NEW YORK—Hundreds of police officers and dozens of civilians gathered at One Police Plaza to celebrate the retirement of Joseph Esposito, chief of the NYPD, after more than 44 years of service.
Esposito turns 63, the NYPD’s mandatory retirement age, on March 28.
“I wish I had a couple more years to go, but that’s not what’s in the cards,” he said at an unrelated event on March 25, laughing. “I don’t make the law, I just follow it.”
He'll miss getting up and coming into work every day, he said. “Nothing’s been better.”
Esposito began his career in August 1968 as a trainee, and through the years rose through the ranks. He was appointed chief, the third in command, in 2000.
During his tenure, Esposito has won praise for helping reduce crime and defusing heated situations. For example, during an especially vigorous Occupy Wall Street protest in Times Square in October 2011, when officers on horseback came into the area to corral surging protesters, Esposito stepped between the officers and protesters. The protesters began chanting his name.
Other incidents have garnered criticism, but overall his tenure is viewed favorably.
Golden worked as a police officer in the 67th precinct in Brooklyn in the 1970s and early 1980s, during which time Esposito also worked in Brooklyn.
Police officers at the ceremony on March 26 cheered Esposito as he walked across One Police Plaza, near City Hall, and into a waiting car. Along the way many handshakes, and hugs, were shared.
Even during his ascent within the NYPD, Esposito retained an attitude of being part of a team.
One winter day, Esposito was walking into NYPD headquarters when he spotted a civilian employee who was fixing a flat tire. He took off his jacket and gave it to the employee. “Put that on, you’re going to catch a cold,” he told the employee.
While police officers will miss Esposito, the change in one of the top positions in the NYPD will not be earth shattering, according to Eugene O'Donnell, a lecturer at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“Chief Esposito was highly regarded by rank and file officers and was a bridge between field officers, unions, and the commissioner,” O'Donnell said via email. “He will be missed, but the nature of police work is that life goes on, and the next chief of department will command the obedience and respect that one would expect in a quasi military organization.”
Esposito’s successor is Philip Banks III, the city announced later in the day. He will meet with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly on March 28.
Meanwhile, Esposito’s personal touch wasn’t just for show.
“He’s a guy who walks in the office and has major counterterrorism meetings, but he stops and talks to anyone about ‘How you feeling today’ or ‘How’s your mother,’ and genuinely takes time to listen to what they have to say,” said the police officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, at the celebration on March 26. “That comes naturally—you can’t teach that at the academy, you can’t go to college and earn that degree.”
