing that the mayor is coming out right now. Darla, well come back to you very important day for new york city, a very good day, very meaningful day. It is a day where we, once again, recognize the extraordinary achievements of our police force in driving down crime and making our neighborhoods safer and bringing police and community closer together. We celebrate. We celebrate transition with continuity, filled with shared vision, and we celebrate taking a step into new york citys future. In september, commissioner bill bratton, whose contributions to our city and to Law Enforcement not only here but across the nation, are literally extraordinary. In september, commissioner bratton will retire from the nypd. We have found the perfect in chief jimmy oneil. I congratulate you, chief oneill, on this very important day for the city. I will say at the outsaid, i always call him jimmy. You can call him james. You can call him jim, but i always call him jimmy. Jimmy is one of the best prepared incoming commissioners this city has ever seen. His decades of experience have taught him not only how to lead to improve the extraordinary work of the mypd but also led him to the vision of neighborhood policing. That is now taking hold of the Police Department. He is the architect of our neighborhood policing strategy, a strategy that commissioner bratton and chief oneill convinced me over the last few years would be the future of this city and was deserving of extraordinary investment, a us safer and bring police and community closer together. This was the man who created that vision and he is the man who will see that vision through to fruition for the good of all new yorkers. We will never forget or fail to honor the achievements of bill bratton. He and i have developed an intense bond over these last 31 months, and i future, and im happy for your future, but i want you to know that this friendship, ill miss seeing you every, single day, but this friendship and this deep, deep connection will continue. I want to thank you for all youve done for the people of new york city. When we think about the 31 the goal of doing two things that many said could not be done at the same time, driving down crime while repairing some of the rifts between police and community. We said both of those things had to happen. We knew it was a tough road. Wherever bill bratton has gone, hes worked on both of those fronts. He had an extraordinary chief of department in jimmy oneil to help find a path t the lowest crime weve ever seen in the history of the city while at the same time righting some the wrongs of the past, fixing a broken policy of stop and frisk, changing the relationship between police and Community Precinct by precinct. That work has a long what i to go. I want to emphasize that. I dont think any of us could have imagined more done in such and the wonderful colleagues, the rest of the Senior Leadership has done on incredible job. By the way, one thing thats been a hallmark of bill bratton, and i know its something jimmy oneil believes in deeply is a sense ever a team. A team that works together where everybody gets to shine, everyone matters. Its brought out the best in down the line. Thats one of the reasons you see the extraordinary success. We remember what the city used to be like. A lot of us lived it. Over 2,000 murders a year, quality of life offenses almost went without notice that they were so common. Bill bratton and jack maple, may he rest in peace, changed that for all of us, but there was so much more to be done with that model. It wasnt enough to just end the bad. The good, towards our status as the safest big city of america, towards the goal of real harmony between police and community. Again, weve come a long way with much more to be done. When you go back and think about the days in the early 90s when this man and his not partner in crime, jack maple, his partner in fighting crime jack maple believed something could happen. They had a vision that many doubted. That was big and different they believed. They had faith. They were willing to go where people hadnt gone before. You will see the same from jimmy oneil. Is he ready to take this department where its gone before between police and community. It is an idea thats been talked about for decades. Its never been achieved on a sustained basis, but this is the man who will achieve it. People of new york city. Neighborhood policing continues to grow. We are rolling it out in the 51 of the precincts this fall and will continue from there. Youll see what it means in the lives of everyday new yorkers when they actually know the officer that patrols their part of the neighborhood, when they know the officers name, when connection, Mutual Respect, shared mission. Thats going to change this city for the better. Jimmy is the real thing in every way. First of all, he comes from someplace id like to call the one true borough, brooklyn. Born and bred flatbush brooklyn. That upbringing, hell talk learning about the people of the city from the beginning of his life. Brought up in a wonderful family that instilled in him values of service, and then joining the nypd33 years ago as a transit officer. Transit officers get to know new york city shoulder to shoulder with the people of new york city. Every kind of new yorker up them a special perspective. Jimmy kept the people of this city safe one tour at a time. Then he started to rise. He was noticed early on by great leaders of the Department Like bill bratton. He rose through the ranks, worked narcotics, trained fight officers at the police academy. He did so many of the crucial roles of the department. Built tremendous relationships with leaders of the city. A great sense of Mutual Respect i hear it all of the time the appreciation for the way jimmy shares his thoughts and listens tony their concerns. List listens to their concerns. Commissioner bratton understood what jimmy could bring to the equation as he built this extraordinary Leadership Team jimmys been intimately involved in the further deepening of that extraordinary model. And as the architect of neighborhood policing, hes creating a model that i believe were going to make work here. I believe its going to change the city. I believe its going to become a model that were going to look at around the country because it really answers what people are aching for. Everyones aching for it. People in neighborhoods just want to be safe. They want to have a sense they are respected. They want to walk out the door at night. Our Police Officers want the exact same thing to say good bye to their families in the morning, say good night at night. They want to contribute. Neighborhood policing is the model that allows that to finally happen we remember the officer every parent, every child. We want to see todays version of that. Thats what jimmy oneil will create in the city. Well, i know this is a job for a strong man. I know it is a job for real vision, reform, and progress. Like i always said about bill bratton who never has ever bone fit of all of us, jimmy ole neil burns with a passion to keep finding the next innovation. He will be an extraordinary leader of this department. I want to introduce to you the next Police Commissioner of the city of new york, jamie oneil. [ applause ] its not true. Irish people do hug once in a while. [ laughter ] good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for being here. Thank you mayor de blasio. Its been an amazing 16 hours. Never in my life coming on this job in 1983 did i think id be Police Commissioner. Thanks for allowing the men and women of the Police Department to do what they do best. Thats be effective cops. Thank you to all of the officers of the nypd. Every rank from three star chief down to cop who allowed me and helped me get to where i am today. Without them, id be nothing. Thank you to all of the elected officials and clergy members and all who live and work in the two fife and fourfour who have become true friends and guides of my career. Privilege to work closely with the mayor and commissioner to help shift this, the nations largest Police Department away from the style of policing the city that sometimes lost focus of the most important aspect of safeguarding the public. Lowering crime but not at the extension of losing the vital support of the people we were sworn to protect and serve. I can tell you firsthand the mayor has given the nypd everything we have asked for posture and get on the right course. Whether its vision zero, which has focused on awareness for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike. For the first time in a decade, thanks to the mater and city council, but purchasing necessary tools to make our officers jobs safer and more effective. Most importantly, steadfastly backing us in our efforts to improve this great city. Many might think that being Police Commissioner would be the culmination of a career of an old transit cop like me. I can tell you that i see this as an invitation to continue a unique chance to advance and see to fruition all of the great work we put in the past for the last 21 months. Commissioner bratton, thank you for that. Those of you who know me know to lead lives of significance. They wanted to make a difference in the world. They wanted to help make this an even better city and help all new yorkers achieve a quality of life we can all be proud of. When i was a rookie cop patrolling the subways this 1983, it was a different city in many ways but i think the people back then still had the same dreams that we have. They just want to live good lives, be productive and take care of their families. My mom helen, whos sitting in the front with my sister sheila, she might remember this. When i first came on the job, she had us work 8 00 at night until 8 00 in the morning. You learned quickly how to be a cop, how to navigate the maze of subway lines but most importantly how to talk to every type of person imaginable. I remember vividly the look of rae leaf on many peoples relief on many peoples faces when theyd see me. A cop with a little more hair ride the subway between 8 00 at night and 4 00 in the morning but did so to provide to their families and improve their lots in life. They were happy do see a uniformed cop because they felt safer. It was inspiring for a young cop. Now nearly 34 years later it is the same feeling today for the young men and women you see in uniform all around the five boroughs. Were here for you, the people of the city. Later i a how valuable and fragile at times this relationship between Law Enforcement and the community actually is. Let me tell owl this is truly a let me tell you this is truly a shared thing. This works only when we Work Together with the help of every new yorker, we will continue facilitating everything by law abiding residents while we work to erase the pockets of violence as they emerge. Know this. Were very much aware of the the city as perpetrated by a relatively small percentage of the population. Ive spoken to all of you about this before. This is something we concentrate on not every thursday morning but every day. We know who these people are and will continue to go after them as weve done in the last two and a half years. As with enforcement, we will continue relentless follow up and well do this while keeping the city safe from the ever changing you are aware of the Critical Response command. Always at the ready. Those officers are amongst the best trained in the nation including an active shooter situation. They work hand in hand every day with our counterterrorism intelligence bureaus which second to none. They ensure that people can safely demonstrate and nypd else. Its what democracy in america are all about. Its our job to ensure that right. The protest in the fall of 2014 signaled the change was necessary. With the brutal assassination of rafael ramos it was clear the nypd had to evolve to meet the neds of every person. Thats when the neighborhood Crime Fighting tool will be more than half of our mean city wide and 100 of our Public Housing commands. Knowing who your Police Officers are, especially what their names are, if you are dealing with an nco, you have a phone number at your disposal. Its one way to strengthen the bond. I mentioned my mom earlier. Its hard to talk about you. [ laughter ] one who taught me the ideals of what good cops should aspire to. Because of her, i learned we can changed world into what we want it to be and that life is much, much more than just about oneself. Its about all of us. Thank you, mom. Amen. Amen. [ applause ] i talk about you all of the time. I can forget about my older sister sheila. Shes always pointing me in the right direction so thank you, sheila. Its about all of us. Today, new york city were at record lows in terms of homicides and shootings. By years end, we have the fewest index crimes ever recorded in a single year. Thats truly historic. That doesnt mean we stop. We never stop trying to drive down crime and quell disorder. Were going to do it in lock dedicated to protect. It is after all what we do now. I want to thank the mayor and Police Commissioner again for having the trust and confidence in my to continue shepherding the extraordinary changes to help the nypd continue to evolve and must always evolve. We must continue to be in a place where were all proud to live and work. Thank you very much. [ applause ] so ive had all of 16 hours to think about the way forw couple of easy decisions for me. One of them was to ask my good friend, ben tucker, to stay on and help the city move forward. So ben, thank you for that. Id ask you to come up. [ applause ] just a few words. First of all, jimmy, the first i said i know its you, your name is on the phone. [ laughter ] he says i just want to know, you are hanging around, right . I said absolutely im hanging around. I came here and im hanging around because jimmy and i sort of had this synergy from the time we connected when i came here back in march of 2014. And i got the call from commissioner bratton. By the way, thank you for that call because it changed my life. Into policing after having been gone from the nypd for 24 years when i retired. So i came back as a Deputy Commissioner of training. Weve done some extraordinary work as the mayor alluded to in a variety of ways. Its never abouten in my 46 years in the business this much activity in a Police Department, particularly the nypd moving in a direction that the city, and its been amazing. Then subsequently, nine months later, ended up being appointed the first Deputy Commissioner. So for me, its been an amazing ride. I love what i do, and when jimmy asked the question, i mean, the words came out right away, of course im hanging around. I wouldnt leave,