Dedicated units of the NYPD include the Emergency Service Unit , K-9 , harbor patrol , highway patrol , air support , bomb squad , counterterrorism , criminal intelligence , anti- organized crime , narcotics , mounted patrol , public transportation , and public housing units.
The NYPD employs over 40, people, including more than 30, uniformed officers as of September The NYPD has a history of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct , which critics argue persists till the present day. The Municipal Police were established in , replacing an old night watch system.
During Richard Enright 's tenure as commissioner, the country's first Shomrim Society , a fraternal organization of Jewish police officers, was founded in the NYPD in In response to this, some NYPD officers violently protested [ 23 ] [ 24 ] and rioted. In , the NYPD developed the CompStat computer system for tracking crime geographically, which is now in use by other police departments in the United States and Canada.
In , the NYPD ceased enforcement of marijuana crimes other than driving under the influence. The department is administered and governed by the police commissioner , who is appointed by the mayor. Technically, the Commissioner serves a five-year term; as a practical matter, they serve at the mayor's pleasure.
The commissioner in turn appoints the first deputy commissioner, numerous deputy commissioners, and the Chief of Department the most senior uniformed officer. By default, the commissioner and their subordinate deputies are civilians under an oath of office and are not sworn officers. However, a commissioner who comes up from the sworn ranks retains the status and statutory powers of a police officer while serving as commissioner.
