Salary of an NYPD Police Commissioner

As the largest municipal police department in the U.S., the New York Police Department (NYPD) has about ​36,000​ law enforcement officers on its staff and ​19,000​ civilian workers. These employees provide emergency response services, protect the public, enforce laws and manage traffic throughout their jurisdiction. The NYPD salary depends on rank and experience, and some members of the police force are paid annually, while others are paid by the hour. Many law enforcement officers work a good deal of overtime, though this can result in higher pay. The highest-ranking officer is the NYPD Police Commissioner; the role is currently filled by Dermot Shea, who was appointed in 2019.

According to the NYPD leadership page, their police commissioner is appointed by the mayor; the commissioner's mission is to provide a safe and secure environment and an enhanced quality of life for city residents.

While they are not a sworn law enforcement officer, they are a civilian administrator. The person in this role leads the department and is its uniformed police chief. They administer the department's overall leadership and reports to those above, and they also set and oversee the department's strategic direction.

The team at Study.com explains that police commissioners set up department policies and procedures and coordinate division activities like code enforcement and criminal investigations. They also manage officer performance and civilian staff, handle finances and coordinate activities with government entities like state and county police departments, federal agencies and the district attorney's office. Police commissioners also have to develop and maintain good relationships with the members of their communities.

Not all police commissioners have college educations or direct experience in law enforcement; the requirements differ by jurisdiction. Having a bachelor's degree in law enforcement, criminal justice or police administration can certainly help, and attending and graduating from a police academy can also be important. The most successful candidates often have five or more years of experience in law enforcement working as a commanding officer as well.

The current police commissioner is Dermot Shea. He has a bachelor's degree in business economics and also graduated from the New York City Police Academy. Following that, he served as the chief of detectives, and then as the chief of crime control strategies. Shea also held the position of deputy commissioner of operations.

As a side note, not all large cities have police commissioners. Los Angeles has a board of commissioners, and David O'Neal Brown serves as the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. O'Neal Brown also has a bachelor's degree and he graduated from the Dallas Police Academy.

Govsalaries.com posts that Dermot Shea's 2020 salary was ​$243,171​. Even though the NYPD is the largest municipal police department in the U.S., other police department heads earn more. The Boston Globe claims that the Methuen, New Hampshire, police chief Joseph Solomon earned a salary of ​$326,707​ in 2019. It was reported that O'Neal Brown's 2020 salary was ​$260,044​.

CAPstat has NYPD salary lookup information and lists police officer names, ranks and salaries. A police officer with seven years of experience was earning ​$85,292​ a year in 2018, while a lieutenant with 18 years of experience had a salary of ​$125,531​ that same year. In July of 2021, the New York Post reported that retired police chief Terence Monahan had a salary of ​$242,592​, plus a pension. The NYPD chief salary seems to be comparable to the commissioner's.

​Consider also:​ Federal Benefits for Retired Police Officers