Bernard Kerik, former commissioner of the New York City Police Department, has died at the age of 69. He led the department from August 2000 to December 2001. He became one of the most prominent figures in the city’s response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, playing a crucial role in coordinating emergency response efforts. A highly visible figure alongside then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, he shared in the praise that the nation and the world heaped upon their valiant efforts in the wake of the tragedy. His leadership during the crisis earned him national recognition, and he later received numerous awards for his service.
However, he was later embroiled in many legal troubles. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to federal corruption and tax crimes, spending several years in prison. He was pardoned in 2020 by President Donald Trump, whose supporter he has been.
Reactions to his death from his former colleagues and acquaintances have poured in. Rudy Giuliani wrote on X, “I am heartbroken over the loss of my dear friend, he was a decorated police officer, Corrections commissioner and NYC police commissioner during the worst terrorist attack on American soil.”
The NYPD, currently headed by Jessica Tisch, released a statement that said, “For nearly two decades, Kerik served and protected New Yorkers in the NYPD, including helping rebuild the city in the aftermath of 9/11. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
FBI director Kash Patel added, “Today, we mourn the loss of Bernard B. Kerik, a warrior, a patriot, and one of the most courageous public servants this country has ever known. Bernie passed away tragically on May 29, 2025, after a private battle with illness”.
Kerik’s working career began in 1993, when he was chosen as a bodyguard and driver for Rudy Giuliani, at the time a candidate for mayor of New York City.
In 1997, after Kerik had risen through the ranks of the Police Department, becoming a drug investigator, it was Giuliani himself who appointed him commissioner of the Department of Corrections, a position he held until 2000.
A few years after leaving the NYPD, the former New York cop was appointed Secretary of Homeland Security by President George W. Bush. However, he retired a week later because, by his own admission, he had hired an undocumented immigrant as a babysitter and neglected to pay some taxes.
The allegations sparked numerous investigations into his account and subsequently, in 2006, he also pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors related to the renovation of his apartment in Riverdale that had been carried out by a New Jersey construction company suspected of ties to organized crime, while he was the Department of Corrections Commissioner. Kerick was fined $221,000.
In November 2007, Kerik again found himself in legal trouble, as he was indicted on federal corruption charges and pleaded not guilty to 16 counts, including conspiracy, tax fraud and making false statements.
In 2009, he instead pleaded guilty to eight counts, including tax fraud and lying to White House officials, and was subsequently sentenced to 48 months in prison. Kerik was later released on good behavior after serving three years behind bars.
In 2020, after Trump granted him a pardon, he became one of the loyalists who, along with Rudy Giuliani, promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged and that the Democrats had stolen the election from him in favor of Joe Biden.
Kerik leaves behind a mixed legacy of heroism and admiration, but also of deep corruption and legal troubles.
