Board Members - Bios
Howard Safir
Director IACP
Howard Safir is currently Chairman and CEO of SafirRosetti, Omnicom Group Inc. SafirRosetti is a premier company serving the security and investigation needs of its clients both nationally and internationally. Mr. Safir also serves as consultant to the Chair of ChoicePoint, a leading provider of credential verification and identification services.
Howard Safir was appointed 39th Police Commissioner of the City of New York by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on April 15, 1996. In his four years as Police Commissioner, he achieved a 38% reduction in major crime and reduced homicides by 44%, bringing the total number of murders in New York to 667, the lowest level in three decades. To obtain these results, Commissioner Safir implemented a comprehensive Fugitive Strategy and established thirty-nine major anti-drug initiatives throughout the city including the Northern Manhattan Initiative. He created model blocks in each borough to prevent eradicated drug dealing from returning and he introduced closed circuit television to ensure the safety of housing development residents, park visitors and subway riders. Concerned for officer and public safety, he expanded firearms training and introduced Firearms Training Simulators. Under his leadership, firearms discharge incidents decreased from 344 in 1995 to 155 in 1999. He has also been the country’s leading voice in calling for the expansion of DNA use in policing. He developed and implemented Operation Condor, a creative use of personnel resources that continues to be a centerpiece of current NYPD crime reduction strategy.
To discourage the use of drugs among young people, Commissioner Safir introduced the largest Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in the world that has trained over 220,000 students. He also introduced the Gang Resistance and Education Training Program that has trained over 43,000 students to avoid gang activity.
To improve community relations and promote professionalism, Commissioner Safir initiated a Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect (CPR) program for the entire Police Department. He has had over 20,000 quality assurance tests conducted to ensure the effectiveness of CPR training. He also established a Board of Visitors to oversee Police Academy training and ensure community input. To allow for greater police-community understanding, he founded the Police Museum where visitors may study the Department’s history and use a firearms simulator.
Commissioner Safir oversaw the merger of 2,200 traffic control agents and 3,500 school safety personnel into the NYPD. To address traffic fatalities, he implemented an aggressive traffic safety program resulting in a 14% reduction in traffic fatalities since 1995. Providing for greater coordination of intelligence in the metropolitan area, Commissioner Safir was named co-chair of the New York, New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative.
Commissioner Safir has taken many steps to assist police officers and promote morale. He established commanders’ days that allow commanding officers to recognize and reward the exceptional performance of subordinates by providing extra days off. He also established a paid detail program to allow officers to work in uniform while off-duty. He worked with lending institutions to arrange low cost mortgages with no closing cost for officers purchasing residences within the city. He replaced 18,000 bullet resistant vests, authorized small off-duty 9mm firearms, expanded the Department’s scholarship program, issued cellular phones to patrol supervisors and established a portable defibrillator program to promote officers’ and civilians’ safety.
Commissioner Safir began his law enforcement career in 1965 as a special agent assigned to the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a forerunner of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He advanced through the ranks of the DEA and in 1977 was appointed Assistant Director of the DEA. Commissioner Safir also served as Chief of the Witness Security Division, U.S. Marshals Service. In 1984, he was named Associate Director for Operations, U.S. Marshals Service, a position he held until his retirement from the federal government in 1990. Commissioner Safir rejoined government service in 1994 when Mayor Giuliani asked him to serve as New York City’s 29th Fire Commissioner.
Commissioner Safir received his B.A. in History and Political Science from Hofstra University in 1963. He attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, receiving certificates in the programs for Senior Managers in Government in 1988 and for National and International Security in 1989. He is a Director of the Foundation of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and has served as a delegate to INTERPOL, the National Drug Policy Board and the El Paso Intelligence Center Advisory Board. Throughout his career, Commissioner Safir has been recognized frequently for his outstanding service. In 1996, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He was twice awarded the Presidential Meritorious Executive Award. Additionally, he received the U.S. Marshals Service Meritorious Service Award and the Attorney General’s Achievement Award, in addition to many other citations and awards.
Commissioner Safir is a member of the Board of Trustees of Hofstra University and a member of the Board of Visitors to CIA University. In addition he is Chairman of GVI Security Solutions, Inc. and serves on the Board of Directors of Verint Systems, Inc. Commissioner Safir also serves as an advisor to Document Security Systems, Inc., SISCO Systems and Bio-Key International.
Commissioner Safir is author of "Security, Policing Your Homeland, Your State, Your City," published by St. Martin's Press.
Commissioner Safir and his wife, Carol, reside in Manhattan. They have a son, Adam, and a daughter, Jennifer.
